Chelsea stuck searching for solutions to Maurizio Sarri’s months-old problems

Maurizio Sarri understood the problems with his Chelsea squad, even as they opened the season with a long unbeaten run. The Blues are vulnerable because their opponents have found solutions before they have.

Maurizio Sarri’s tenure as Chelsea manager started with an incredible run. Apart from the (glorified friendly) Community Shield loss to Manchester City, the Blues didn’t lose until they were pummeled by Spurs at Wembley. The run lasted a total of 18 matches in all competitions. They were helped by a kind fixture list, but then you can only beat what’s in front of you.

The unbeaten run was a surprise to everyone, including Sarri himself. He had stated in his first press conference  that he expected problems in his first three months in charge. He didn’t get carried away by that run and kept stressing there was still work to be done. He emphasized two major aspects of their play that required improvement.

The first was chance creation. Chelsea had lots of possession and played lots of passes but struggled to create clear chances. The players were moving the ball too slowly, making it easy for the opposition to repel their attacks. Sarri highlighted the need for the team to move the ball quicker and play more with 1-2 touches.

The second had to do with the amount of chances they were gifting to the opponents. The team, despite Jorginho’s best efforts to direct them, didn’t know when to press and when to drop back into shape. When they eventually do press, the distances between the players were too large, allowing their opponents to play through the press. Once the opponent bypasses first line (the attackers), they outnumber the midfield and defense. They then face little resistance as they create chances of their own.

These problems were evident from the start of the season, but the opponents could not take advantage of them. Luck and the individual quality of players in the Chelsea squad carried them through those first few games. Having players of Mateo Kovacic’s and Eden Hazard’s quality coming from the bench to face tired defenders helped turn some games around. The 3-2 win against Arsenal is a perfect example.

That luck finally ran out, as recent results can prove. Following the Spurs defeat, Chelsea lost to Wolves and Leicester and drew 2-2 with MOL Vidi in the Europa League. Those games were not much different from the early season ones. But now the opponents are punishing the Blues’ mistakes. They have found out what makes Sarrismo tick, and they’ve shut it down.

Jorginho has been identified as the key to Sarrismo, and opponents have found ways to negate his influence. Jose Mourinho started a trend when he used ex-Chelsea man Juan Mata to man-mark Jorginho. Others have since followed suit. Everton tried the same tactic using Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Spurs used Dele Alli to devastating effect.

West Ham and Newcastle, on the other hand, have used a different but no less effective tactic. They backed off and let him play his passes in less-threatening positions. He racked up high passing statistics in those games. But whenever he attempted to play passes into the final third, the opponents put bodies in the way to either intercept or block them.

A lot of pundits have suggested playing N’Golo Kante in the deep midfield position, but they are totally missing the point. Any player who is going to play that role has to be very good technically and Kante, for all of his unique talents and skills, just isn’t the right man. Besides, Kante is not a Claude Makelele-type of defensive midfielder. Telling him to just sit back and mop up attacks will stifle him. He’s at his best when he has the freedom to cover the entire pitch and stop attacks wherever they spring up.

Others have suggested a change in formation to a 4-2-3-1, with Kante pairing Jorginho in the deep-lying midfield position. Doing that will only stifle Jorginho further as he needs as much space as possible to be effective. Sarri will also have to abandon the style of football that has brought him this far and earned him the Chelsea job. That is definitely a recipe for disaster.

The only way to make the team play better and return to winning ways is by working harder on the training ground. Chopping and changing tactics or personnel – especially at this stage of the season – will not suddenly make Chelsea a better team.

The players should also make themselves open to change and not revert to type at the first sign of trouble. Years of playing under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte has ingrained some habits. They must shed them before they can fully grasp Sarrismo.

This will not be especially easy to achieve, but as the saying goes, nothing good comes easy.