Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri taking the low road with Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud is the Europa League’s leading scorer and, the day before adding to his tally, spoke of his frustration at being a backup striker. Chelsea are less concerned about Giroud’s wishes and more about holding onto him through the transfer ban, with or without his assent.

Olivier Giroud scores one goal every 85 minutes in the Europa League. Gonzalo Higuain would have to improve his Premier League scoring rate threefold to match Giroud’s output. But because Gonzalo Higuain had that one season with Maurizio Sarri at Napoli three years ago, Higuain will continue to consume space and produce not much more than carbon dioxide in Chelsea’s Premier League starting XI at Giroud’s expense.

Chelsea, though, are not too concerned. Not about Higuain’s lack of output, not about Giroud’s dissatisfaction, not about the imminent transfer ban. They have a ready-made solution that predates all of these: they can simply extend Giroud’s contract whether he wants it or not.

After the Blues’ win over Slavia Praha, in which Giroud had one goal and one assist and played a key role in the other two, Maurizio Sarri dismissed any concerns about Giroud leaving the club in a summer where they could not replace him. Sarri did not talk about an expanded role for Giroud, nor did he give any boilerplate about Giroud’s professionalism and loyalty.

Banker that he is, Sarri fell cited backroom conversations and contract clauses.

"He [Giroud] is sure [to stay] because the club has an option for another year, another season. I spoke to the club two days ago and we agreed to exercise the option. So, he will remain. – The Telegraph"

Gee, Maurizio, did you or anyone from club management talk to Giroud about this? Or did you all just figure that since his agreement was not necessary, neither was his inclusion in the decision-making process?

Maybe they did all talk it over. Hopefully there are e-mails and phone calls and face-to-face conversations going around between Sarri, Giroud, Giroud’s representatives and Chelsea’s upper management. But if so, why not just say that? Why not say something about how everyone talked it over, these conversations will be ongoing but you – Sarri – are confident everyone will agree to a satisfactory resolution? If these are collaborative conversations, just say so.

If Maurizio Sarri did not represent the true process working its way out, he once again made matters worse with his thoughtless, ill-considered and false statements. If he did it intentionally, why? Does he think it makes him look like the alpha male of Stamford Bridge to make a dispositive statement about a World Cup winner’s future at the club, especially since he was the one who sparked the issue by consigning Giroud to permanent back-up status?

Whatever the explanation, this is just the latest example of Maurizio Sarri not realizing the players listen to the words he says in his press conferences, or not caring if they do. In speaking about Giroud like this he let the rest of the squad know – as if they had much doubt at this point – that he makes decisions in a vacuum. He will not bear the consequences and is not too concerned about those who do.

Only when the consequences backfire – such as with Bayern Munich’s interest in Callum Hudson-Odoi – will Sarri give players their due. For his sake, not theirs.

Giroud’s situation is also another manifestation of Sarri’s inability to motivate his players. Gonzalo Higuain does not need to score goals to keep his place in the XI. Olivier Giroud cannot score enough goals to earn a place, nor can he score enough to earn a transfer. Sarri is giving neither player a reason to do more than the bare minimum, and his authoritarian tendencies ensure no player will ever play for him the way players do for the best managers.

Ever hear players talk about how they would “run through walls” for Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Antonio Conte? I guarantee no one has said that about Maurizio Sarri. But at least there’s ketchup in the canteen.