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Andrew Dillon
NO SIGN of the dreaded ‘Y’ word from the terraces but Maurizio Sarri is determined to find out ‘why’ his Chelsea players crumbled.
The first home defeat of the manager’s reign against the most unlikely opposition and Sarri is on the warpath to get to the root of the ‘mental confusion’ which put him in such a bad mood.
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Jamie Vardy scored the only goal of the game as Leicester shocked Chelsea at Stamford BridgeCredit: Reuters
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The striker pounced in the second half to earn all three points for the FoxesCredit: Getty Images
Sarri aimed a frustrated boot at his seat in the dugout and tore off his club coat as the game slipped away from him. He later claimed it was because he felt hot but did so with a wry smile on his face.
That’s the only jollity we’ll see at Chelsea until Sarri has held a string of inquests with his players, shown them video nasties of their feeble performance and then turned things around with a win at Watford on Boxing Day.
After having to counter allegations of racist chanting from the Chelsea fans recently at least the criticism was restricted to on the pitch this time.
Sarri said: “After the goal, the reaction was, for me, a strange one. Not in the right direction. Not as a team. But as 11 different players.
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It was a great day for Claude Puel as he picked up a much-needed winCredit: AFP
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Maurizio Sarri will have to go back to the drawing board after a third defeat in five Premier League gamesCredit: AFP
“So it was really very strange. I think we could have done better in the reaction.
“We had only to continue to play as in the first part of the match. There was time to score without a reaction as a team shocked, a team in mental confusion.
“It's difficult to understand because we have players with a lot of experience. We played very well for 55 minutes. We played very good football.
“It's important to play again in four days. It depends upon our reaction after the match, in the next three days. But I think that it's very important to play immediately.”
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Eden Hazard failed to make an impact in his false nine roleCredit: Reuters
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The Belgian nearly got an equaliser but was denied by Kasper SchmeichelCredit: AP:Associated Press
Maurizio Sarri insists Eden Hazard loves playing false nine role at Chelsea
Jamie Vardy’s clinical 51st minute summed up the difference between the teams. The waspish finisher is what Chelsea do not have - a poacher who can feast on just one or two chances per game.
Chelsea hit the crossbar in the first half and the post in the 90th. In between, Antonio Rudiger narrowly missed with a header and David Luiz completely missed the ball just two yards from goal.
Exasperated Sarri made radical changes as he witnessed the energy drain from his players even though they were fighting for the lives a goal down.
He abandoned the ‘false nine’ nonsense with 5ft 7in Eden Hazard up against monstrous duo Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan and instead plonked Olivier Giroud up front, brought on Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas to try to make his team shoot better, run better and pass better.
But it was too late as the damage had been done and the rot set in.
Leicester sat on their lead and were good value for the three points.
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Players such as Willian had a torrid game at Stamford BridgeCredit: Reuters
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David Luiz grimaces after trying to net an equaliserCredit: Getty Images
Chelsea have been lightweight up front for some time but getting away with it. Hazard and Loftus-Cheek have carried them on but they were caught out finally.
Vardy’s only other chance was an opportunistic back heel in the six yard box but he had proved a point to Chelsea and to his manager Claude Puel by slicing open the opposition with a classic goal.
And Sarri will also be asking questions about how Wilfred Ndidi was allowed to roam through the Chelsea half before slipping a ball through to James Maddison.
The impressive Maddison then put Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger on his backside before finding Vardy in the box.
Both Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta failed to close the man down in time as Vardy unloaded with a sublime finish.
It was harsh on keeper Kepa who was one of the few Chelsea players to emerge with credit and the team has now won only three of the last six matches.
The Brazilian had produced a world class save from Ndidi in the first half with an iron fist to meet a brilliant rising shot from 30 yards.
Elsewhere, Maddison tormented Chelsea with his drive and Marc Albrighton won his physical battles in a solid all-round performance from Leicester.
Sarri is normally a lot cooler than this on the touchline. He gestures and shouts but he has never before performed an impromptu strip tease in his technical area.
It was triggered by the sight of Loftus-Cheek trying and failing to execute an exotic pirouette in midfield and get out of trouble with an elaborate flick of the inside of his heel which went badly wrong.
As for claiming to be hot, he’s Italian so even our mild winter must feel Baltic to a man born in Naples where the average December temperature is 15 degrees Centigrade.
