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Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri are now rivals, but you would not know how Sarri talked about Guardiola during his unveiling at Stamford Bridge yesterday afternoon.
The six great leaders of Premier League are pungent, competitive and often selfish band, each trying to prove that he is better than the rest. Just look at Antonio Conte calling Jose Mourinho "a little man in many circumstances", or Mauricio Pochettino bristling with Guardiola's commentary "Harry Kane's Team"
But this relationship, between the Chelsea and Manchester City leaders, is already on a very different basis. There is an imbalance in their CVs – Guardiola has won 23 major trophies in his career, Sarri has not won – but there is a mutual affection based on a common understanding of the game.
After City defeated Sarri's Napoli 2-1 in the Champions League last season, Guardiola praised Napoli as sharing the "same idea" as City Press, a lot of pbades, the personality of playing under pressure – and has even said that they were "perhaps the best" team of his entire career.Guardiola particularly admired how, in an Italian football culture where most teams defend in their own penalty area, the only thing they can do is to see what they are doing. Sarri's team defends 40 meters further up the field.Guardiola said it reminded him of Arrigo Sacchi's great Milan team in the 1990s.
Sacchi is a shared cornerstone and mentor for Guardiola and Sarri Guardiola enjoys watching Napoli's games on television and was so impressed by the way they took Cagliari apart that he called Sacchi to spring on it, calling them the best team in the world. Europe
So this summer, during the first week of the World Cup, Sacchi reunited the two men. In his favorite restaurant, Perla Verde, in Milano Marittima, a seaside resort on the Adriatic coast just south of Ravenna. Guardiola, Sacchi and Sarri posed for photos, smiling afterwards.
Five weeks later, Sarri was unveiled as the new Chelsea manager at Stamford Bridge. Where he is going to try to do what Guardiola started doing two years ago in City, imposing a complex style of pressing play and pbading on his team. He won his first battle, persuading Jorginho to sign for him, rather than for Guardiola, a move that made City angry. The pair will go head-to-head in the Community Shield on August 5th. But in the long run, can he replicate the feat of Guardiola at Stamford Bridge?
"Well, he's a clbad actor, a champion, a genius, so it's hard to explain what his ideas are," Sarri said of his friend. "Clearly, in his first year, he also had some difficulties, however, I think that getting 100 points in the Premier League [as City did last year] is an extraordinary feat, something that can not be repeated. Let's talk about a genius. "
Last season Conte's Chelsea finished at 30 points from City and Sarri hopes to fill that gap this year. "The first step is to fill the void," he said. "The gap was very clear last year, but two years ago, it was in favor of Chelsea, I hope it was an occasional, not structural gap." We want to do it in an occasional gap. "
It will not be easy for Sarri but he is looking forward to the success of recent years as other coaches with foreign ideas – Guardiola, Conte, Pocchetino, Jurgen Klopp – have come and imposed their playing styles on the sides of Premier League. He thinks his ideas will work if given time.
"It's a difficult but fascinating challenge," he said. "Here we have the best coaches in the world and the best players.The Premier League is different from Serie A because it is stronger.The Serie A is tactically difficult but here there are stronger players. I've also noticed in recent years, something has also changed in the Premier League.This is not a typical English league, in terms of the game .This has given me confidence, even though I know it will be difficult. "
In the end Sarri's idea of football – energetic, imaginative, surprising – is played to be enjoyed by the fans and the players themselves. He kept coming back to the idea of "fun" in his press conference. That's how he sees football and what he wants from his Chelsea team. "Our sport is not a sport, but a game," says Sarri. "Anyone who plays a game has started to do it as a child to have fun, and the kid in us has to be nurtured because it often makes us the best. Bring out the best, but 99% of the time, not 100% So creating a fun game is the first thing to get a style of play for a top team. "
It looked like the opposite of something that Mourinho could say, and when Sarri was questioned about what he thought of the man who had won three Premier League titles at Chelsea, the contrast with his comments on Guardiola was obvious. "He won everything and I think that's enough for a manager," said Sarri. "Someone who has this track record does not need a description.We're talking about a world-clbad coach and manager.My play philosophy is closer to Guardiola, but I both like them, in the same way. "
This has not been a common approach at Chelsea over the years but it sounds like a club that needs a fresh start. not. And if Sarri does not have the resume of a Tale or a Mourinho, he agrees to enjoy the game that could rejuvenate this club. Just as Guardiola did for City
"My goal is to entertain myself as long as I am here, and maybe to be competitive in all competitions up to the end, "said Sarri. "My personal goal is to have fun, because I think in life, the greatest gift you can receive is to have fun while you do your job." Few people have that but I hope that it will happen to me and I will be able to do it. "
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