” In the Premier League , there are all the most important coaches in Europe , maybe the world “
Maurizio Sarri secured his dream move to the Premier League when he was appointed as the manager of Chelsea last summer. The 60-year old Italian had completely transformed Napoli in his 3 years there , consistently challenging for the title. Napoli , under Sarri had become a formidable side. Previously , Sarri only had one year of management at the highest level with Empoli. The circumstances were difficult when he took over Napoli. The entire job was centered around rebuilding the club and taking it to where it belongs , again.
In many ways , the situation at Chelsea was similar to that of Napoli. The Chelsea fans were divided in their opinions on Antonio Conte. Conte won the Premier League and the FA Cup in his 2 years at Stamford Bridge and was yet , sacked. Many Chelsea fans didn’t like the brand of football that the Italian implemented at Chelsea. The footballing DNA of this great club somehow didn’t rediscover itself in Conte’s ways. Also , the manager fell out with some of the most important players at the club and rumours that the Italian had lost the dressing room started doing the rounds.
Sarri came with the promise of attacking football, which immediately won the fans over. The Italian brought with him Jorginho from Napoli. Jorginho was fundamental in the system that Sarri played at Napoli and the manager probably wanted Jorginho to have the same impact at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s midfield looked formidable with the Italian signing Matteo Kovacic on a season long loan deal from Real Madrid. Add to it , the ever present N’golo Kante who was coming off a hugely successful World Cup campaign with France. The Golden Glove winner , Thibaut Courtois moved to Real Madrid and Chelsea brought in Kepa Arrizabalaga to replace the Belgian in a move that saw Kepa become the most expensive goalkeeper of the world.
Chelsea began the 2018/19 Premier League in good form , beating Huddersfield Town 3-0 in Sarri’s first game. Chelsea went on a 12 game unbeaten run at the start of the Premier League , defeating Arsenal and drawing with Manchester United and Liverpool on the way. The signs were looking good for Sarri . And Chelsea were well and truly in the title race. Eden Hazard put in a string of outstanding performances which made him the top goal-scorer in the league in it’s early days.
The change in Chelsea’s playing style was there for everyone to see. Eden Hazard played much more freely than he used to under Conte. Sarri implemented his style of play , also known as ‘ Sarriball ‘. This Chelsea side was starting to look much like Sarri’s Napoli. The Italian started playing the 4-3-3 formation at Chelsea , just like he had done at Napoli. Jorginho was the deepest of the midfield three , dictating the play and enjoying the most touches of the ball. N’golo Kante was given a slightly advanced role and this change in role of Kante was manifested in the Frenchman enjoying his highest scoring season so far in the league. The last piece of the midfield puzzle saw 2 players fight for the same spot – Kovacic and Barkley. The front three of Chelsea was more or less a constant. This change in formation allowed Chelsea to press their opponents high up the field and play an expansive , passing game that their fans want.
Chelsea suffered their first loss of the season to Tottenham Hotspurs where they were beaten 3-1. A 2-0 victory against Fulham was followed by another 2-1 loss to Wolves , who have impressed everyone this season. Come November , Chelsea’s title hopes were fading. Even though the Blues were enjoying an impressive run but the two teams above them – Manchester City and Liverpool were too hot to handle. They had already pulled themselves away from the rest of the teams. Chelsea looked good for a top 4 spot this season , which would see the Chmpions League return to the Bridge after a year gap.
January was a month to forget for Chelsea. The month began with a 0-0 draw against Southampton. Two successive gameweeks saw Chelsea lose 2-0 and 4-0 to Arsenal and Bournemouth respectively and suddenly their top four spot was in serious doubt. They were facing stiff competition from a Manchester United side , rejuvenated by Ole Gunnar Solsjaer , Arsenal and Tottenham. All these four teams are now fighting for the UCL spots and it’s imperative that only 2 will end up there , come May.
January also saw the departure of Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid and the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain from AC Milan. Higuain was the much needed targetman that Sarri’s system demanded. Come February and Chelsea were humiliated 6-0 by an on song Manchester City side. This defeat saw several questions being asked of Sarri on whether he was the right man. The brilliant start to things for Sarri in English football seemed to be a distant memory. Talks of Frank Lampard being brought in to replace Sarri were doing the rounds.
There was an air of uncertainty engulfing Stamford Bridge . Next up was the League final at Wembley against the side from Manchester that thrashed them 6-0 just a fortnight back. Chelsea had an impressive run in the competition , defeating Spurs over two legs in the semi final. City , on the other hand , had a relatively easier run, mostly facing teams from the lower divisions of English football. Not many Chelsea fans were optimistic about the match. However , the Blues managed to put in a much improved performance , holding City to a 0-0 scoreline at the end of both periods of extra time. The Chelsea defence was so solid that City only managed one shot on target in the entire game. The game went into penalties and City clinched it from there. Another low point from the match , for Chelsea , was the controversy surrounding the substitution of Arrizabalaga who didn’t want to come off in extra time. The manager and the player later cleared the air , saying that it was a misunderstanding between the two.
Although Chelsea lost the match , the signs are looking good for them again. Gonzalo Higuain seems to have found his foot in English football , finding the back of the net already. The telepathic connection between the Argentinian and Jorginho is well on show as the Italian impeccably finds the former with his long accurate passes almost everytime. The Chelsea defence also looks to have found some stability. After the dismal performance at the Etihad in early February , Sarri has dropped Alonso to the bench and Emerson is now his first choice left back. Also , Rudiger and Luiz have struck a partnership together at the back at just the right time. Chelsea fans had often criticized Sarri for not playing 18 year old Calum Hudson Odoi. In recent matches , the teenager has been a part of Sarri’s plans. Hudson Odoi has repayed the faith shown in him by Sarri , scoring important goals.
Sarri finally seems to have found the formula needed to make this Chelsea team work. Going into the summer transfer window , the Italian will be looking to strengthen his team and surely challenge for the title next season with a more promising team. The possibility of Hazard leaving looms heavily on the horizon and Chelsea fans will be backing their board to replace him adequately. News of a transfer ban being imposed on Chelsea broke out recently , which would see them unable to sign anyone for the next two transfer windows. However , Chelsea have appealed the ban and a final decision on the issue is yet to be taken by FIFA.
Chelsea’s season is far from over. Going into the final lap of the league , Chelsea are favorites to cement a spot in the top four with an easy run of fixtures at the fag end of the league. Manchester United and Liverpool are the only big games remaining for them this season. Chelsea will also fancy their chances of winning the Europa League , after thrashing Dynamo Kiev 8-0 over the two legs. Every manager wants to start off their reign with a silverware and it would be a fantastic achievement for the Italian if he indeed can lead Chelsea to the Europa League title.
– Sayan Chakraborti
The Sport Catalogue 