Chelsea have had a stunning start to their new campaign as they are second in the Premier League and have done well in the Cup competitions so far. A new managerial appointment often tends to work at Chelsea but not many expected the team to click right away under Maurizio Sarri.
The Italian tactician’s philosophy was different to what the club were used to under the previous managers Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Compared to the more pragmatic style under the previous managers, Sarri’s style is much more proactive.
Here, we take a look at why the club have had such a fantastic start and are level on points with league leaders Manchester City.
#3 Presence of a midfield good enough to implement’s Sarri’s style
The most important thing Sarri did when he came on board was to ensure the club signed Jorginho. The midfield ace was a key component at Napoli as he was efficient with his ball circulation.
Chelsea had Cesc Fabregas of course, but unlike the Spaniard, Jorginho is more mobile and was used to playing under the Sarri blueprint.
A few eyebrows were raised as N’Golo Kante was given more of a free role in the side to make those forward runs, something that isn’t his forte. However, Kante’s work-rate is so good that Chelsea have not been affected during the attack to defence transitions.
#2 Eden Hazard’s form
The Chelsea forwards haven’t had the start they would have wanted as Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have scored a combined two goals in the Premier League. Luckily, Eden Hazard has come to the rescue with his consistent displays in front of goal.
Sarri has been able to bring the best out of his wide players because of the high-press that he deploys. Even at Napoli, we often saw Callejon and Insigne score a lot of goals from the wider areas.
Winning the ball high up the pitch has helped the likes of Hazard and Pedro make an instant impact rather than break forward in a more pragmatic style, something that was the case under Mourinho and later Conte, which is perhaps why Hazard never truly realised his potential.
#1 Getting the best out of the defence
Many tactics blogs wondered how Sarri was going to recreate the incredible defensive pairing of Raul Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly. Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz weren’t everyone’s cup of tea because of the former’s mixed start and the latter’s inconsistency, but the two have done pretty well together.
Luiz might have lost a bit of pace, but his ability to pick a pass from his own half has helped the system. Against Liverpool a few weeks ago, the Brazilian played some sumptuous passes from his half, and that is why he is in the team.
Rudiger, on the other hand, has done well as a recovering defender, often mopping up at the back.
