Maurizio Sarri has asked for Gonzalo Higuain despite all evidence that it is not a good idea. Chelsea is backing his gamble.
If nothing else, this past weekend proved that Maurizio Sarri was a gambling man. His post match presser was met with both criticism and applause as he effectively turned the spotlight from his tactical disasterclass to the players.
Whether the players accept that or not remains to be seen. But Sarri has placed himself on the edge of a cliff and has dared the players to push. His next gamble is on Gonzalo Higuain.
Higuain is coming to Chelsea sooner or later. Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi will head out on loan or permanently. The club is backing Sarri’s latest gamble. With Higuain, Sarri is hoping to turn the club’s current trajectory around with his former player. If it works, Sarri will be vindicated and will be consulted on transfers more often. If it fails, so too will the Sarrismo project.
The fact that the club is backing Sarri now should be noteworthy. Jorginho started well but has cooled off mightily. He has proven a good player, but not necessarily a great one. He looks a player befitting a club in a top four race (which Chelsea is) but not one for a title race (which Chelsea has the desire to be). Even still, the club is backing Sarri on Higuain.
Statistically, acquiring Higuain now makes no sense. Chalk it up to AC Milan not creating opportunists for him, but his stats are worse than Morata’s. Higuain’s wages will likely be quite high (hence the need to move two players on loan). The fact that it is only a loan is good but also reeks of the club expecting this to go south.https://theprideoflondon.com/2019/01/21/chelsea-tactics-transfers-maurizio-sarri-right-will-pay/
And for better or worse, following the presser, Sarri is staking his tenure on Higuain. The deal was in the pipeline before the loss, but now it will be viewed through the lens of “here is a player with the mentality and ferocity needed”. If Higuain succeeds, then Sarri will be justified. If he fails, Higuain may not be the only person leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer.
It is a risk that Chelsea did not take on Antonio Conte last season in regards to Leonardo Bonucci or Fernando Llorente. They are taking it now because there seems to be little way out of the current goal scoring situation. The board is backing Sarri but there is a heavy sense of an “if” at the end of the road.
Sarri needs Higuain to hit the ground running now more than ever. He is putting all his chips in on his former out of form player. In light of the presser, he needs Higuain to turn up and be an example to everyone else. Because the players are watching now after being called out. And historically that only ends one way.
If Higuain fails to do what Sarri expects, at best Sarri will stop being consulted over transfers. At worst, the Blues will be in the managerial market once again.