Maurizio Sarri and his embattled Chelsea squad have been adding warmth to the headlines for some few days or weeks now, not for their applause-worthy outings, but for their slack and inconsistent form.
With the former Napoli boss already having fracas with Chelsea's most Valuable player Eden Hazard in the past weeks, many fans have seen him as threat to Chelsea's survival this season and are already calling on the management to fire Sarri.
However, a Europa league first leg 2-1 win over Malmo yesterday night will sure buy the under-fire coach a little time make amends and fix the cracks in his team. Thursday Europa clash is Sweden also saw the presence of Chelsea's Chairman Bruce Buck.
This is certainly not the moment to be told what's going on in the team, for him, it was high time he got even closer to see things for himself. The disastrous run of form by Chelsea is that which deserves urgent attention from both the Coaching crew and the management.
On a Normal day, a win over a team like Malmo which have an estimated worth of just £20 million will mean nothing for Chelsea. However, Thursday's win will be quite important to the Italian than one may think. Sarri has seen his his years of coaching experience undermined by the performance of his new club, and Sunday's 6-0 pummeling at the Etihad was the peak of it all.
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His reaction of refusing to shake Pep Guardiola after the game shows how hurt Sarri was. That ignominious defeat to City made many speculate that the former Napoli manager may not survive past the week in the club, as all fingers were pointing to the possibility of him getting fired.
Bruce's presence during the pre-match conference and even at the pitchside ahead of Chelsea's game with Malmo made those speculations appear more feasible. It certainly must have unsettled Sarri or made him a little bit nervous, however, the win came at the right moment. You can call it a "deus ex machina."
The game may not have been one of sarri's best "sarri-ball" outings, but they ended up getting the job done. With Chelsea's chance of finding their way back into top four in the English Premier league looking blur, a first leg win over Malmo will keep their hopes of Champions League qualification high if they win the Europa.
Prior to Chelsea's encounter with Malmo on Thursday, they had lost their last four away games in all competitions without netting a goal. The worst of it being their 6-0 humiliation in the hands of Manchester City. Since this turn of this year, only Fulham have conceded more goals than Chelsea in the premier league. That's funny right?
Chelsea wasn't in their best and they had to depend on a defensive slip to net the first goal of the night. Sarri's side took the lead at the 30th minute when a well taken cross from the right flank by Pedro saw Malmo's defender Lasse Nielson slip, therefore allowing Barkley to take advantage and drive it into the net.
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Quite an awesome night for Barkley as he got his first ever European goal. The goal was Chelsea's first away from home this year, signaling an end to their forty-five days away goal drought. The last time the blues registered an away goal was in late December against Crystal Palace, thanks to Ngolo Kante's goal.
It may not have been one of those spectacular goals since Sarri took over the levers of power at the Stamford Bridge, but trust me, it came with one his biggest relief as a manager. The blues had to wait till second half to net their winning goal and put the game beyond the reach of their host.
This time, it was their World Cup winner striker, Olivier Giroud who gave the dead blow to Malmo. The Frenchman scored an eye-catching improvised goal after the Brazilian Willian did a job and sent in a low cross. A backheel finish by Giroud saw him net for the fourth consecutive times in the Europa league. Maybe Sarri can now make him his Europa favorite striker.
However, a late goal by the home side will leave Sarri with something to worry about when they come visiting in their second leg Encounter at Stamford Bridge. Well, I don't think Uwe Rosler's side will be able to unsettle the blues in their next tie. The win will go a long way to buy the sixty year old some time to improve his team. Whichever way you wanna see it, Sarri may bounce back if he takes advantage of Thursday's win to put his house in other.
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