Maurizio Sarri suggests Gonzalo Higuain may have to adjust with a bench role

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Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said that Gonzalo Higuain may have to adjust with a bench role for the forthcoming Premier League clash against West Ham United. The Argentine has struggled to settle with the Blues since making the temporary switch from Juventus in January, and he has scored just three times from 12 appearances for the club.

Owing to this, Sarri recently opted to bench Higuain with Olivier Giroud getting a run, and the France international took the chance by finding the scoresheet in a 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Speaking ahead of the West Ham game, Sarri has said that the former Napoli star requires more time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League and Giroud is more suited for the forthcoming challenge against the Hammers, he told reporters: “I think he [Higuain] needs time to improve his condition and be suitable for the Premier League but I think he is able to do it. We are lucky because we have Giroud and he is in a very good mental and physical condition.”
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Chelsea manager confident team can achieve top-four target for the season

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Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said that the Blues can achieve the target of finishing in the top four despite dropping points against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Blues were fancied to secure a routine triumph over the Wolves on Sunday but they could only muster a 1-1 draw after Eden Hazard came up with a 92nd-minute equaliser.

Speaking after the game, Sarri acknowledged that the stalemate was a missed opportunity, considering they were only 10 remaining for the campaign. He added that the Blues must not ponder over the situation and should seek to cover up the lost points with strong performances in the forthcoming games.

He said: “When you have only 10 matches, every match you’re not able to win is a missed opportunity. Today was a great opportunity but we were not able to gain three points. In the last six matches, we won four and drew the other two, so there is a little consistency in this moment. We have to think only to the next match. We need to recover two points immediately. As I said before, we are in the moment of consistency. We have only to continue. We are confident of course. We have to be confident.”
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Chelsea must be patient with Sarriball

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Chelsea are currently in a crossroads as regards the faith in the methods of coach Maurizio Sarri just six months into his reign. The embarrassing 6-0 defeat to Manchester City has open doubts about Sarri’s philosophy and has led to criticism from fans, former players and the media.

Chelsea have been sliding down in performances for a while but is expected that a new coach would hit bumps on the road when trying to change the ideology of a club. Chelsea is renown for their physical play and back to the wall performances which has led to numerous titles during the time of Roman Abramovich.
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Gianfranco Zola speaks on Gonzalo Higuain’s debut performance

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Chelsea assistant Gianfranco Zola has acknowledged that Gonzalo Higuain did not have the best of beginnings to his Blues career. The Argentina international was handed his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fourth round but he was largely wasteful before being substituted towards the end of the game.

Speaking after the match, Zola was pleased with the showing of Higuain, although he could not make much impact in the opposition box, he said: “We are pleased with Gonzalo Higuain’s performance. He was trying to find the space and get on the ball. It wasn’t easy as they had a lot of players round him.”
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Eden Hazard insists Chelsea are only aiming for the top four

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Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard has indicated that the Blues are only chasing for a top four finish to the Premier League and they are far off from competing with Manchester City for the title. The Blues made a quick start off the blocks which saw them equal on points with the Citizens at one stage but they have since dropped off with a seven-point deficit to the league leaders.

Speaking to Standard Sport, Hazard suggested that the club’s prime focus remains on achieving Champions League football for the next campaign with the Citizens pretty much the favourites to reclaim their title this term, he said: “We are thinking about finishing in the top four, not to be the champions. We know City are not much better than Chelsea but they are better at the moment.
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