Chelsea Tactics and Transfers: Keep up momentum for Liverpool double

Chelsea have started their time under Maurizio Sarri with a decent amount of success. They haven’t played any superpowers yet, but they’re positioning themselves well for the inevitable.

At some point this season Chelsea are going to have to play against a strong side. It’s impossible for them to avoid it for the entire rest of the season. But before they do eventually come up against Liverpool in the League Cup, Chelsea have three winnable matches in a row against Cardiff, PAOK and West Ham.

If Chelsea can continue in their current form against those teams Maurizio Sarri will have started his reign with seven wins in a row. Even a club as dramatic and insecure as Chelsea will have to take a degree of confidence and calm from a streak like that. The extra good news on top just how much this is exactly what Chelsea need.

Nothing is harder for a new manager to build than momentum. Now that Maurizio Sarri and his men have some, they cannot squander this upcoming period. With some momentum behind them and the confidence continuing to grow Sarri will be able to help Chelsea move out of first gear with his tactics and on to the next level. The side seems to have grasped the principal of possession football, but not a great deal more than that. Yes, they keep possession and they pass a lot. But they still have yet to have that match where they appear dangerous and make the most of that dominance.

Against smaller teams that’s fine. But against the bigger ones, and in particular Liverpool, it simply will not pass. No team is better at making the most of a meager share of possession than the Reds. They demonstrated it against Manchester City last year and will be deeply dangerous against Chelsea this year. And the Blues, mind you, are far less lethal than City were when they faced Liverpool last year. This will be a test.

Chelsea need the momentum and any bit of belief, magic or confidence it can instill in them.  If they are going to beat Liverpool in not one but back-to-back matchups they’ll need everything they can get. Chelsea do need both wins. In the Premier League, Chelsea simply needs wins to keep at the top of the table in which they might not even have one of the top four squads. They need the early win against a rival there.

Then the League Cup is a necessary win because it presents one of their few possible chances at silverware this year. They also need the extra games to get youth some playing time. They need the help and extra game minutes just so Sarri has as much time with the squad as possible.

Chelsea were deeply unlucky to have drawn such a good side so early in the tournament. But their momentum is one of the best things they have going for them at the moment.

They have done pretty much the bare minimum with their results so far. They comfortably beat teams that are far inferior, but never managed to look entirely dominant or ethereal in that time. They haven’t been tested enough to really know how good they are. Those tests are upcoming.

Liverpool are the biggest test Chelsea will have faced so far. Doing it twice in the course of five days is even harder. The Blues must get results to show they have actually made any progress.  It would mean nothing for them to play possession / passing football if they lost both matches 4-0, would it?

No, it would mean Chelsea have in fact regressed with this new style. If they want any of this to mean anything, the real season is about to start.