Premier League: Why Maurizio Sarri deserves respect from Abramovich after a successful debut season for Chelsea

Maurizio Sarri arrived at Stamford Bridge during the pre-season of 2018, with Chelsea anticipating a fresh blueprint after a string of defensive philosophies from their previous managers.

A restraining style of play under Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte ingrained a deep sense of pragmatism among the Chelsea squad. Sarri faced an uphill task of unleashing the players and deploying his philosophy, and the Italian's tenure started with a Community Shield loss against Manchester City.

The Blues then enjoyed a rampant unbeaten run of 12 games in the Premier League, but a difficult period hit Sarri's side during January and a top-four spot looked doubtful. Amid the crisis, the Blues managed a League Cup final, losing to Guardiola's Man City side on penalties.

Implementing a new philosophy is a tedious process which requires patience, but the Chelsea bosses are reluctant to bide their time with Sarri. Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, is a believer in short term success, and he seems unconvinced by the manager's vision; he is reportedly looking to replace Sarri in the summer.

Despite the problems, Sarri has actually had a very solid season for Chelsea, securing third place in the League and the Europa League to go with it. And yet, the Italian tactician has faced widespread criticism from the fans and critics for his side's drab performances during the season.

The fragile mentality of the squad

The Chelsea boss questioned the mentality and desire of his players at various points during the season. Several matches suggested that the Blues lacked the right fighting spirit, giving up after finding themselves in losing positions.

Sarri addressed the issue in his post-match conference after Chelsea's defeat to Everton when he said:

“If we play eight matches like in the first half we can do everything, but I’m worried about our mentality. We played the best 45 minutes of our season in the first half then suddenly at the beginning of the second we stopped playing. I don’t know why. It is difficult to explain.

'If we play for the next eight matches like we did in the second half we are in trouble and it will be impossible to arrive in the top four.”

The former Napoli man has worked on strengthening the mental side of his players and he touched upon that matter during his pre-match press conference of the Europa League final. He said:

“For me, at the beginning of the season, it was really very difficult to understand my players, to understand the mentality. But, after a very difficult month in January, in February they started to change, I think. Or probably I changed, I don't know.”

Lack of goals from the number 9 position

Gonzalo Higuain failed to solve Chelsea's goalscoring woes

Olivier Giroud's Europa League goal tally might contradict this point, but Chelsea craved goals in the Premier League. Alvaro Morata was disastrous in leading the line for Chelsea this season and so was his successor Gonzalo Higuain.

The on-loan striker managed to find the target only five times, with his fitness issues being the major cause of his meager score. Regardless of the goal drought though, Eden Hazard's prolific PL season guided Chelsea to a place in the top-four.

Sarri's tactical flexibility allowed goals from midfield and wide players, ensuring that his side scored enough to win matches.

Overcoming the players' flippant attitude

Kepa refused the substitution orders from Sarri and stayed on the pitch.

During the League Cup final, former Napoli boss was disrespected by the goalie Kepa Arrizabalaga as he stayed on the pitch despite the substitution being announced. Chelsea eventually lost on penalties, and Sarri addressed the fiasco by saying:

"As I say to the goalkeeper, he understood that I asked for a change for his physical problem, he said, 'I haven't a physical problem' and so he was right I think. I realised after when the doc arrived to the bench, the goalkeeper with a little problem, I wanted Caballero ready.

"It was only a big misunderstanding, Kepa was right, but in the wrong way I think, in the wrong way in the way he behaved and conducted himself, but mentally he was right, he was able to go to penalties."

Kepa served a one-match ban and was fined for his unprofessional behaviour. But the problems did not stop there, and video footage emerged just before the Europa final where David Luiz and Gonazalo Higuain were found having an altercation.

Amid all this, Sarri's questioning of the board decisions has made Abramovich unhappy. Abramovic wants a manager who is in unison with the board and works according to their demands.

Its been a laborious season for Sarri and his team. But all said and done, his manner of resurrecting Chelsea's 2018-19 campaign deserves respect from the fans and from Roman Abramovich.