Chelsea: Sarri, Jorginho moulding Antonio Rudiger for a long-desired role

Chelsea were humiliated in several transfer windows as they tried to buy Kalidou Koulibaly. Now they are getting the last laugh, as Maurizio Sarri and Jorginho are shaping Antonio Rudiger into the kind of centerback Chelsea always wanted.

While his recent run-in with Benjamin Pavard in the UEFA Nations League probably didn’t earn him any new fans in France, there’s no question Antonio Rudiger’s stock has been rising since the end of the 2017/18 season. Now an established starter under Maurizio Sarri, Rudiger is evolving into an indispensable part of Sarri’s game plan.

As Chelsea buy into Sarrismo more and more, it’s becoming clear Sarri sees Rudiger filling a role similar Kalidou Koulibaly’s at Napoli. It’s a stretch, but after multiple transfer windows of bidding on Koulibaly, Chelsea may have found their own version for a fraction of the price in Rudiger.

By and large, Rudiger has taken a backseat to David Luiz when it comes to both praising and criticizing (OK, mostly criticizing) Chelsea’s new-look backline. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rudiger retain his spot while players like Andreas Christensen and (god willing) Ethan Ampadu compete to play alongside the German in the near future.

Rudiger lacks the passing range and what could generously be described as “attacking verve” that defines Luiz. But his dominant athleticism and improving defensive discipline make him more valuable in a back-two, whereas Luiz benefits from (or requires) the protection offered by a back-three. Given Luiz is also on the wrong side of 30, a pairing of Rudiger and Christensen seems to be on the horizon, especially as Sarri takes the rest of the season to build the squad to his liking.

The irony of Rudiger’s ascent over the past few months is that he’s one of the few Germans to benefit from Germany’s embarrassment at the World Cup in Russia, joining an elite club comprised of just him and Leroy Sane. He looked to be a massive upgrade over an erratic, aging, and seemingly unfit Jerome Boateng, despite only playing against Sweden. He did his own reputation no harm, and was able to take his summer vacation – and subsequently return to training – earlier than expected.

Having improved his standing at both the international and club levels, it was a win-win summer for Rudiger (albeit less so for Germany).

With a new manager and a radical shift in system and style, every extra training session is crucial. Rudiger’s early arrival to Cobham gave him an immediate advantage over Christensen and Gary Cahill, both of whom had longer World Cup runs.

Despite the intensive training regimen, Chelsea’s lackluster preseason and Community Shield were to be expected, with Sarri stating it could take several months to get the team playing his style correctly. But with Chelsea picking up all 12 points so far this season, that learning curve has seemingly been much quicker. It hasn’t been a flawless transition by any means, but the presence of Jorginho has certainly helped everyone, Rudiger included.

Chelsea’s crash course in Sarrismo has been an intense one. Having Jorginho in midfield is like having a tutor who co-authored the textbook on the subject. Short of physically dragging players around the pitch, he’s done just about everything possible to bring Sarri’s vision to life on the field. So far, his communication with Rudiger and Luiz has been one of the most important parts of his on-field coaching.

While David Luiz needs no invitation to play an enterprising ball forward as soon as he wins possession, Rudiger is a bit more hesitant with the ball at his feet. To be fair, this is par for the course for the non-David Luiz centerbacks of the world. Using verbal cues and his own positioning, Jorginho is making it easier for Rüdiger to play the ball quickly out from the back. He’s no Franz Beckenbauer, but Rudiger is certainly becoming a more useful part of Chelsea’s buildup play.

Rudiger played 92 and 97 passes against Newcastle and Bournemouth respectively, up from 75 and 73 against Huddersfield and Arsenal. A lot of his passing is based around quickly recycling possession after the opposition clears the ball upfield, and his ability to serve as that backstop is necessary to maintain Sarri’s desired tempo of play.

Add all this to his menacing presence on set pieces and his propensity for the occasional attempt from 30+ yards, and it’s possible Rudiger will grow into being one of Chelsea’s most important players over the next few seasons. The likes of Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane, and Roberto Firmino will certainly ask difficult questions of Rudiger and co., but there’s little doubt Sarri sees him as a long-term solution at centerback.

If he can become even 90% of the player Koulibaly was for Sarri at Napoli, Chelsea will be one step closer to returning to their rightful place among the world’s elite clubs.