When Maurizio Sarri was appointed as Chelsea manager, many warned it might take some time for his new players to adapt to his demands and philosophy, but that doesn’t appear to have been the case.
The Italian has masterminded his way to four wins in his first four games in the Premier League, including a win against Unai Emery’s Arsenal, and the football being played certainly resembles what we saw in the south of Italy.
One of the reasons for this, according to Sarri himself, is the talent he has at his disposal at Stamford Bridge, as he explained to Il Mattino in a lengthy interview on Friday.
He said: “I am lucky to have a big group. I spoke to the players in instalments, since the last few arrived returned from their post World Cup holidays the week before the game against Huddersield.
“However, the merit in all this is theirs, because they’re exceptional players. With age, I’ve understood discriminating factors that make a champion are availability and humility”.
Reverting back to a four at the back formation, shifting César Azpilicueta back to his original right-back position in the process, Sarri appears to have released the Chelsea players from their Conte shackles, and the Stamford Bridge faithful are approving.
In the same interview, the manager says Liverpool and Manchester City are the ones to look out for this season for the title, but perhaps it should be the other teams keeping an eye on the Blues’ apparent resurgence.
