Maurizio Sarri insists his bosses know the state of the squad, how far they are from where should be and how long it may take for them to get there. He will need to manage expectations up and down Chelsea FC for the foreseeable future.
Maurizio Sarri takes a different approach to player-management than his predecessor, but he is approaching board-management in much the same way. Before Antonio Conte threw caution to the wind (understatement?) and started calling out the board for their transfer activity, he did his best to manage expectations around Chelsea FC. His early success leading to the Premier League title made that task nearly impossible. Maurizio Sarri is starting on a similar note, reminding everyone about the short and irregular path that brought him to the eve of his Premier League debut.
Sarri used his first Premier League pre-game press conference to remind everyone about Chelsea’s “unusual” preseason. He said he and the club had to “arrive at a compromise”after his version of a perfect preseason smacked against the reality at Stamford Bridge.
Only five of last season’s regulars are in Chelsea’s expected XI for their Premier League opener. Jorginho adds experience under Maurizio Sarri, but he still has only the “unusual” preseason with his new teammates. The rest of the XI know their way around Chelsea, but are hardly used to playing 90 Premier League minutes, let alone together. And only one of Chelsea’s world-class players, N’Golo Kante, looked ready enough against Lyon to start against Huddersfield.
The first game of the season and the subsequent week of training will not be sufficient to overcome those shortcomings. The best XI may not be determined – let alone in place and in gear – for several weeks. Each day, each week and each match will bring the Blues closer to their potential. But Sarri said it would take “one or two months… the first part of the season” before performances reflect the squad’s ability.
In those first two months, Chelsea play Huddersfield (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle (A), Bournemouth (H), Cardiff (H), West Ham (A) and Liverpool (H). The Blues can realistically expect 14 of those 21 points. Over the course of a season, two points per game historically guarantee a team a top-four finish.
These first seven games spend more time in the lower half of the table than the upper. This gives Chelsea both room for improvement but also a decent platform from which to build for the remainder of the season. As long as Chelsea can win the games they must win, they can afford to lose or draw – at least early on – the games against the top clubs.
Chelsea fans – and particularly the supporters – will excuse any early adverse results if the team shows movement towards beautiful football. Aesthetics as much as output led to the change in sentiment against Conte and towards Sarri. This will be particularly important as the Blues face Liverpool and Manchester City, in particular. These clubs play the sort of football Chelsea fans (and supporters) claim to wan and that Roman Abramovich supposedly wants. If the Blues fall to them, but fall gracefully, Sarri may escape the banter mob.
But he needs to point to Liverpool and Manchester City for other, less frivolous reasons. Sarri must remind Abramovich and the Chelsea board just how long it took Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola to make their teams their own. In Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City not only were the Citizens not achieving Guardiola-level results, they were not playing Guardiola-quality football. Conversely, Klopp implemented his style of play quickly at Liverpool, but it took a severe early toll on his players. Results lagged performance, but they have arrived finally as the strongest challengers to Manchester City.
Guardiola and Klopp managed their bosses’ expectations in a way Sarri must if he is to survive and Chelsea are to succeed under his watch. Guardiola and Klopp had an easier task, given the desire of their clubs’ boards for a patient build. Sarri must contend with the Chelsea board’s demands for immediate results, and their fickleness amidst rocky periods.
The amount of points Chelsea win in these first two months will be less important than Sarri being able to demonstrate progress. The Blues did not show consistent improvement across pre-season. This is not too concerning, as players returned from the World Cup and had to be integrated, and learning a new system is not a linear task. Once the season starts, though, and the squad are in place and Sarri has established the principles and routine of training, the team will have to be on the right path.
Antonio Conte was nearly a victim of early struggles, as the club were already approaching “crisis meetings” before the infamous game at Arsenal. He then became a victim of his early success. Maurizio Sarri must keep the axe from swinging at him from either direction. He must manage his bosses so they know what to expect, when to expect it and what the journey may look like, including the ugly parts.
Chelsea should be able to start their season with a win at Huddersfield. Whether they leave with zero, one or three points, context is key and the full meaning of the game may only come clear after some time.