Chelsea ended the 2017-18 season with a whimper finishing 5th and subsequently missing out on the Champions League. Despite winning the FA Cup Antonio Conte was unable to come anywhere close to the standards he set in their record-breaking 2016-17 title winning campaign. By the end the players seemed fed up with his approach and as a result Chelsea parted company with him and hired his compatriot Maurizio Sarri from Napoli to take the reigns. Italian nationality is one of the few things Conte and Sarri share. Their footballing philosophies are completely different and Chelsea fans can expect to see a completely different team this season. Here’s a look at how Chelsea might transition from Conte’s organised machine to Sarri’s fluid attacking outfit.
Key Summer Signings
Chelsea signed Italian international midfielder Jorginho from Napoli for 51 million, stealing him from under Manchester City’s noses and annoying Pep Guardiola in the process. Jorginho will likely act as Sarri’s lieutenant on the pitch; having worked with Sarri for 3 seasons at Napoli playing as the deepest midfielder in a 4-3-3. Jorginho plays an integral role in Sarri’s system and his strong understanding of both his individual role and the structure of the team will help make the transition to a new style of play much easier for Chelsea. Stationed in the heart of midfield, Chelsea’s passing game will be funnelled through Jorginho. It will be his job to collect the ball from the defence and direct Chelsea’s build up play, playing short quick passes between the centre backs to attract opponents before playing incisive forward passes into teammates positioned behind the opposition midfield. Jorginho is a high volume passer, he completed the most passes per game in all 3 of his Serie A seasons under Sarri at Napoli and he can be expected to have a similar type of influence on this Chelsea team.
Jorginho will face a very different set of challenges in the premier league. He will be afforded much less time on the ball in his own half as Premier League teams generally press higher up the pitch than teams in Serie A where the defensive style is more passive. Premier League football is also much more transition focused, teams prefer to attack quickly after regaining possession and Jorginho will face a lot more counter attacks. This could potentially be an area where the Italian struggles as although he is an able ball winner he is not particularly athletic and could struggle when forced to defend in open space or compete in physical duels. Chelsea do however have a certain N’Golo Kante who knows a thing or two about stopping counter attacks so his presence alongside Jorginho could be the key to allowing Chelsea’s new midfield conductor to display his full array of qualities in possession without leaving his side compromised defensively.
Dynamic Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic joined from Real Madrid on a season long loan adding yet more strength to Chelsea’s midfield. Kovacic possesses a very different set of skills to Chelsea’s other central midfielders and the variation in styles that Chelsea have in their midfield ranks will serve them well over the course of the season. Kovacic’s biggest quality is his dynamism; he is extremely quick over short distances and can run with the ball at pace through midfield. His ability to dribble past opposition players in midfield will add penetration to Chelsea’s possession game, a key element that separates great possession teams from average ones. Not dissimilar to Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele, Kovacic’s dribbling ability in deep areas can open up opposition midfields and create dangerous situations from seemingly nothing. He will likely be competing with Cesc Fabregas for the third spot in Chelsea’s midfield and while the veteran Spaniard can not match Kovacic’s speed and dribbling he produces more goals and assists, an important element of a midfield 3. Jorginho and Kante produced just 8 goal contributions (goals and assists combined) between them and are both more focused on offering control and stability for the players in front of them rather than providing end product, so the productivity will have to come from the 3rd midfielder. Should Kovacic make improvements to this area of his game he could prove to be a real difference maker for Chelsea this season. The only issue is there is reportedly no purchase option at the end of this loan.
With Thibaut Courtois departing for Real Madrid Chelsea have turned to 23 year old spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who they signed from Athletic Bilbao for 72 million. While the transfer fee demands immediate contribution, this is very much a signing with the long term in mind. Firstly, although not as good as Courtois yet, Kepa is a much better stylistic fit in Sarri’s system. He is quicker off his line than Courtois making him more adept at sweeping up behind the defence which will be necessary should Sarri continue to employ the high line he used at Napoli. Kepa is also much more assured in possession, he is comfortable receiving and distributing the ball under pressure from opposition forwards and can hit accurate long passes to teammates positioned high up the pitch. Sarri tends to use his goalkeeper as an extra outfielder during build up play, stepping forward to give a safe passing option to the central defenders. Kepa has the skill set to fit seamlessly into this area of Chelsea’s play.
For now Courtois trumps Kepa in core goalkeeping areas, particularly in the air where he is hugely dominant but Kepa no doubt has the talent to in time fill the void left behind by the Belgian. Courtois ability to dominate his area and claim high crosses will be sorely missed and Kepa may require an adaptation period in this area, much like his compatriot David De Gea but if Chelsea are truly committed to Sarri’s long term vision they should stick with him through any initial hiccups. Kepa’s amazing shot stopping ability will catch the eye early on and may buy him some grace from the fans should he struggle with the uglier side of his job while he adapts to a more physical league.
Tactics and Style
Over the last 15 years Chelsea have cultivated an unmistakable and extremely successful identity. They are always compact defensively, leaving very little space between their defence and goalkeeper, physically dominant in midfield and fast in attacking transitions, moving the ball from one end of the pitch to the other as quickly as possible. The hiring of Maurizio Sarri is a big step away from the approach that has made them the most successful English club both domestically and in Europe since their first Premier League title in 2005.
Sarri’s high pressing and quick combination football is unlike anything that has been seen at the Bridge in recent years so regardless of whether they are immediately successful Chelsea will no doubt be entertaining to watch for neutrals this season.
Maurizio Sarri exclusively played a 4-3-3 after making an early switch from 4-3-1-2 in his 3 seasons at Napoli and Chelsea have also played 4-3-3 in all of their pre season games and the community shield, it is thus safe to assume that this will be their formation of choice this
season.
The core elements of Maurizio Sarri’s style are short safe passes to draw the opposition towards the ball in deeper areas before quickly releasing the ball into players in the vacated space, rehearsed combination play in the final third and high pressing to win the ball back immediately after it is lost.
Defensively Chelsea will have to adapt to a completely different approach to the one under Conte. Sarri likes his team to defend high up the pitch, squeezing the gap between the centre backs and the midfield to pin the opposition back in their own half. The likely centre back pairing of David Luiz and Rudiger fit this this style, they are both aggressive front foot defenders who are strong in 1v1 duels. Rudiger in particular, despite being error prone when defending close to his goal, is a very gifted athlete and has the speed and strength to defend in open space. David Luiz will have more responsibility in possession, carrying the ball forward and playing passes to attackers between the lines. He showed in Conte’s first season that he is at his best when he is given a key role in building his teams attacks. Azpilicueta will play as a right back in a role not too dissimilar to the right centre back role he played in Conte’s 3-4-3. He will likely play more behind the ball, passing from deep rather than overlapping. At left back Marcos Alonso will play a different role to the one he is used to with more defensive responsibility. It will be interesting to see if he is able to keep his place with Emerson Palmieri waiting in the wings.
The midfield will be the determining factor in whether Sarri’s approach succeeds or not. Chelsea have undoubted quality in this area and if they can find the right balance between defence and attack they will be extremely difficult to contend with. Jorginho will sit at the base of the midfield and will be tasked with directing Chelsea’s possession game; his role is to collect the ball from the defence and feed the players in front of him if the opening is there and recycle the ball between the full backs and centre backs if the moment is inopportune. His decision making is key as should he try to accelerate the play to soon before his teammates are set, they risk giving the ball away and exposing themselves to dangerous counters. Should he take to long to thrust the ball forward the gaps in the opposition shape will likely have been filled. His experience of playing under Sarri in such an integral role makes him an extremely important acquisition. He is already beginning to direct his teammates in possession and he will need to settle quickly if Chelsea are to grow into their new style, such is his importance.
Alongside him N’Golo Kante will be tasked with doing what he does best, stopping opposition attacks. He will have to offer protection to Jorginho who is not particularly athletic or strong defensively and his more advanced position will allow him to press higher up the pitch and win the ball back in more dangerous areas than he has done so far at Chelsea. He also has the ability to carry the ball forward quickly immediately after winning it back which we haven’t seen very often for Chelsea and France given his more defensive role. Kante has made huge improvements to his attacking game in each of his two seasons at Chelsea and should he play in a more advanced role it would be no surprise to see him improve again.
The 3rd spot in midfield will likely be filled by either Cesc Fabregas or Mateo Kovacic. With Jorginho and Kante stationed just behind Chelsea’s 3rd midfielder will be set free to impose themself in attack. Fabregas and Kovacic are very different but both effective going forward in their own way. Fabregas is a playmaker; his biggest qualities are his vision and the technical execution of his passes and is the second only to Ryan Giggs in the all time Premier League assists rankings. Should Chelsea get their build up play right they will be able to find him in dangerous pockets of space with three mobile forwards moving ahead of him, a dangerous prospect for any defence. Kovacic is more of a dribbler who will disrupt the opposition shape by drawing players towards him and dribbling past them, committing defenders and freeing up space for Chelsea’s forwards to exploit. Chelsea have two great options for this role and will be able to pick between the two depending on the opposition.
In attack Sarri will likely opt for an attacking trident of Hazard Morata and Pedro. Hazard will once again be Chelsea’s key man and their attacking play will be funneled through him, much like Lorenzo Insigne at Napoli. Hazard has done tremendously well in two counter-attacking title winning teams 2014-15 under Mourinho and 2016-17 under Conte.
In those teams he would carry the ball forward quickly on the counter attack before giving the final pass or finishing the move himself. Under Sarri he will have to showcase a different and equally impressive side of his game; his ability to unlock a deep defence. Hazard will be fed the ball between the lines tucked inside on the left (his favourite area on the pitch) and allowed to wreak havoc on opposition defences. He will likely have to increase his goal output as Chelsea do not have another reliable scorer in their forward line. But given Chelsea will have the majority of the ball against all but one opponent (Man City) he will ample opportunity to score goals.
Alvaro Morata will start the season as Chelsea’s centre forward. His recent struggles do not bode well but he is a talented player and will get another opportunity to establish himself at Chelsea, a second chance that not many players get. He will have to improve with his back to goal as Sarri likes his striker to act as a pivot for the attack to play around. Should he continue to misfire it would not be a surprise to see Eden Hazard moved into the centre-forward role, his compatriot Dries Mertens made the same positional switch to devastating effect under Sarri at Napoli. On the right Pedro will play a similar role to Jose Callejon at Napoli. His main assignment will be to add depth to Chelsea’s attack by making runs in behind the opposition defence, much like he did at Barcelona. His clever movement and two footed finishing make him an ideal player for the role and one Sarri is no doubt very happy to have. Insigne and Callejon formed an impressive relationship at Napoli, Insigne’s dribbling threat would draw opposition defenders towards him and as the defence began to shuffle across to Insigne, Callejon would sneak in behind at the back post unmarked to get on the end of Insigne’s chipped passes. Sarri may try to create a similar relationship between Hazard and Pedro.
Chelsea’s are undergoing a complete change in their footballing identity and this season will likely be about adaptation. If Abramovich is truly attempting to move away from the win now at all costs approach that Mourinho and Conte applied so successfully and towards giving Chelsea an attractive style of winning then he must be prepared to accept that success may not come immediately if at all. That being said Chelsea have more than enough quality to get themselves back into the top four and that should be the minimum expectation for the league season.
The Europa League represents a fantastic chance for Chelsea to integrate some of their talented young players. Namely Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu. While they will not want to be in this competition, one season in it could prove to be significantly important for their future, they have a crop of talented homegrown players and are yet to successfully bring one all the through to the first team, this is the best chance they could ask for to do this.
In hiring Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea have made an appointment unlike any in their recent history. They are placing increased importance on playing an attractive style of football and attempting to combine that style with success. They have players with both the quality and the mentality to make this project successful but as we’ve seen over that last 5 seasons you can never truly know what to expect from Chelsea. One thing is certain however. Win lose or draw Chelsea will be exciting to watch this season.