Maurizio Sarri has said that Chelsea will take a few months to get up to speed with his style. What are the big issues facing Sarri in the implementation?
Maurizio Sarri’s style has been more or less consistent over the last few years. It places an emphasis on quick combinations and fast vertical movement to stretch the opponent. Ideally, when the ball gets to a player in a position to shoot, it would be harder for them to miss than to score.
It is highly technical and incredibly rehearsed. At its height, the players will not even have to think about what they are doing. Their bodies will just act on their own due to the repetition.
But Chelsea is not at that point yet. And based on the opening Premier League match and the Community Shield, Sarri can see some of the problems he will have to solve to implement his style. He has said this will take months and he is probably corrected given the issues.
The biggest issue from the Community Shield was not really present against Huddersfield. The Terriers simply did not attack enough to make Chelsea’s new offside trap appear. The issue against Manchester City was merely a lack of familiarity of when to trigger the trap and when not to. That is an issue Sarri is sure to be aware of and it is one that will take the longest to implement.
The other three issues were far more prevalent against Huddersfield and they stunted the attack. Yes, Chelsea scored three goals but that was largely in spite of themselves. The Blues have to learn to play the ball quicker, to look around, and to find the half spaces.
The first issue has perhaps been Chelsea’s biggest issue with Sarri. When Chelsea is dominant in possession, they do so by being painfully slow. And once the opponent is set, the Blues have no ideas as to how to break them down. Sarri’s style relies on the ball being moved up the field quickly. Ideally, the ball never stops after Chelsea wins it back. When it does stop, it gives the opponent that chance to fall into their defensive shape and the opportunity is lost. As Chelsea become more familiar with Sarri’s routines, the ball will naturally be moved with more speed.
The second issue should be a quick fix because it was so painfully obvious against Huddersfield. A player would be making a run towards goal, someone on their side would be wide open for a pass, and the player would never look in that direction. Chelsea lost several opportunities because players only looked in one direction as they looked for a pass. If they had just taken the split second to look around and assess all their options, they would have seen a better pass that would have been more dangerous. A solid week or two in training could fix this issue.
The final problem was largely on Ross Barkley but Pedro was also at fault. Barkley rarely got in between the lines as he should have been doing. Without Barkley (or anyone) breaking in between, Chelsea’s only option was to play the ball wide. But that was also an issue, especially when playing up the right side. N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Pedro did as they should and stayed tight to one another to draw opposition over. But Pedro should have stayed wide instead of entering the half space so often. When he came central, Chelsea lost the ability to cross into the box through him. This issue can most likely be solved quickly as well and give Chelsea another avenue of attack.
Sarri has two problems he can quickly solve and two that will merely take time. But solving these issues will be paramount to Sarri implementing his style this season. The faster he can fix the issues, the faster Sarrismo can enter full effect.