Opinion: 3 Chelsea players who let down Maurizio Sarri

Maurizio Sarri is now the new Juventus manager, a position he’s dreamed of since he first started coaching. The former Napoli coach signed a three-year deal with the Serie A champions, keeping him at the club till 2022. The 60-year-old will now get to coach an incredibly talented squad headlined by Cristiano Ronaldo. For him, he gets his dream job after a torrid time in London.

Prior to arriving at Stamford Bridge, the Italian had never won a trophy domestically or internationally. The Europa League final, which would turn out to be his last game in England, changed all that. However, the Italian endured a season of constant scrutiny from both fans and pundits alike. The 60-year-old’s tactics were branded as outdated, his man management poor and stubbornness as detrimental.

Things got so bad that it was almost mutual that the two parties would be parting ways at the end of the season, with no inkling of a new agreement. Some of the blame can be attributed to his tactics, but a lot should be squared on the shoulders of the players.

Here are 3 players that let down Maurizio Sarri massively.

#3 Jorginho

Was Jorginho worth his £50million price tag?

Maurizio Sarri put all his eggs in one basket with Jorginho. Having beaten Manchester City to his £50m signing, it was said that the Italian would be the foundation of Sarri-Ball and everything the Italian wanted to implement at Chelsea. In fact, some even hailed him as the Sergio Busquets of his system.

The midfielder’s exceptional passing stats were highlighted as his main strength and the optimal quality he’d bring to Stamford Bridge. Last season, the 27-year-old maintained an 89.3% pass accuracy, making 3,118 passes over the course of the Premier League season.

On paper that’s nice, in reality, it didn’t materialize in the same way it did in Serie A, especially considering he registered 0 assists.

The fact is, English football is played at a much faster and ferocious rate than in Italy and come the end of the season, Jorginho still never acclimatized to the physicality.

#2 Marcos Alonso

Chelsea signed Marcos Alonso for $24m in 2016

Having been recruited as one of Antonio Conte’s soldiers, Marcos Alonso was brought in more for his attacking qualities than defensive attributes. In attack, Alonso has been known to be very productive, contributing to 26 goals in 120 PL appearances.

However, as time has gone on, many Chelsea fans have become more aware of how exposed he is at the back, often leaving acres of space behind him. Space that several opposition teams exploited last season.

For half the season, the fans cried out for Emerson to be selected ahead of him and it was only near the third quarter of the season that Sarri finally admitted defeat, gifting Emerson 10 PL appearances.

Alonso let down the manager that had stuck by through all his poor displays. The Spaniard, who subsequently lost his place in the national team, didn’t step up his poor performances to justify his manager’s faith either.

#1 David Luiz

Has David Luiz stepped up to the plate at Chelsea?

David Luiz has been one of the prominent figures in Chelsea football over the past ten years. Despite leaving for a stint in France, Chelsea fans consider Luiz a Blues legend and a pivotal figure at the club.

Sarri trusted David Luiz wholeheartedly to be the captain and leader of his defence. He and Rüdiger were declared as the manager’s first choice centre-backs, with the promising Andreas Christensen and aging Gary Cahill not even given a chance. However, for all the responsibility Sarri placed on the shoulders of Luiz, the Brazilian didn’t return the favor.

The 33-year-old continuously displayed the traits many have slated him for in the past. His irrational decision making came to light as he failed to hold his position on several occasions, leaving his partner exposed.

Instead of being a leader, Luiz had to instead be carried by Rüdiger through the season. If it weren’t for the one season transfer ban, the Blues would certainly be in the market for a new centre-back partner for Rüdiger.