STATE OF PLAY: HOW SARRI CAN FIX CHELSEA

In futbol, we saw a penalty shootout mutiny for Sarri and Chelsea, a potential appetizer  to City's quest for the quadruple, Jadon Sancho continue his rise as one of the best players in the world  (and he's only 18), the GOAT scoring his 50th hat trick in his career and Liverpool's goalless run resumes.
       But what went down with Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refusing to be substituted, blatantly shaking his head and wagging his finger in his manager's direction, with the score 0-0 and penalties only moments away, was something we'll never forget.
     Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri wanted backup keeper Willy Caballero (last seen ruining Lionel Messi's World Cup) to come on for Kepa, as the young Spanish keeper was not only slightly hurt, but Caballero is a penalty shootout specialist, saving 3 penalties earlier in the season in the competition.
      But Kepa said "no," and instead of Sarri literally dragging the keeper off of the pitch himself, or his fellow teammates finally showing some sort of leadership and decency and backing their manager, Sarri proceeded to lose his absolute shit on the sideline, literally seconds away from leaving the match, his team and the club in a cup final...the humiliation was too much for him to take.
       What I gleam from this isn't too special, but it's obvious: this club is in shambles. Not only have Chelsea FC never had an identity in the way that they play, they've never had a manager demanding a style of play from his players.
       In fact, owner Roman Abramovich loves the idea of a rudderless manager who adapts to the opposition, with mercenary players and assistant coaches shuffling in and out of the administration. They go after prized midfielders like Tiemoue Bakayoko, Jorginho, Kovacic and then, in mere months, turn them into sloppy, spotty players who find themselves completely out of position, hovering in a limbo of criticism from the media with each awful performance and continually behind in their development.
       This is while Chelsea have one of the best stables of youth talent in England, with Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek both performing admirably, yet still are on the outside looking in as far as minutes are concerned.
       But... ..Sarri can do this.

       He instilled a missing confidence into  (once-upon-a-time England wonderboy) Ross Barkley, to the point that Barkley is playing his best football in two, maybe three years.  He has sparkling midfield power with Mateo Kovacic, who's been under utilized up to this juncture and he has the best defensive midfielder in all of futbol, N'Golo Kante who's being played out of position to accommodate Jorginho at the base of a midfield three.
       This has clearly not worked. Jorginho was grabbing assists at Napoli, though most importantly, he kept their flow of play ticking, with 100+ passes a match, with most going forward or in the creation of something offensive.
      We aren't seeing that incision because this isn't the best midfield for Chelsea, let alone the best midfield to support Eden Hazard, which is how the team should be set up. If Sarri would only use a midfield three of Kante in the middle, for once, Kovacic and Barkley, while forgoing Willian's emptiness for Calum Hudson-Odoi rapid attacking ascent on the wing.
      Due to those changes alone, Chelsea could be in the top four, based around the influence of Hazard and although lacking a true center forward, the midfield of Kovacic, Kante and Barkley could provide enough runners into the box and enough creative penetration to supply a roaming Eden Hazard in those areas, or even with Giroud starting and Hudson-Odoi out wide, you've got a great crosser and a fantastic header of the ball right there, whereas Willian has sent in more innacurate crosses (in the Premier League) than any other player barring City's Kyle Walker, this season.
          If Sarri can be understanding enough to allow Kepa to institute a mutiny, surely he's relaxed enough to adjust his midfield. Maurizio Sarri can turn this around and he can do it quickly, with the right mixture of players to come in and build the team around Hazard. If you don't have an identity, At least just go through Hazard.
         Winning cures all at clubs like Chelsea, where the manner in which you win matters extremely little.