Sarri buys time with unexpected top-four finish

After a turbulent first season at Chelsea, Maurizio Sarri goes into Thursday's Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt savouring some much-needed breathing space.

Sarri has spent most of the campaign engaged in a struggle to win over his sceptical players and fans.

At one stage, it appeared the Chelsea manager was fighting a losing battle as a miserable run of results sparked reports he was on the verge of the sack.

Amid reports that Chelsea's stars were sick of Sarri's inflexible game-plan, monotonous training sessions and habit of criticising them through the media, the nadir came in February when Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted during the League Cup final defeat against Manchester City.

Sarri has side-stepped one crisis after another just deftly enough that he has emerged from a bleak winter with his prospects of avoiding the axe looking brighter after Chelsea secured a top four finish in the Premier League last weekend.

With a place in next season's Champions League sealed with a game to spare, Chelsea can turn their attention to winning the first trophy of Sarri's reign. A 1-1 draw in the semi-final first leg away to Eintracht has put Chelsea in a good position for the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

Winning the final, against Arsenal or Valencia in Baku, would strengthen the Italian's hopes of convincing the Chelsea hierarchy he deserves more time to impose his philosophy on a squad that has so far been unable, or unwilling, to adapt to 'Sarri-ball'.

There remain doubts in some quarters about Sarri's ability to make his tactics work in the Premier League after the former Napoli manager's troubled year.

Chelsea supporters are still under-whelmed by Sarri, despite their team's qualification for the Champions League, which is worth at least an estimated ?35 million.

At half time of Sunday's game against Watford they responded to a turgid display with jeers -- the discordant soundtrack to Sarri's woes.

- Peace-maker Kante -
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"We are doing better, I think we understand the idea of the manager."