Chelsea: Three lessons learned on a feel-good (mostly) Thursday night
2. Fans realize it’s either Sarri or the youth (George Perry)
The official announcement of the starting lineup yesterday confirmed what many had already seen rumours of on Twitter: another game, another start on the bench for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Maybe it was the fixture congestion, maybe it was the opponent, maybe it was the example provided by Manchester United the night before. Whatever the reason, there was a broad, undeniable outcry against Maurizio Sarri for his continued distrust of his youth and misunderstanding of how young players develop.
Even fans who normally brook no dissent against the manager (well, except for when it’s convenient) or who counsel patience in extremis, voiced their understanding that Chelsea’s manager is antithetical to the best interests of Chelsea’s youth. For the first time, a wide array of Blues fans (not sure about the supporters) recognized they can either back the coach or the youth. They cannot back both, because the former does not care about or does not understand the needs of the latter.
Obviously, this probably will have minimal impact on, well, anything. Maurizio Sarri is immune to criticism, education or facts.
More. Maurizio Sarri not acting like a top-six coach in his approach to youth. light
However, there is a case to be made that the club are more in tune with the fans than some of us are comfortable with. Sarri’s appointment seems driven by fan outcry and the wave of anti-Conte, pro-Sarriball sentiment that built up in late spring 2018 until Chelsea changed managers in July. Very few reports talked about who on the football side of the club championed Sarri’s appointment, probably because the footballing case for hiring Sarri is wafer thin.
In the absence of a good footballing reason for hiring Sarri, responding to – or at least heavily weighting – fan outcry emerges as a factor.
If the club picks up on the anti-Sarri sentiment over his youth policies, they may pull him aside for a chat. It’s a hell of a way to run a football club, but they might remind him that ChelsTwit made him, and ChelsTwit can break him.