Dear Sarri: An open letter from a frustrated Chelsea fan to Sarri

Dear Maurizio Sarri,

It has taken a while for me to write down this letter to you but, if you are reading, then know that I write on behalf of the millions of Chelsea fans who are itching to get a word or two to you.

First of all, I must commend you for believing in our dream, its project and agreeing to become Chelsea manager. I must also commend you for staying positive despite the club’s poor run of form in recent weeks.

We, the fans, know you are doing your best but, as it stands, your best is not good enough. Chelsea’s position on the Premier League table means the club risks missing out on Champions League qualification for the second successive season.

That is definitely not the standard of Chelsea. Our club has developed into a powerhouse in European football and we cannot afford to entertain any regression at this point. There will be no excuse if you fail to qualify us to the Champions League. That would be a complete failure.

I know you are a very good coach and an even better manager. But your intransigence appears to be costing the team.

We, the fans, understand that your system thrives on having a ball-playing midfielder sitting right in front of the back four, but please it’s time to adapt. The Premier League is tough for all new manager and you are no exception. You need to adapt!

It is very frustrating to see one of the biggest problems in the team stare at us in the face, yet you continue to ignore the solution. Your continuous playing of N’Golo Kante – our best midfielder – out of position is becoming annoying.

Week in, week out teams run our midfield ragged with Jorginho being helpless to do anything. Kante is a world class player, and he made his name playing as a defensive midfielder.

What has stopped you from playing the Frenchman alongside your favoured Jorginho in a two-man midfield in order to provide cover for our fragile defence?

Some may argue that Kante’s numbers have improved since you started playing him in an advanced role, but that has been at the expensive of the entire team. We lost 2-0 to Arsenal, 4-0 to Bournemouth and 6-0 to Manchester City – all these were matches were Jorginho’s lack of defensive ability was badly exposed.

Please return Kante to his favoured defensive midfield position to give our defence some cover. Also, why have you constantly and consistently kept underperforming players like David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and Willian in the starting XI?

We may not have enough depth in our squad, but there are surely competent players on the bench who also deserve a chance.

Sarri, you have our support but please heed to our concerns and change things immediately. We are counting on you to return Chelsea to the top of English and European football.

Yours Sincerely,

A concerned Chelsea fan.