Chelsea were dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Tuesday and the result has put more pressure on Maurizio Sarri.
The Blues have now lost two out of their last three games, but the two defeats against first Manchester City and now Manchester United will sting the Londoners.
Chelsea can still finish the season with some silverware as they are in the final of the EFL Cup, but they will have to get past Manchester City in trying to do so.
Sarri’s first season was always going to be difficult considering his style is pretty demanding, but results early on in his spell sort of papered over the cracks.
Here are three things Chelsea need to do for Sarri to keep his job.
#3 Win the EFL Cup
Chelsea’s hire and fire policy has worked as the club have often won a lot of silverware in the last 15 years or so. The Blues take on Manchester City, a side who beat them 6-0 in their last league game in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.
Sarri’s side will have to make a statement and it’s likely that they’ll be up for the game. Considering the Italian was brought in to play a particular brand of football, a cup in his first season will hold him in good stead with the club’s board.
Chelsea do have some capable players, and if they perform to the best of their abilities, like they did at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City earlier in the season, then there’s no reason why Sarri’s side can beat the Sky Blues at Wembley.
#2 Make it to the Champions League
Chelsea cannot afford to miss out on Champions League qualification, and have two options right now. Either they can focus on the Europa League, a competition they are more than capable of winning, or try and topple Manchester United from the top four.
Sarri’s side were placed comfortably in the top four in December, but an indifferent run in the league has seen them drop to sixth in the Premier League table.
With Manchester United in a stunning run of form at the moment, Chelsea need to step up as they can’t afford to drop further behind.
#1 Sarri needs to get the best out of Jorginho and Higuain
Having managed both the players in Napoli, Sarri managed to convince Chelsea to sign the duo. Now, Sarri needs to get the best out of the duo as they are key players.
While Jorginho started the season well, teams have exposed what he lacks. While the Italian can pass the ball and recycle possession well, he lacks pace and hasn’t been able to provide the protection the back four need.
N’Golo Kante’s change in position has had a big impact as well as his best position is as a defensive midfielder.
For Chelsea to have more balance, Kante needs to be played in his natural position, but, that would also get rid of the team’s ability to retain possession as Jorginho is best known for the same. So that’s one conundrum Sarri will have to solve.
Higuain, on the other hand, was signed to take the goalscoring pressure off Eden Hazard’s shoulders.
The Argentine needs a bit of time to adapt as he joined the club in January, but if he isn’t scoring goals by mid-march, questions will be asked once again.