'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Having performed creditably well as manager of Napoli whom he guided to a spectacular campaign during the 2017/2018 Serie A season, it did not come as a major surprise when Chelsea appointed Maurizio Sarri as their manager at the start of the current campaign.
The 60-year-old had won many admirers with his aesthetic brand of football in Naples, leading to endorsements from leading figures like Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff and it was expected that he would bring his expertise with him to Stamford Bridge.
Sarri started the season impressively with Chelsea, leading The Blues to an unbeaten run in all competitions for the first four months of his reign - a run encompassing 18 matches in all competitions, which garnered praises for 'sarriball'.
Chelsea seemed invisible at that point, with Eden Hazard playing the best football of his life, and Sarri hailed for being the man to unleash the shackles placed on the Belgian by previous managers.
However, Chelsea's invincibility came crashing down as they lost to Tottenham in mid-November and their world has not been the same since.
Since that defeat, the London club have huffed and puffed in vain, struggling to impose their identity on matches and have shown signs of total bewilderment which has led to numerous dropped points in their quest for a top four finish.
In that time, there have been harrowing 4-0 and 6-0 defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City respectively, while last weekend's controversial 2-1 win away to Cardiff halted a three-match winless run in the league.
Despite the victory, there were chants of 'Sarri out' as well as some vile, unprintable comments from sections of the away fans, which has seen the pressure increasingly pile on Maurizio Sarri.
Given Roman Abramovic's history of being trigger-happy with managers, it would not come as a major surprise were Sarri the latest to go out the ever-revolving door of managers at the club. In this piece, we shall be highlighting four reasons why it would be in Chelsea's best interests to fire Sarri barely nine months into his bumper contract.
#4 He has suffered a disconnect with Chelsea fans
Football fans play a massively important role in football, providing emotional, financial and physical support or the players, while also defending the honour and integrity of the club against rival fans.
In short, without fans, there can be no football as the all-round contributions made by supporters are too important to ignore.
They are universally referred to as the '12th' man and rightly so, as they more often than not give payers that extra lift needed to last the distance and go for glory.
Even in today's modern world of increased commercialization and marketing, the needs of the club's fanbase are still of paramount importance and in some football communities like the Serie A and La Liga, the 'socios' or 'ultras' still have a large say in deciding the day-to-day running of the club.
To keep fans happy, results have to be gotten on the field and when things go badly, they are usually the first set of people to let their voices be heard either on social media or at the stadium.
The poor results being posted by Chelsea under Sarri has led to a disconnect between the Italian gaffer and the fans, with numerous placards calling for his sack adorning the stands in most Chelsea matches, while chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' greet every painfully predictable substitution he makes.
Given the importance of keeping fans happy, it is paramount that the Chelsea hierarchy heed their call and terminate Sarri's appointment, or else it could turn into a full-blown crisis between supporters and management which is a scenario the club would be keen to avoid.
#3 He has not shown tactical versatility
For the most part of his managerial career, Maurizio Sarri has shown a penchant for sticking with a 4-3-3 formation with a deep-lying playmaker being the fulcrum through which his team operates.
It is a system which has brought him plenty of admirers with very little in terms of trophies, which begs the question as to why he chooses to still stick with it.
Even the average football fan with very little to negligible tactical knowledge would have a perfect understanding of how Sarri sets his team up to play after a few minutes of watching them.
Mauricio Pochetino showed the league the way to crack sarriball by man-marking Jorginho in the aforementioned victory and this served as a template for other managers to follow, as Unai Emery, Nuno Espirito, Eddie Howe but to name a few have all followed this plan to the letter to victorious effects.
Rather painfully, Sarri has failed to develop another system, with his substitutions, formation and playing pattern all largely the same which betrays his perceived status as a top-level coach.
World class coaches like Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochetino and even the much maligned Jose Mourinho have all shown to possess tactical versatility and the requisite ability to switch things up when results go against them and since Sarri has shown himself incapable of this, he is no longer fit to be Chelsea manager.
#2 He quite simply is not up to standard
Chelsea is undoubtedly one of the biggest clubs in the world, and have been one of the most successful over the last 15 years since Roman Abramovic took over the reins as owner.
The status and prestige associated with Chelsea mean that the club is expected to win at least a trophy every season and compete favourably in the others.
It goes without saying that the pressure and demand to win owing to gargantuan investments is sky high and as such, not every player or coach can cope with the increased demands.
Chelsea is home to some of the best players in the world who have won a plethora of trophies and with well experienced and paid players comes the extra baggage of hyper-inflated egos.
The Stamford Bridge dressing room is one of the most notoriously difficult to manage, evidenced by the numerous cases of player power demonstrated over the years that have led to the sack of a number of coaches.
Sarri himself has admitted to finding to difficult to motivate his Chelsea players, with the case of Kepa refusing to come off after being prompted in the League Cup final against Manchester City showing that he might have lost the dressing room.
It, therefore, begs the question that if a coach cannot motivate or control his own players, then exactly what is he being paid to do?
The former Napoli gaffer's case is hardly helped by the fact that he is yet to win a major managerial honour in his career and given his struggles, Sarri has shown himself to not be on the level required of a Chelsea manager and as such, he has to go.
#1 He does not have the pedigree to back him up
Everybody in all walks of life no matter how excellent has a moment or two when they struggle to perform at their usual standards and football is no exception.
This applies to both players and managers, as history is littered with examples of those who failed to hit the heights expected.
However, this is where pedigree and past achievements of such players or managers come to the fore, as despite their struggles, there is always the underlying feeling that they could hit top form once again and get going again judging by their previous antecedents.
It is the reason why Jose Mourinho was hired by Manchester United (even though it backfired) and why the Portuguese manager is still being linked with a host of high profile jobs despite his recent failures at Chelsea and Real Madrid.
It is also the reason why Atletico Madrid signed Morata despite current form suggesting otherwise.
A certain Pep Guardiola for all of his tactical brilliance and impressive resume also struggled to translate his ideas to the Premier League, with his first season at Manchester City ending in disaster.
The City hierarchy, however, gave the Catalan time and this decision has proved to be a masterstroke as the Citizens are now undisputed heavyweights in the Premier League.
The Pep example is one which sympathizers use as a yardstick to plead for more time for Sarri to get his methods to work, but those with this school of thought are forgetting a fundamental factor - pedigree.
Whereas Guardiola came into the Premier League with a resume of over 20 major managerial honors won and a reputation of being arguably the best manager of the last decade, Sarri has only 'beautiful football' and a second-place finish with Napoli to show for all his efforts.
Judging by previous antecedents or lack of, there is almost no guarantee that Sarri's methods will work at Chelsea as he is quite simply not a winner and as such, leaving him in the managerial role would be a risk too great to take considering the quality of opposition The Blues face in the Premier League.
