There have been conflicting reports about what Chelsea FC manager Maurizio Sarri must do in order to save his job, but there seems to be a media consensus that his seat his scorching hot right now. Makes sense given how Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is infamous for his quick manager sacking trigger, and the Blues have yet to score an away goal in 2019.
Think about that for a second- Chelsea, a month and half into the new year, have yet to score a single goal on the road.
NBC Sports states the following in regards to Sarri’s job status: “According to multiple reports in England, following Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing defeat at Manchester City, Sarri has to get Chelsea to advance in the Europa League knockout round, or else he faces an early dismissal into his three year contract.”
Meanwhile, The Guardian differs in their report of the situation, stating that the fate of Sarri: “will in effect be determined over the remainder of this month as the Italian seeks to convince the club’s hierarchy that he can recover some poise and still deliver Champions League qualification for next season.”
Overall, in the end, it seems that Sarri’s fate will be determined by whether or not Chelsea qualifies for the UEFA Champions League next season. If he can get the Blues back into Europe next term, by either method, it should be enough to save his job. If he fails, then he’ll be looking for his next gig.
The good news is that his side is favored to hoist the trophy. Chelsea have slightly better odds than their arch-rivals Arsenal, and Sarri’s former club Napoli to win the secondary European competition.
Chelsea FC at Malmo UEFA Europa League Round of 32 FYIs
Kickoff: Thursday, February 14, 8pm, Swedbank Stadion
Injury Report, Team News, Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Odds via Betfair: Chelsea 1/3, Draw 4/1, Malmo 17/2
Odds via Bet365 to win UEL tournament: Chelsea 4/1, Arsenal 6/1, Napoli 6/1, Inter 10/1, Sevilla 12/1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.