It's Sarri's last chance as City eye first trophy

Man City boss Pep Guardiola and Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri issue instructions on the touchline in a past match [Courtesy]

While Manchester City are eyeing the first of a potential historic four-trophy haul as they prepare for tomorrow’s League Cup final, reeling Maurizio Sarri is facing what could be his last match as Chelsea boss.

Beating the Premier League champions to win a trophy may seem like a harsh ultimatum for the Italian just eight months into his reign at Stamford Bridge.

But the Chelsea hierarchy is notoriously trigger-happy and the Blues’ rapid dip in form since beating City in the league in December has left Sarri close to joining a stellar cast of coaches to be cast aside.

The nadir came in a 6-0 humiliation at the hands of City just two weeks ago, the Blues’ heaviest defeat in any competition since 1991 and one that saw them slip to sixth in the league.

A FA Cup elimination to Manchester United followed, in which tellingly even the fans, who have stayed loyal to previous managers sacked by Roman Abramovich, turned on Sarri.

A thumping 5-1 aggregate victory over Malmo in the Europa League offered some respite before the club was hit with another body blow on Friday in the form of a year-long transfer ban by FIFA for irregularities in the signing of minors.

A win at Wembley tomorrow would give the atmosphere around the club a much-needed lift and hand Sarri a stay of execution.

Last time they met, Man City beat Chelsea 6-0

The former Napoli boss would also have a trophy to show for his first season in charge something lauded Premier League rivals Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp have still not managed years into their respective reigns.

Silverware also eluded City boss Pep Guardiola in his first year in England. Sarri has also won 28 of his first 43 matches as Chelsea boss, one more than the Catalan at the same stage of his City career.

However, the narrative around Guardiola was very different thanks to his huge success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, while a win for Chelsea today would give Sarri his first ever trophy as a coach.

Guardiola showed why City were right to keep faith with his project by delivering the League Cup and the Premier League with a record 100 points last season.

“In the first season when it was difficult, I said we needed time and they supported me, the players knew who was the manager and who would be the manager, it was stable,” said Guardiola on Friday.

“That’s the best way to do something for a long time.”