LONDON • Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta hopes Maurizio Sarri's decision to hold a lengthy inquest after their defeat by Bournemouth can reignite their stuttering season, as they prepare to host bottom club Huddersfield today.
Sarri's side were crushed 4-0 on Wednesday in a shocking setback that was Chelsea's heaviest Premier League loss since 1996.
Not for the first time this season, the Blues paid the price for failing to turn first-half possession into goals, collapsing after the interval as Bournemouth punished the sloppy defending of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger.
Chelsea's fifth defeat in their last 12 league games cost them their place in the top four. Arsenal moved above them on goals scored and Sarri, who arrived from Napoli in July, is fighting for his job.
The furious Italian asked his backroom staff to leave the Chelsea dressing room at Dean Court as he staged a 40-minute post-mortem alone with his squad.
Azpilicueta admitted that tempers had frayed because the performance was so far below the expected standard for the 2016-17 Premier League champions.
"Afterwards, we spoke as men between the manager and players," he said. "To lose 4-0 as Chelsea players is unacceptable. We are very angry and have to find solutions."
Sarri, 60, has risked losing the backing of his players with several scathing assessments of their displays this season.
NO ROOM FOR ERROR
We are in trouble after dropping six points in the last two games. It's become harder, but we have to get the three points on Saturday; there is no other option.
CESAR AZPILICUETA , Chelsea captain, on what the team must do against Huddersfield today.
But the Italian, yet to win a major trophy as a manager, conceded he might also be to blame as he admitted needing to find a better way to motivate his stars.
While it might be too soon for Sarri to worrying about his job, he desperately needs a repeat of the solid form Chelsea showed during the 18-game unbeaten run that marked the start of his reign.
Since then, he has come under fire from Chelsea fans, who chanted "You don't know what you're doing" at him when he took off new striker Gonzalo Higuain against Bournemouth.
Playing Eden Hazard out of position as a forward and sticking with Jorginho as a defensive midfielder instead of the proven N'Golo Kante have been the two biggest issues with Sarri's tactics.
As the race to qualify for the Champions League grows tighter, with sixth-placed Manchester United only two points behind Chelsea, Azpilicueta knows every match is crucial.
"It is very tight. Two weeks ago, we were in a better position. We have put ourselves at risk," he said.
"We are in trouble after dropping six points in the last two games. It's become harder, but we have to get the three points on Saturday; there is no other option.
"The minimum we should do is qualify for the Champions League."
New Huddersfield boss Jan Siewert has identified Chelsea's vulnerabilities, but said his own side must simply focus on building on their encouraging display in the 1-0 home defeat by Everton on Tuesday.
The German said: "I saw some situations in which they were vulnerable but, to be honest, it will be a totally different game.
"I know Maurizio Sarri is a fantastic manager and we have to face everything which they give us."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
CHELSEA V HUDDERSFIELD
Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, 11pm
Football pundit Paul Merson has expressed fears that Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might be having his last game as the Red Devils boss this weekend. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only took over as Man United boss in December last year after former manager Jose Mourinho was sacked and he started on a high note […]
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's toughest test as Manchester United
City will pounce if Liverpool slip up: Guardiola LONDON • Pep Guardiola said that he has no "magician's ball" to tell him how many points his Manchester City side may need to retain their Premier League title, following Monday's 3-0 win over Wolves that cut leaders Liverpool's lead to four points.
Guardiola: Man City ready to pounce on any Liverpool slip-ups
Jesus fires as Man City snatch top spot from Liverpool | Bangkok Post: news Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus (centre) scored his first Premier League goals for four months in a 3-1 win over
Jesus fires as Man City snatch top spot from Liverpool
AC Milan are in danger of being banned from European competition for breaching financial fair play rules after their case was referred to the adjudicatory chamber of UEFA's club financial control
UEFA's club financial control body must act on Manchester
Rangers have signed Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe and Southampton midfielder Steven Davis on loan. Ex-Tottenham forward Defoe, 36, who won 57 England caps, has made only eight appearances for
Football: Scottish title-chasing Rangers sign Jermain Defoe
Feb 23, 2019 · Mauricio Pochettino somewhat lost the plot at the final whistle on Saturday, as Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 at Burnley in controversial fashion. Tottenham's manager confronted referee Mike Dean
How have Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri fared in English
Lloris, the club captain, accepts they must quickly return to the level of performance that made them title contenders until a little over a fortnight ago and produce a flawlesss run-in if they
Hugo Lloris warns Tottenham teammates they have no margin for
eastlondonobserver.com/hugo-lloris-warns-tottenham-teammates-they-have-no-margin-for-error-now-top-four-place-is-in-doubt/
An alarming run has brought just one point from the last four league games with Mauricio Pochettino, the manager, reacting to Saturday's defeat at Southampton by accusing his players of demonstrating misplaced arrogance during a second half when the game slipped from their grasp.
Hugo Lloris: 'Liverpool are playing best football in Premier
Thank you for visiting the Axe website. If you are reporting a problem with one of our products, please be sure to include your address and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day so we can contact you for further information. Unilever does not collect personal information from children under 13.
AXE Media TV Review - digitalcashkings.com
Jose Mourinho rules himself out of Benfica job Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of the vacant job at Benfica, saying he has no intention of coaching in his native Portugal for the time being.
José Mourinho breaks cover to rule himself out of Benfica
Women's World Cup 2019 saw its first goalless draw as Argentina took on Japan in Paris. Women's World Cup: Dogged Argentina Hold Japan to Goalless Draw; FootBall .
Women's World Cup 2019: Argentina hold former champions Japan
That is part of football." File photo: Anfield stadium is home of Liverpool Football Club one of the most successful English Premier League football clubs. Image: shutterstock. Liverpool could end a 29-year wait for the league title if they can hold on until the end of the season and Klopp knows the club's fans are likely to be feeling tense.
Klopp dismisses talk of Liverpool crumbling under pressure
Barcelona Give Fresh Hope To La Liga Rivals After Bilbao Stalemate Updated: 11 February 2019 08:53 IST The draw makes it three games without a win for Barcelona.
Barcelona give fresh hope to La Liga rivals after Bilbao
Salah retains African award to seal great day for Egypt. Mohamed Salah completed a memorable day for Egyptian football by retaining his African Player of the Year award in Senegal Tuesday.
Mohamed Salah Retains African Award To Seal Great Day For Egypt
0 comments:
Post a Comment