Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Chelsea aren't having a torrid time in the Premier League this year, but there are certainly multiple improvements to be made, should they want to bring home the trophy in 2019. Manager Sarri has had it all to do since taking over the reins at Chelsea, and after a great start to the season, they've let it slip in recent weeks. Chelsea haven't slipped up so badly that they no longer have a chance of winning the title, but Sarri will need to change things around in the upcoming fixtures to ensure Chelsea stay competitive and have any hope of bringing home the title. Here are those changes Sarri should consider making.
Chelsea players have looked tired in recent weeks and that could all be down to an extensive training regime set by Sarri and his team. Training hard needs to be done to have any chance of winning games in professional football but, sometimes, simply lowering training difficulty down a notch or too could make a massive difference in changing fortunes around. Even if Sarri left out a short practice game once a week, that could be all it takes to get Chelsea moving again. If Sarri could change the training schedule right now, they could easily compete with the best in the league. Do Chelsea players have the fitness to start banging in goals like they were at the start of the season? Or will half the squad get injured over the winter months? If you fancy a bet, take a look at Stakers, who are a sports betting business in the UK - they have a wide range of markets and sports to choose from should you fancy having a flutter on something different.
If Sarri doesn't bolster his squad in January, he could well be on his way out come the summer. The Chelsea board usually give their managers time to adapt. However, in this instance, they'll want to win at least one trophy this year if he is to keep his job. Sarri will need an addition or two in January to ensure they have a strong chance of placing in the top 4 of the Premier League. That will be his number one objective this year in the Premier League, as they don't look quite strong enough to compete with Liverpool, Manchester City and even Spurs. Could Sarri have his eye on a new striker or will it cost them too much money midway through the current season? Or will he look to add another midfielder to give them a bit of depth when injuries occur? Whichever way he goes about business, it's looking ever more likely that he will add one or two players in January, or he can kiss the title goodbye.
It's clear Chelsea were lacking plenty of creativity when they faced Spurs and lost a couple of weeks ago. They also didn't look motivated enough to win the ball back when they lost it. This needs to change sooner rather than later, otherwise, when they face the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, they could come unstuck pretty quickly and concede even more goals, which could cost them their top 4 place. It's certainly not easy as a manager to motivate players; you've either got it or you haven't. Sarri has been known to be a good motivational speaker, so if he wants to encourage his players, he'll need to give out those sorts of speeches during training, before matches, at half-time, and after matches to ensure his players know where they stand and what they have to do to improve themselves.
Again, we saw it when Chelsea went to Wembley to play Spurs and lost 3-1 - they just weren't getting forward enough. Teams that sit back against teams like Tottenham who have so much attacking quality are only going to concede goals. Sarri needs to come up with a way to get Chelsea going forward a lot more. They have players like Hazard who is about as creative as a player can get, so why are they not getting him involved as much as they used to? The wingbacks need to do more to get out of their half to get some crosses into the box.
Sarri is quite relaxed in front of the cameras and doesn't say too much about his future opponents or other managers in the game. Nearly every manager in the Premier League likes playing mind games with each other as they believe it gives them an advantage over one another in the game. However, Sarri doesn't do a lot of this and that could be a negative. Mind games don't always work in the league, as Sir Alex Ferguson knows, but he also knows it can have a major positive impact on the team going into the next game. There are no rules in the game to suggest playing mind games and saying things in front of the media is illegal, so why doesn't he just bite the bullet and jump on the bandwagon like all the other managers? He may find that it gives Chelsea the wakeup call they need to go on and brush teams aside.
Chelsea have so much quality in their squad, it would be heart breaking as a Chelsea fan to see them not win the league, or at least secure Champions League football next season. However, if they are not careful, and Sarri doesn't make the above necessary changes to improve his squad, that could well happen and he could be looking for another team to manage next summer. What will we see from Chelsea and their new coach over the next few months? Will he look to make more additions in the January transfer window? Will he be given another season in charge regardless of how they finish this year?
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My daughter's first ever football match - Orlando City v Atlanta United, August 2019. Written for Izzy to read when she gets old enough. Vamos Orlando
Taking my son to his first football match was one of the best experiences I've had as a father so far. I've written this article for Alex to read when he gets older.
