Maurizio Sarri’s arrival at Chelsea was an appointment that generated a lot of excitement among Chelsea fans. The Italian made a name for himself in Serie A during his time at Empoli and Napoli.
At Naples, Sarri broke the club’s highest point tally in each of his three seasons at the club. In Juventus’ seven-year domination of Italy’s top flight, no team has come closer to winning the league like his Napoli side last year.
After a few years of pragmatic football under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Sarri was seen as a breath of fresh air by Chelsea fans. The prospect of watching their team play attacking football was something the Stamford Bridge faithful were really looking forward to.
However, things have clearly not gone to plan. After a promising start, things have gone from bad to worse. Various reasons are responsible for Chelsea’s poor run of form. However, it is clear to see the manager’s system is not working.
While a lot of defeats are down to individual mistakes, there are some bigger issues as well. Here is a look at the problems Chelsea face tactically, and why they are not able to master “Sarriball”.
#1 Slow transition from attack to defence
Anyone who has watched a Chelsea match this season will know how easily Chelsea are caught out on a counter attack. After losing the ball, the Blues are extremely vulnerable to a dangerous situation. More often than not, opposition attackers get a free run at Chelsea defenders and create an excellent opportunity to score a goal.
Quite clearly, transition is a thing Chelsea is really struggling with under Maurizio Sarri. So far, the Italian coach has not been able to find a tactical solution for it. So why is it happening?
Firstly, Sarri’s style of possession football requires teams to commit a lot of players forward. This means when Chelsea lose the ball, very few players are behind to defend. Moreover, the biggest factor is the midfield not doing a good enough job when the team does not have possession.
#2 Lack of protection from midfield
The issue starts with the two wide midfielders. There is no doubt that Ngolo Kante is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, as there is no better ball-winner in the world.
However, if there is one weakness in his game, it his tendency to fail to track a midfield runner – as it was visible in Manchester United’s second goal where he failed to tackle Pogba and allowed him a free run in the box. Although it should be remembered he is learning a new system and position, and one can hope for him to improve in that department.
Similarly, Matteo Kovacic is also someone who struggles with this aspect of the game. Malmo’s goal in the first leg of Chelsea’s Europa League match and Herrera’s goal for Manchester United in the FA Cup exhibit his weakness at keeping runners in check. Even Ross Barkley is not doing a better job when he plays.
Ultimately, responsibility must fall on Jorginho. The Italian is an extremely intelligent player and only Leicester’s Ndidi has won possession more than him in the middle third in the Premier League.
However, the Italian is someone who is not the quickest or strongest. This makes it very easy for opposition players to shrug the ball off him or run past him. Its evident that the midfield is not offering enough protection to the back four.
#3 Fullbacks not offering enough
Like most coaches these days, Maurizio Sarri wants his fullbacks to play high up the pitch and offer an extra attacking option. However, they need to return to their positions while the team is defending.
This is an area that two Chelsea fullbacks are really struggling with. More often than not, both are caught out of position in counter-attacks. How Marcos Alonso has kept his place in the side is something most Chelsea fans are struggling to understand. Even Cesar Azpilicueta has lost pace, and it is becoming easy for oppositions wingers to beat him for pace.
Modern day football requires fast, athletic, and skilful fullbacks. There was a reason Pep Guardiola spent an enormous amount of money two years ago on the position. Chelsea should make that a priority in the summer.
#4 Lack of movement by attackers
Unfortunately for Sarri, Chelsea’s problems are not limited to the defensive side of the game. Even in attack, the Blues are equally struggling. The Manchester United game was a perfect example of Chelsea’s problems.
In the FA Cup game, Chelsea kept 67 per cent possession, but United keeper, Sergio Romero, barely had anything to do. This is a common theme around Stamford Bridge this season.
A big problem Sarri has spoken about is the lack of movement by his attackers and midfielders. Except for Pedro and Ngolo Kante, you rarely see a Chelsea player making a run into the box.
Even the passing is extremely safe and the team lacks a player who can split the defence. As a result, Chelsea is very static going forward and lack penetration. This makes it extremely easy for opposition teams to stop the Blues.
Quite clearly, there are a lot of problems for Chelsea, and they are a million miles away from playing “Sarriball”. Something has to change for the Blues to turn around their season. However, it’s unlikely Roman Abramovic will tolerate this for long. For his own sake, Maurizio Sarri needs to find a solution fast.
[Sportskeeda]
