However bitterly their tenures eventually end, Chelsea managers almost always enjoy a honeymoon period. Maurizio Sarri must smartly manage his, especially as a parade of fringe players proclaim their loyalty to the club.
Lost to history are a few inconvenient counter-narratives about Antonio Conte’s first season at Chelsea. Before the training ground row, Conte and Diego Costa were soul mates bound by intensity. Before discontented fans coined the phrase “suffer-ball” in response to Conte repeating his warnings about “suffering with and without the ball,” Chelsea won the Premier League with 85 goals, their highest tally since 2009/10’s title. Smiles and high spirits abounded on Twitter, the Christmas video, Chelsea TV and restaurants across London when the lads had a group dinner.
Similar scenes played out in fall of 2014, 2009 and 2004. Just as they are right now. The Blues are undefeated, a new manager is reviving morale and players are talking about how they want to fight hard for their place and careers at Stamford Bridge.
This includes players who are rarely seen in matchday squads, let alone on the pitch. Danny Drinkwater, Cesc Fabregas and Michy Batshuayi have all stepped forward in the last week to talk about their love and hopes for Chelsea FC. David Luiz is enjoying his international media love-fest and is paying it right back to Maurizio Sarri. And Eden Hazard has likely quelled any lingering talk of a transfer to Real Madrid.
In retrospect, Gary Cahill’s brutally straightforward interview with The Mirror almost seems disloyal. How dare he accept the end of his time at the club and reluctant plan his next steps?
Maurizio Sarri must make the most of this honeymoon period while times are good. One simple way is making those little-seen veterans feel appreciated and included by giving them playing time. Danny Drinkwater is not in the Europa League squad, but Sarri can give Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas starts against the acronymic trio of MOL Vidi, BATE Borisov and PAOK. Sarri would not in any way compromise the club’s Europa League chances by doing so. He would give the best XI necessary time off, and would reap the emotional boost.
Drinkwater can then join Cahill and Fabregas in the Carabao Cup against Derby County. That cup tie will already overflow with Blue emotions. The more teammates of Frank Lampard from his time at Chelsea that Sarri can put on the pitch, the deeper the impression he can leave on everybody that night.
While Sarri appears to be rationing his time from the best XI on down to ensure the Premier League starters progress efficiently towards Sarrismo, any chance he has to check in with the loan army would be well worth his time. Some former loanees talk about how disconnected they were from the club, and how John Terry was often their only contact while out on loan.
A simple phone call or text from Sarri could go a long way to reminding the loanees what they are working towards, and signal a new regime at the club. If Sarri or one of his assistants like Gianfranco Zola or Carlo Cudicini have the chance to attend a loanee’s game, they absolutely should. This is especially the case for Michy Batshuayi, who has already rendered great service to the club with little more than cold dismissals in return.
And again, they should take advantage of the Carabao Cup tie to get warm face time with Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.
Chelsea’s results will eventually turn and the club will hit a rough patch. That is usually the end of the honeymoon period. The football is a leading indicator.
Maurizio Sarri has a chance to break that connection and soften the crash when the high times become low. He takes a kinder gentler approach to man management than most of his predecessors. The players are responding to this very well after several years of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. They feel more free in their tactics and in their behaviours and attitudes around training. They are over-performing on the pitch, which certainly distorts the overall perception of life at Chelsea. But even those not involved in the recent success feel connected to it, and that is a valuable asset.
Whether Sarri’s is a sustainable method for Premier League success remains to be seen. But if he takes steps now, he may be able to preserve the loyalty and comity that come easily early but are hard to maintain.