Chelsea: Blues have a new manager but the same struggles

Those hoping that Maurizio Sarri would come into Chelsea and quickly fix all the issues will be disappointed. The Blues cannot escape some struggles.

The turn against Antonio Conte started long before it actually happened. But by January of the 2017/2018 season, the ground work had been set. From there on people saw what they wanted to see.

And what many saw was a team that could create chances, but ones that were low in quality. The finishing simply was not there. To add on, the squad could start strong, but would eventually fade late. This caused silly mistakes which lead to opposition goals and dropped points.

Many of those criticizing got their wish when Maurizio Sarri was appointed at Chelsea. They believed that the change in style would fix Chelsea’s problems. So far, next to nothing has changed.

The Blues can still create chances, but they are often of low quality. The ones that are quality are still failing to find their way into the back of the net. This has been a problem as far back as 2015 that still exists.

Perhaps more worrying is that Chelsea can start very hot but can never maintain the performance. After two years of intense training with Conte, the Blues should be not only more fit than they are but mentally stronger. But like clockwork, Chelsea will fade around the half hour mark and allow the opponent into the match. That is an issue that dates deep into Jose Mourinho’s second tenure and perhaps even farther back. He often said the Blues would fail to kill the opponent. So it was then, so it is now.

The only things Sarri has changed are possession stats and the formation. The Blues are much more capable of holding the ball now and are much more capable of advancing it forward at pace. Of course, the Blues were like that in both of their last title winning seasons, but followed both up with apathy towards coming for the ball or making quick breakaways.

The one advantage Sarri has it that it is early days. With so many key figures gone, the Blues are still stuck halfway between two seasons. Sarri can fix the issues, but the more worrisome notion is that the issues have remained for so long.

The issue with finishing is the one Sarri can most easily address. That is a matter of tinkering with the attacking patterns or the players involved. Since that is his bread and butter, he should be able to fix the issue given enough time.

But the failure to maintain a performance is the truly pressing issue that will prove difficult. That is a cultural thing that will take a long time to truly eradicate. It does not help that the Blues have to constantly learn new systems with new managers every few years. Sarri will need time, something that is fleeting at Chelsea, to fix the issue.

The issues that plagued Conte continue to plague Sarri. It is easy to blame it on one manager or another but the truth is that the Blues have suffered with the same problems for years. Given time, Sarri can be the man to fix things. But time is earned, and Sarri will have few second chances if things turn sour.