The heavy defeats for Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United that Maurizio Sarri must learn from - Football.London
Maurizio Sarri now has a major job on his hands to transform Chelsea after their 6-0 hammering at Man City on Sunday.
Just as it looked like the Blues had bounced back from their 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth by beating Huddersfield Town, they came crashing down to earth with an almighty bang.
Malmo are next up for Chelsea in the Europa League on Thursday evening, while Manchester United are then on the agenda in the FA Cup one week today.
While it looks incredibly bleak for Chelsea at present after their darkest day of the season, it could prove to be a major turning point in the campaign as they look to finish in the top four after missing out one year ago.
Here's how some teams have bounced back previously after days to forget in the past and what exactly the Italian can learn from them.
Manchester United 1 Man City 6 - October 2011
What happened?
Manchester United suffered their worst home defeat since February 1955 as their rivals hit them for six at Old Trafford.
In fact, it was the first time they had conceded six goals at home since 1930.
Leading 1-0 at the break thanks to Mario Balotelli's strike, City delivered an emphatic statement in the title race as they turned on the style in the second half.
The Italian striker doubled the lead on the hour mark, with Sergio Aguero then making it three nine minutes.
Mario Balotelli celebrates scoring at Old Trafford (Image: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images)
Although Darren Fletcher pulled one back for the hosts inside the final 10 minutes, City added another three in the closing minutes to complete a stunning victory and silence the United faithful.
What happened next?
The Red Devils bounced back with three points six days later at Everton thanks to Javier Hernandez's goal.
It may not have been a classic performance that the fans wanted after the humiliation, yet it was important that they got back to winning ways straight away.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side went on to win eight of their next nine games in the Premier League before falling to shock defeats against Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
However, they didn't manage to make it back-to-back league titles as City won it in the final few minutes on the last day thanks to Aguero's famous goal against QPR.
What Sarri can take from it?
The most important thing is that United bounced back immediately with three points.
While it may not have been the prettiest victory, it sparked a run of eight wins in nine league games.
Chelsea need to do likewise against Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday as they bid to put the defeat against City behind them swiftly.
A win in their next game against Manchester United in the FA Cup would also give them a major boost given their run of ten wins from 11 games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Spurs are then next up in the league and it's imperative they register three points in that game or else they could fall further behind in the race for the top four.
Manchester United 8 Arsenal 2 - August 2011
What happened?
It was hard to imagine that United would fall to a shock 6-1 defeat at home to Man City two months later as they destroyed Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Danny Welbeck got the scoring underway with a close-range header, with Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney adding further goals before Theo Walcott pulled one back in first-half stoppage time.
It was to get even worse for Arsene Wenger's side after the break as two more from Rooney and further goals from Nani, Park Ji-Sung and Young completed the rout.
A dark day for Arsenal (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Robin van Persie had added another for Arsenal with 15 minutes remaining but it was scant consolation.
What happened next?
Arsenal had plenty of time to stew on the defeat as the international break took place before they returned to league action in September.
However, they did collect three points in their next game as they beat Swansea City 1-0 at the Emirates thanks to Andrey Arshavin's goal.
Defeats against Blackburn and Spurs would follow in their next three games before winning five on the bounce in the league, including the famous 5-3 win over Chelsea.
Arsene Wenger's side went on to finish the season in third but they were 19 points off Man City and Manchester United in the title race.
What Sarri can take from it?
Just like Manchester United's 6-1 drubbing against Man City, the most important thing is winning the team's next game.
As vital as it is to get back to winning ways, the team need to keep that momentum going by making it a few wins on the bounce to help restore confidence.
That's going to be crucial for Chelsea as a couple of draws or even more defeats could leave them with an uphill battle to securing Champions League football for next season.
Arsenal 3 Chelsea 0 - September 2016
What happened?
Antonio Conte's future at Chelsea was plunged into doubt following a shock 3-0 defeat away at Arsenal.
The Gunners were absolutely devastating in the first half and they found themselves 2-0 up inside the first 14 minutes following goals from Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott.
It was then to get even better for the hosts five minutes before the break as Mesut Ozil put the result beyond any doubt as he added a brilliant third goal after teaming up with Sanchez.
Chelsea were cut to ribbons in the first half as Arsenal turned back the clock with an exceptional performance.
It was Chelsea's second defeat on the bounce and they slipped eight points behind Man City in the title race.
What happened next?
Conte changed things up as he looked to get the Blues back to winning ways after going three league games without a victory.
The Italian switched from his 4-3-3 formation and elected to go with 3-4-3 in the second half at the Emirates.
Although Chelsea didn't manage to find a way back into the game, the change stopped them from conceding further goals.
Conte persisted with the same formation in their next game against Hull City and it sparked 13 successive league wins as they moved to the top of the table.
The Blues remained at the summit for the rest of the season and they wrapped up the league title in May courtesy of Michy Batshuayi's winner at West Brom.
Alexis Sanchez putting Arsenal in front against Chelsea. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Speaking after securing the title at The Hawthorns, Conte revealed that the turning point in the season had been the defeat against Arsenal.
"Against Arsenal this game was frustrating for me - I didn't see nothing of my work, my idea of football in that moment," he said, as reported by the Evening Standard.
"I found the strength to change and take the responsibility to change the system and I think it was the key moment for us. Every single player found in this system the best of themselves.
"If you asked me if we'd have this type of season, I'd say no. When you arrive after a bad season, it means there are a lot of problems.
"To find the right solution and quickly it wasn't easy. This result is because of the attitude of my players."
What Sarri can take from it?
Well, the main thing that the Italian can take from Chelsea's 3-0 defeat from Arsenal in 2016 is that a change of formation can work wonders for a team.
Whereas things looked to be working very well for the team at the start of the season following his appointment, things have gone downhill very quickly over the past few weeks for Sarri.
Plenty of supporters have complained about the team's formation recently, while N'Golo Kante and Jorginho's positions in the team are a talking point that just won't go away.
Conte showed that a tactical change can be key for a team, yet his successor has so far proved to be very stubborn and a switch in formation looks highly unlikely.
However, there is a first time for everything.
Manchester United 1 Liverpool 4 - March 2009
What happened?
There was a twist in the title race as Liverpool gave themselves a fighting chance of winning the league with a convincing 4-1 win at Old Trafford.
Looking on course to win a third successive title, the Reds narrowed the gap at the top to four points after a brilliant comeback against their great rivals.
Initially trailing to Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty midway through the first half, goals from Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard gave the visitors the lead at the break.
It was then to get even better for Rafael Benitez's side in the second half as they scored further goals from Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena after Nemanja Vidic has been shown a red card with fifteen minutes left to play after a nightmare afternoon.
Fernando Torres beats Nemanja Vidic to score at Old Trafford (Image: ANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty Images)
The defeat was United's heaviest at home since losing by the same scoreline against QPR in January 1992.
What happened next?
Well, the Red Devils didn't bounce back as they fell to a shock 2-0 defeat away at Fulham.
That meant that Liverpool had now closed to within one point of them following their 5-0 drubbing of Aston Villa at Anfield.
Benitez's side then moved top of the league temporarily one week later after a slender win at Craven Cottage, yet the reigning champions moved back top 24 hours later courtesy of a thrilling win over Villa.
Looking set to fall to a third defeat in a row after the hosts had trailed 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining, Ronaldo restored parity to set up a tense finale.
United then found a winner in the third minute of injury time as Federico Macheda marked his debut by scoring a sublime goal in the final few seconds to hand advantage back to Ferguson's team.
It proved to be a critical strike in the title race as Manchester United retained their trophy after finishing four points ahead of Liverpool come the final day.
What Sarri can take from it?
Sometimes the unlikeliest player can be the man to provide a major turning point in the season.
Is it finally time to give Callum Hudson-Odoi a run in the team?
The 18-year-old has impressed this season when given time on the pitch and fans are desperate to see more from him.
Sarri certainly has nothing to lose from given him a go alongside Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain.
Does Danny Drinkwater now get his chance in the middle of the park?
Danny Drinkwater (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The ex-Leicester City man has only featured in the Community Shield this campaign and Sarri has previously revealed that he cannot play in a midfield three.
Drinkwater and Kante had a formidable partnership for Leicester City during their stunning title success in 2015/16 and it may be the correct time for Sarri to play them together given the struggles in midfield.
Time will tell over what Sarri elects to do next.
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