Maurizio Sarri has not landed a new coaching gig since he left Chelsea. Yet there will be jobs opening up this summer. Whether it be Borussia Monchengladbach, perhaps Inter Milan, Lyon, or any other job I’ve to this point overlooked. Leeds United might even be a candidate, depending on how the mercurial Marcelo Bielsa feels about his future; from one fantastically eccentric boss to another.
One way or another, Sarri will get another gig, and well he should, for his skills and tactical know-how has always been impressive. He must simply take what he has learned at his last two stops, both lasting only a year, a season, to grow as a boss and stick better wherever he should land.
Maurizio Sarri has not landed a new coaching gig since he left Chelsea
The anecdotes regarding the Italian manager are well known. From leaving the player dressing room smelling of stale tobacco, to his unbending demands stylistically on the pitch, his players either dislike him or adore him. There seems to be no middle ground when you’re playing for the man for whom the term “Sarriball” was invented for.
But Sarriball can be effective, as seen at clubs like Empoli and Napoli. It requires certain types of players, willing to do certain types of things; without those players, playing those roles and with those disciplines, it becomes fodder for more organized units to exploit. When Maurizio Sarri got to Chelsea, he brought with him Jorginho from Napoli; this player was the engine of Napoli during Sarri’s time there, and so he became the engine of Chelsea, despite the fact that N’Golo Kante was the preexisting engine so to speak.
And Sarriball worked here as well, as Chelsea won a Europa League title with him against Unai Emery’s Arsenal. With this first European trophy for Sarri, he would quickly find himself on the way out, being at a clash with the Roman Abramovich’s administration and some of the players . While he would find welcome from top Italian side Juventus, things would not go any smoother, despite modicums of success.
Domestic success isn’t enough for Juventus, and the Old Lady could only stomach one season of Maurizio Sarri as well. Despite winning the league and other honors, he was not well liked by some of the players and was not thought to be the manager for the future in Turin. And so he was let go after more trophies, to wonder what may have been at either outfit, as well as what may be next for himself.
The last two jobs must have shown Maurizio Sarri that he needs a club which respects his understanding of the game and what that type of team requires. A great team for Sarri will have players who are not so established as to make it difficult to bend them to his desires and positions. At Chelsea and Juventus, it was difficult to tell players like Willian, Cristiano Renaldo Paulo Dybala, Kante and others to play completely differently than they have for their entire, incredibly decorated careers.
No, Sarri needs players that he can build and mould, that he can make great before the eventually move on to larger clubs. Sarri in turn, can only be the boss, happily might I add, of a top contending club, were he the one to bring it to that height and level. Only then would his style and system be sustainable, with players and administration buying in to the boss and his ideas together.
Where can he find that? Anywhere across Europe, and possibly even in America; where will he next land?
Where In The World Will Sarri Land Next?
While I said Inter Milan, I doubt they have the patience for the man. I think either a team like Gladbach or Leeds United would be a proper fit for Sarri. Napoli might also have an opening depending on whether they decide to keep Genaro Gattuso past the season. As I said, the team must have talent, yet not recent success to where expectations and critics swamp up the development of the outfit.
I could also see him going back to a team like Empoli, a place where he is as comfortable if not more so than at Napoli. Yet Gladbach has curious positives about it that might particularly intrigue the boss.
While their current boss, Marco Rosa, will be leaving for rival Borussia Dortmund, his team have talent, a proper youth system and a less demanding fan base than some of the other larger German clubs. Could Dortmund have been a fit? Sure, but Sarri and a legacy like Dortmund has can hardly be expected to go any better than Chelsea or Juve. Gladbach might really develop a different type of mettle with Sarri, and with Hansi Flick and Bayern playing some very high quality football, creatively speaking of course, Gladbach might fight proverbial fire with fire.
Should that job go to some deserving assistant, it will be a positive thing for football, yet Sarri will get a position somewhere. It could even be Serie B; the manager isn’t bashful and might even enjoy the pureness of the football at that level better to some extent, although it’s doubtful he’d ever say so himself. Whoever hires him, will be getting a footballing genius, and one who is fascinating both professionally and personally; he will make their team worth watching, and we will marvel at how Sarriball has arrived a new once more.