Danz709

Let me discuss yesterday’s fuss. So, Kepa is lying on the ground, in pain, calling for the meds. It happens once, then twice, then Sarri decides to swap him for Caballero – a top penalty stopper. Now, I’m pretty sure Kepa was wasting time trying to get to penalties and be the hero, and got extremely frustrated when he saw the board come up with his number on it. I even get why he would try and change his manager’s opinion. It’s a cup final – you’ve given a solid performance for 120 mins and now it’s your time to shine.
But then Sarri insists, and you keep going at it. First off, your job is divided into two evenly important tasks; one being keeping the net empty, and the second is to do everything the manager tells you to. If he decides you move to play as winger, you go up there and start making inside cuts! Once you stop performing those two tasks at a top level, you go back to your mid-level Spanish side you came from.
But let’s assume he’s young, impulsive and very agitated at the moment. A quick dive into Sarri’s head at that moment appears to reveal panic, even fear. At that moment, when your talented-but-undisciplined keeper refuses to come off the pitch, you can’t just stand there and get all cranky and throw a fit. You’ve got to take the drill sergeant stance and tell the 4th official, “go ahead, raise the board”. From that point on, it’s the ref’s job to do his job. And if the referee looks helpless (as he did), you enter the damn pitch, go to him, and ask him to reach to his pocket and give that little bastard a yellow. Or a red! This is no more a matter of football, but your position as the leader of this group of people. And if this gets you sacked, well then, that’s what it takes to be the main man. You have to show your teeth when the wolves start growling.
And finally, the ref. From the moment you blow your whistle to the moment the players leave the pitch, YOU ARE THE BOSS. In those 120 mins + penalties, they are kids on the playground and you are the grown-up in charge. If Kepa starts his shenanigans and it’s been 5 minutes since the game stopped, you call him to you. You call the manager to you, and tell them, “Listen up lads. You got precisely 10 seconds to figure this out or you’re both sent off”. I promise, not one Chelsea fan (including me) would be offended. That was an embarrassing sight to watch, all around, and the ref doesn’t get away with it. Your match, your pitch, your decision. Take control.