Maurizio Sarri‘s future as Chelsea manager hinges on a pivotal week which sees them play three crucial matches in three cup competitions. The Italian is hanging on to his job following three damaging Premier League defeats since the turn of the year that have jeopardised their chances of finishing in the top four. Chelsea lost 2-0 at Arsenal before suffering a humiliating 4-0 loss at Bournemouth and a record 6-0 loss at Manchester City.
Losing ground in the league table is one thing, but failure in the cups over the next few days would leave Chelsea’s season considerably below expectations. Already there is a feeling in the dressing room that Sarri could be sacked – after just eight months in the job – if they fail to win at least one of this week’s games. They host in-form Manchester United in a tricky FA Cup fifth-round tie on Monday night before playing Swedish side Malmo in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday and then Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, with counsel from trusted director Marina Granovskaia, will ultimately make the decision on whether to dispense with Sarri.
The trio of recent Premier League defeats has severely tested the squad’s faith in ‘Sarri-ball’, with players left confused by an overload of tactical instructions. His training sessions are felt to be repetitive and their early afternoon timing has caused frustrations because some players can no longer spend time with their young families. After their first loss of the season at Tottenham back in November, Sarri called the players in for individual meetings. And after the humbling at Bournemouth, he locked the squad in the dressing room for 50 minutes, even asking them for ways in which he could improve. There was an hour of clear-the-air talks following the loss at City, after which many fans expected he would be fired, but there are few signs Sarri will budge from his tried and tested methods. While the players can relate to Sarri on a personal level, the dressing room harmony isn’t what it could be ahead of a make-or-break week in their season. We take a closer look at the three pivotal cup matches this week and how difficult they promise to be. 
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