Many, many takes have come out since Chelsea lost to Tottenham. One of the most common is to compare Maurizio Sarri to Pep Guardiola despite the difference.
Chelsea got thrashed by Tottenham and were it not for Kepa Arrizabalaga, it would have been a slaughter. In the aftermath, all takes on the loss were put into two groups by those partaking: Maurizio Sarri must make radical changes or Sarri must be given time.
Most attached to the latter is the name Pep Guardiola. This group argues that Guardiola was equally embarrassed in his first season. But over time, his tactics gelled and they became the team they are now. Likewise, Sarri should be given time with these tactics to have an equal result.
But what this group fails to realize is that Sarri and Guardiola are not the same person. Their circumstances are radically different from one another. And while time may (and probably should) be afforded, it is not because it worked for Guardiola.
It helps to understand why Guardiola was afforded time and what he did with it. Manchester City acquired one of the best (if not the best) managers in the world. Things were not going as well as they hoped. But they knew the type of manager Guardiola was. Guardiola need only point to Barcelona and Bayern Munich and say “this is what I can do”.
So City stayed patient because they knew Guardiola had a portfolio of work to fall back on. Does Sarri have that same portfolio? He adeptly kept Empoli in Serie A and then made Napoli a little better every year. Not bad, but nowhere near the heights of Guardiola.
Next comes what the time granted was used for. Contrary to belief, Guardiola did not dogmatically stick to his tactics. He stuck to his philosophy, but he made adjustments to the tactics. Instead of using inverted fullbacks all the time, he started to use them more situationally. Instead of having a striker drop in to create space constantly, he had both his eights burst forward. Small changes led to big rewards while keeping the same framework.
But there is also the fact that City spent big to get Guardiola the players he needed. They invested heavily in a goalkeeper and fullbacks to satisfy the needs of Guardiola. Sarri says he does not need any transfers and Chelsea will not toss as much money into the arena as City did for Guardiola. Guardiola still had to coach the players into the machine he needed, but it is very hard to ignore that he was handed the parts he needed.
Furthermore, City had been gearing up for Guardiola’s arrival for years. They brought in several backroom staff members and bought players that would suit Guardiola before Guardiola had even put pen to paper. Sarri was handed a squad half crafted for Jose Mourinho and half crafted for Antonio Conte and told to make it work.
So while Sarri probably should be afforded time with these tactics, it should not be because it worked for Guardiola and City. Sarri is not in the same situation other than trying to play attractive football. Sarri must find his own way because he cannot follow Guardiola’s example to the letter. At Chelsea, the situation is different and the resources are used differently so the Italian is very much on his own when it comes to forging a path forward from the loss to Tottenham.