Chelsea have made a complete turn from how the team was playing at the beginning of the season, but in the wrong way. Maurizio Sarri needs new ideas to go with whatever new players he gets.
When Maurizio Sarri began implementing his famous Sarri-ball, the results were immediately impressive. The players were loving life under the new manager since keeping the ball, quick passing and scoring is what they all wanted. Fast forward just three months, and now the Blues are playing predictable passing with no end product. So, who is at fault? And how can this be corrected?
To improve at anything, one must first realize there is a problem. Luckily, Sarri has already reached this step and made several statements along those lines. However, his answer was simply to blame the quality of the players and the board: nothing new from any manager at this point.
But Chelsea’s deeper problems have more than a single straight answer. At the absolute minimum, the team needs fresh faces and Maurizio Sarri needs to adapt to what he has at the moment.
Sarrismo demands a lot of its players. On offence, everyone must be adept at quick passing in tight areas, a lot of movement off and on the ball and clinical finishing. In defense, the team plays a high press that forces everyone to charge back immediately if it fails. The system also requires the defenders to be precise and strong.
Chelsea needs new people in every department: defense, midfield and attack. Some players lack the ability to properly defend in critical situations and cost Chelsea goals with their recklessness. There are others who have hit an age where high pressing, fast passing and extremely quick precision thinking no longer suits them. Others are unable to make up their minds in the attack or simply score the easiest of chances.
Obviously, this makes Sarri’s job much more difficult that it should be. To bring a new system to a new team is never easy. But to make every player adapt to it when they simply cannot is nearly impossible.
If “full effect Sarri-ball” is to happen, the club needs to give their coach new players who fit his style. Of course, the Chelsea board are not known for pleasing their coaches.
Independent of the players in Blue, the other problem is Chelsea’s biggest: Sarri’s resistance to change. Although more suitable players are important, a manager’s inability to change will cost the team an entire season and the manager his job.
Despite the slow, predictable and useless possession, Chelsea are, in fact, playing Sarrismo. But from the opening days of the season, the formation has not changed, the players are not in different roles and the forwards still have no connection. The only thing that is different is the lack of pressing.
Chelsea are keeping the ball with no real outlet of attack. They only hope for an Eden Hazard goal to save the team. Relying on such poor tactics will cost Chelsea much more than just top four spot.
At this point of the season, every team has figured out what type of football they want to play. But Chelsea seem stuck in not knowing what is happening.
The team wants to attack, have fun and play attractive football, but simply cannot. Sarri insists his system works, yet the Blues have dropped points where they never should. His inability to change anything in the team is turning to frustration and he only has himself to blame.
As just one example is Jorginho’s role in the squad. He is a great player with his ability to dominate the game and distribute the ball. When it comes to acting as a holding midfielder, not so much.
Maurizio Sarri plays him in that role in order to have a creative player conduct the tempo of the match. But he is not the player to help the defense prevent counter-attacks or most other attacks for that matter.
Although Maurizio Sarri warned about the setbacks happening today, what good is a warning if one fails to prepare for the consequences? Sarri has not prepared at all, hence the lack of fluency in Chelsea’s game at the moment.
The Italian needs a plan B, or at least move some players around in order to get results. Sarrismo is not the only answer, nor is it a viable answer anymore.
Chelsea need solutions at the moment, and the man to find them is Maurizio Sarri. However, to do that, he will need new ideas to go with new players. Stubbornness and not wanting to change leads to failure in the Premier League. Just ask Jose Mourinho.
Top-four and at least one domestic cup are a must this season. If the Italian does not meet either, he will surely suffer the same fate as the twice-former Chelsea and now former Manchester United manager.