Chelsea: How the 4-3 Win Over Slavia Prague Proved Maurizio Sarri's Biggest Problem
Thursday's 4-3 win over Slavia Prague pretty much summed up what life is like as a Chelsea fan right now.
The Blues showed their stunning class on a number of occasions to pick apart their weaker opponents and race to a 4-1 half-time lead, only to try their hardest to throw it all away after the break. Two early goals from Petr Sevcik led to a nervy second half for Chelsea, who looked to be a completely different side following Maurizio Sarri's team talk.
Dan Mullan/GettyImages
If only this was a one-time thing. This season, in the first 11 minutes of the second half, Chelsea have shipped a ridiculous 14 goals. Some have come against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool but, more worryingly, plenty have been against teams Chelsea should be in control of.
Crystal Palace, Cardiff City, Vidi and now Slavia have all come racing out the blocks to stun Chelsea, and something needs to be done about it soon.
Fans have struggled to understand it. Some have questioned Sarri's leadership, whilst others have suggested that the little aliens who wreaked havoc in the 1996 movie Space Jam have targeted Chelsea for their upcoming sequel. They sucked the talent out of NBA stars, could they be doing the same to the Blues?
Mike Hewitt/GettyImages
Sarri even joined in with the jokes after Thursday's game, saying he might have to start staying out of the dressing room at half-time. Having a bit of fun is all well and good, but the truth is that, if Chelsea had been up against superior opposition on Thursday, they would likely be out of the Europa League by now.
Is it a mentality problem? Do the players relax at the break and fail to ready themselves for the second half? Is it arrogance - that they simply do not need to perform because they should be the better side? Are players fighting for the shirt and not just their wages?
These are the questions Sarri must answer, and soon. Conceding goals is inevitable, but there is a pattern to so many of Chelsea's self-destructions this season. If this problem continues to plague them for the remainder of the season, Sarri's job could be on the line, even more so if it costs them Champions League qualification.
It is certainly not a simple problem to solve, but Sarri is paid to address these concerns and manage the team. If he cannot do that, it seems just a matter of time before a new boss will get a chance to do so.
