Chelsea Sarrismo part two: Does the midfield get it?
By Travis Tyler
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Does he understand?: So Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek are not quite perfect mirrors of each other but they are close. Loftus-Cheek is as close to the attacking midfielder that Sarri needs. But defensively he is somewhat uninterested at times. That is the main thing holding him out of the staring XI.
Is he ideal?: Not yet, but he has the potential to be. Defense is much easier to teach than offense and Loftus-Cheek already understands offense. Defense is the big thing he must improve on if he wants more minutes. If he can figure that side of things out, he will become the ideal counterpart to Kante in midfield.
What is the way forward?: Improve his defense is part one. Part two is wait to see what Chelsea does with Kovacic. It is always possible that Real Madrid price Chelsea out and then it might be likely that the Blues trust Loftus-Cheek to be the big man in midfield. But that will only happen if Loftus-Cheek continues to show he deserves that chance and fixing his deficiencies will go a long way towards that.
Next. Chelsea: Emerson as winger an odd solution to an accelerating problem. dark
Ross Barkley
Does he understand?: Honestly, no not really. In build up, it is okay for a midfielder to drop in and help Jorginho/Fabregas if needed. Barkley will do it every single time no matter what. This causes Chelsea to run into issues in midfield sooner and makes an attack much more difficult to put together. Furthermore, whatever hot form Barkley started with has gone away and now he is mostly able to get the job done rather than excel.
Is he ideal?: In a world with Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek; no. If one or the other departs, Barkley has more of a shot to grow and show what he has in his pocket. But being third on the depth chart at his age is not sustainable. Unless he improves massively, or Chelsea trusts Loftus-Cheek and Barkley alone next season, Barkley will need to start considering other options.
What is the way forward?: Barkley has shown flashes of brilliance. He needs to find his way back to them. If he cannot, and Kovacic stays, Barkley might just need to consider a move. Chelsea paid pennies for him and will surely still make a profit but it will be unfortunate to see Barkley go. Like many others, he has the quality to play for a Premier League club week in week out and sitting on the bench behind two others will not fly forever.