Maurizio Sarri and Chelsea have had a chance to use the Europa League to build something. Instead, they have failed to build anything.
All of this must be prefaced by saying Maurizio Sarri is a good manager who has done a good job so far. He took a side that was mentally down and brought them back up. He took a squad and put some fight back into them. But perhaps most importantly, he took a squad that had become apathetic and made them care.
So, saying Sarri has failed in the Europa League is not a knock against him as a manager. It is a failure of letting an opportunity slip by. Perhaps one of the best Chelsea has had in years.
There is a strange section of the fans that will stand up and scream “Sarri is rotating more than any of our other managers did!” which is true to the letter of rotation by not true to the spirit of rotation. As much as some love Gary Cahill or Victor Moses, seeing them rotated into very winnable matches is not quite the same as the rotation everyone wants.
Frankly, the one silver lining Chelsea could take from being in the Europa League was the ability to use youth if the group panned out favorably. The group panned out very favorably with Chelsea the easy favorites and the rest fighting over second place scraps. Therefore, this was the year where the most promising youth from the academy or returning from the loan army had their chance. There is simply no reason why Ethan Ampadu or Callum Hudson-Odoi should not be featuring in every single group stage game.
But that is not how it has happened which is particularly surprising when Hudson-Odoi is considered. The match away to PAOK was supposed to be the hardest of the group, so that one is somewhat understandable. But six starters from the Premier League held their spot, Andreas Christensen started, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (who is a stretch to call youth) made the bench. Hudson-Odoi’s incredibly preseason was ignored for the likes of Victor Moses on the bench and Willian and Pedro on the field.
The squad struggled in the following match against West Ham as they dropped points for the first time in the season. So Sarri rotated more heavily against Vidi. But it was again to the letter of rotation and not to the spirit. Three starters held their spots and Loftus-Cheek finally started. Christensen also got the nod (again, a stretch to call youth now). Ethan Ampadu made the bench as an unused substitute and Hudson-Odoi was once again nowhere to be seen as Moses took the pitch.
Chelsea now has six points from six over the first two matches. That is good. What is not is that Hudson-Odoi has played zero minutes and Ampadu was a mere after thought for the bench. One is Chelsea’s best academy player and the player who arguably had the best preseason. The other is a full Welsh international who can play more minutes for his national side than his club side.
Only the 22 year old Christensen and Loftus-Cheek saw minutes. Again, they are stretched to call youth due to their age. Even then, they seemed more of an “oh yeah those guys” than a concrete effort to put them on the pitch.
The Europa League was an opportunity given the group draw. Yes, the results were tight without the youth. But the likes of Moses and Cahill know there is little they can do at their age to prove themselves in the Europa League. But Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi? They have everything to prove. And they would have taken any chance to do so.
Chelsea has four matches remaining in the groups. Right now, they maintain a three point lead over the second and third placed teams. The Blues could extend that lead and be well in control of the group after the second match day. But it will feel a hollow victory if Hudson-Odoi and Ampadu are still in the cold.
This was Chelsea’s chance to start building for the future. Two chances, two opportunities missed. Unless Sarri and the club readjust themselves and take advantage of the opportunity on hand, Hudson-Odoi’s and Ampadu’s talents will go to waste.