After Chelsea’s loss to Manchester City in the Community Shield, Maurizio Sarri admitted that his team aren’t firing on all cylinders, and are yet to immerse themselves completely in his style.
There are a number of players on the books at Stamford Bridge whose attributes fit this style of football, which has become known as Sarrismo, but getting the team to implement this as one, rather than just individual parts, can take time.
The Italian summed up succinctly the brand of football he wants to play, and gave a few hints to why it’s not quite happening yet. Much has been written about his system, but Sarri described it simply as pressing, and control.
“We have the idea to press. Sometimes we press in the right way, but sometimes not,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“We have the idea to be in control of the match, but today we were not in control of the match.”
There were similar problems for Sarri when he joined Napoli. He lost his first league game in charge 2-1 away to Sassuolo. The 59-year-old faces a similar test in his first Premier League game as Chelsea travel to Huddersfield — a game they’ll be expected to win regardless of any bedding in period.
Napoli went on to draw their second and third games under Sarri, but victories against Lazio and, most importantly, Juventus, kickstarted the first of three seasons in which he would guide Napoli to three of their best ever league performances, even if trophies were elusive.
In terms of personnel, he had his favourites in Naples, and their equivalents at Chelsea could be yet to arrive, either because of the delayed return to training following the World Cup, or because there are no such players at the club.
N'Golo Kante will provide both the energy required on the pressing side of the game, and also the skill on the ball to be of use in attack. It’s vital that Chelsea keep hold of him, and the Frenchman is an upgrade on Allan who played the same role for Sarri at Napoli.
That’s one problem solved by a returning player, and there are others. Further forward, the returning Eden Hazard would be an upgrade on Lorenzo Insigne (there aren’t many of those about) as the left sided forward who cuts inside. Much of Napoli’s play was focused down this channel, and Marcos Alonso could eventually adapt to become the attacking left back in a back four to provide the support down this flank.
Hazard may be required to play in the centre should Sarri not get what he needs from Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud, but to begin with it would be worthwhile testing both of these forwards alongside Hazard, rather than immediately going down the route of converting a Belgian winger into a centre forward, as he did with Dries Mertens in Naples.
Two returning players, and two world class upgrades, IF he can keep them at Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Willian and Pedro should both be able to slot into the Jose Callejon role as the wide player on the right, taking advantage of the space left by other players, and feeding off the work of the shuttling midfielder, Kante.
Sarri has brought Jorginho with him from Napoli to secure the deep lying play-maker role, but the more advanced midfield position, occupied by club legend Marek Hamsik, or Piotr Zielinski at Napoli, is still up for grabs in this side. Cesc Fabregas, Ross Barkley, or Ruben Loftus-Cheek will all hope to make it theirs, but the answer to this problem could lie in the transfer market.
Cesar Azpilicueta is perfect for the more solid option at right back, and can help with the build-up play as he did from right centre back under Antonio Conte. Despite now playing in back four rather than a three, his role might not change much.
The centre of defence looks to be a problem, with David Luiz good enough on the ball but not defensively switched on enough to work in a back four. The rest of Chelsea’s defensive unit will also need time to adapt, and the transfer market may again be the quickest solution here.
There is plenty of work for the club to do between now and the start of the season, both on the training pitch and in the transfer market, especially if one of those key players leaves. But should they remain at the club, Sarri has a number of players who already possess the attributes required, and should help with the smoothness of this transition between styles and formations.
Chelsea play another friendly, against Lyon, before the season starts, and Sarri has admitted he would prefer to have this time on the training pitch. It may be a few games before it clicks into place, but if it does, then Chelsea could be Premier League challengers further down the line.
Richard Dunne pulls no punches as Chelsea fall to defeat in Maurizio Sarri's first game.
