Everybody at Chelsea FC shares in the blame for the historic loss to Manchester City. More important than assigning blame, though, is agreeing that everyone needs to be more flexible.
And so the inquest begins. From fans and pundits all the way to the top of the club hierarchy, everyone is wondering collectively what the hell they saw this weekend against Manchester City. Something went fundamentally wrong, and everyone is looking for someone to blame. So who is to blame: the manager? The players? Owner?
Maurizio Sarri has said he struggles to motivate the players at times. It’s little surprise this is the case, as the players know they are more valuable than the manager.
Managers are and always have been easily and immediately replaceable under Roman Abramovich. Sarri’s tactical system is complex, and Chelsea players have been displaying an unwillingness to work hard enough to adopt it. They know if performances drop off, it’s not their head on the chopping block.
The other facet of Sarri’s style which makes things worse is how he likes to stick with a small group of starters, and rarely trusts young players with big roles. When older players don’t show passion or willingness to adapt, normally an easy way to fix that is to play the youth. They are naturally more motivated because they have more to prove. It also shows the older players their places are not guaranteed.
Healthy competition is an absolute necessity for a balanced, successful squad. Yet despite Callum Hudson-Odoi impressing every time he takes the field, Sarri persists with a floundering Pedro or Willian, who are 90% of the time completely ineffective.
Despite Mateo Kovacic having all the attributes to play Jorginho’s position better than him, Sarri continues to put Jorginho on a pedestal as the tactical cornerstone, no matter how tactically navigable that is for opponents.
Despite Ruben Loftus-Cheek bringing a breath of fresh air to a stagnant midfield every time he takes the pitch, Sarri seems completely unwilling to give him a bigger role. And he is a player crying out for praise and attention.
So, whose fault is it? Well, when you lose 6-0 to a rival, no matter how good they are, there’s no one without blame. Roman Abramovich needs to change the philosophy of the club as soon as possible, because progress is impossible as it is.
The players (barring Antonio Rudiger) need to get their heads out of their collective posteriors and start playing like they care about anything beyond themselves. And Sarri needs to realise that, while the odds are firmly stacked against him, there are still clear and simple changes he can make to vastly improve the situation.
The key word is flexibility. Between the manager, owner and players, two are rocks and one is a hard place. Their inability to see eye to eye is shown in their collective failure. And the real risk comes if this toxicity continues. Players like Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Eden Hazard will all walk away from the club in the summer with a smile on their face and a “thank god I got out when I did” in their heads, as the cycle repeats with a new manager.
This does not need to be the case. This situation is entirely salvageable, but it might mean that some – if not all – at Chelsea have to be open to change.