Maurizio Sarri's reluctance to rotate is a bet for Chelsea | Football News



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Maurizio Sarri will welcome Fulham to Chelsea Sunday

Maurizio Sarri will welcome Fulham to Chelsea Sunday

Claudio Ranieri was known as Tinkerman during his tenure in Chelsea, but the current incumbent has a very different attitude to the rotation. While they are preparing to face Super SundayNick Wright badesses the risks of Maurizio Sarri's reluctance to use his team.

Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season is over Saturday. The men of Maurizio Sarri were defeated 3-1 by Tottenham and the score could have been worse. Sarri admitted that Chelsea had been downplayed. Their performance, he added, had been a "disaster".

The defeat left a lot to the Italian to think about. Is it time to drop Alvaro Morata? Is not Golo Kante played out of position? Should we reconfigure the four back? Sarri needs answers, but the main question is whether he will break with his habits to be able to find them.

Until this season, Sarri has shown little interest in moving away from his favorite organization and staff. The 4-3-3 formation does not change and the composition remains largely the same. In 13 games, Chelsea has only started 14 players – the least rare of the division with the Wolves.

Only 14 players from Chelsea started in the Premier League this season

Only 14 players from Chelsea started in the Premier League this season

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso, Jorginho and Kante started each match and this list would probably include Eden Hazard, if not for insignificant fitness problems. The other three squares of the team were shared between Ross Barkley, Mateo Kovacic, Pedro, Willian, Morata and Olivier Giroud.

It seems that Sarri's trust does not exceed these 14 players. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the most involved player, but despite Sarri's praise for his Europa League performances, he played only 94 minutes in the Premier League. His three substitute appearances appeared in games when Chelsea was in the lead.

Cesc Fabregas, Victor Moses and Gary Cahill played an important role in the Chelsea victory in 2017, but with Davide Zappacosta, they played only 101 minutes in the Premier League. The situation is even worse for Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen, who have not figured at all in the Premier League, while Danny Drinkwater is completely out of the game.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas presented in moderation

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas presented in moderation

The trend is spreading to young players in Chelsea. Ethan Ampadu is an exceptional talent who made a remarkable breakthrough for the club and the country last year, but although he has played four senior matches for Wales this season, he has not made the headlines. Chelsea. Callum Hudson-Odoi shone in pre-season but has barely appeared since.

Sarri pointed out that some players from Chelsea's squad, namely Moses and Drinkwater, simply did not fit his playing style. He could also argue that cohesiveness and consistent selection are essential to the implementation. of his philosophy. But this is not the first time he hesitates to use his team and his mandate in Naples highlights the dangers.

The first thing to consider is the workload it imposes on a few elected officials.

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In the 2015/16 season, Sarri's first in Naples, the Italian has barely changed his team all season. Eleven players, four more than any other team, have made at least 30 starts in Serie A. Beyond these 11 players, there are more than six players in Napoli.

The thrilling football of Naples led them to the top of Serie A in February, but Sarri's selection policy contributed to extreme fatigue afterwards. In the last three months of the campaign, Napoli's form has plummeted and they have slipped under Juventus. Sarri's favorite players were out of breath and the rest of his team lacked insight to intervene.

Problems surfaced last season. Sarri stuck rigidly to his favorite staff – again giving at least 30 starts in Serie A to more players (10) than any other side. But after being at the top of the standings in February for the second time in three years (four points this time), Napoli suffered a new fall at the end of the season, which cost him the title again.

Of course, Sarri had allowed Naples to reach new heights – the final total of 91 points last year was the highest in its history – but the lows recorded at the end of the season still raise questions. . Napoli's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, is not known for his measured badysis, but his comments on Sarri in July may have been part of the truth.

Aurelio de Laurentiis accused Maurizio Sarri of being one-dimensional

Aurelio de Laurentiis accused Maurizio Sarri of being one-dimensional

"It's true that I called him a genius, but his genius is a bit one-dimensional," he said. "I only saw him play in one way."

Sarri's reluctance to get things moving and rotate his team has left many members of his team in Naples not only unclear, but also feel disillusioned.

"He has a relationship problem with the players of the team," said Italian international Emanuele Giaccherini, who has only played 346 minutes of Serie A in two years under Sarri's command in Napoli. "For him, there are only 14 or 15 players, but if you want to win, you have to manage the whole team, you have to make everybody feel important, but I do not did not feel like that in Napoli. "

The concern for Chelsea is that they are now facing a similar situation. Sarri may consider that players like Cahill, Moses, Drinkwater and Emerson are indispensable, but who would like to replace them knowing how much play time they could reasonably expect to get?

The biggest concern, though, is for young players in Chelsea. Christensen is a graduate of the academy described by Antonio Conte as a future captain of Chelsea, but his father, Sten, has already announced that he would look for a definite exit in January if his situation did not change.

Loftus-Cheek, who has regularly lent the last season to Crystal Palace, is just as unlikely to tolerate another season on the sidelines of such a crucial turning point in his career. What about Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi?

Like Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christensen has had few opportunities

Like Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christensen has had few opportunities

They are four years younger than Loftus-Cheek and Christensen and Sarri insist that their future in Chelsea is promising, but they could be forgiven for looking enviously at Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson, who are taking full advantage of opportunities in Germany. Is it any wonder that Hudson-Odoi, one of their English youth teammates, is already waiting for a new contract?

Sarri must walk with care. His revolution at Stamford Bridge is ahead of schedule and Chelsea remains in the Champions League positions despite Saturday's loss to Wembley. But the alarm signals are already there. The story suggests that it would be in the interest of all that its selection policy be re-evaluated.

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