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Maurizio Sarri finally looks set to replace Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge after a lengthy and drawn-out process of appointing the next candidate in the managerial merry-go-round at Chelsea.
The 59-year-old has been earmarked to replace Conte for some time after the latter was unable to match the success of his first season at the Bridge, despite the Italian departing with a respectable FA Cup winners medal and a Premier League trophy from his two seasons in charge.
Sarri will arrive at the club with a raised expectations after earning plenty of admirers during his time in Italy.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola cited Napoli as his favourite team to watch in Europe last season, a clear sign of the direction that Chelsea want to take the squad.
Pep loves him, but what can Chelsea fans expect from Sarri?
PERSONALITY
During the latter stages of last season, Conte became frustrated with the constant questioning about his future. Despite winning the Premier League just months beforehand, members of the media had smelt blood and pounced at every opportunity.
The negativity in press conferences spread around the club and created a negative atmosphere. Before you knew it, everybody realised Conte was going to be leaving the club and they soon had little to play for under the Italian, which was ultimately one of the catalysts in their downfall last season.
While Conte’s and Sarri’s tactics differ, their attitude draws several similarities. As Napoli’s title chase heated up last season, Sarri bemoaned league officials throughout the second half of the season when his side were being forced to play after fellow title-rivals Juventus, something Sarri felt piled more unnecessary pressure on his squad.
Sarri is not afraid to voice his frustrations and if things are not going his way in England, Chelsea fans can be prepared to hear some of that.
MANAGERIAL CAREER
Sarri will turn 60 at the start of 2019, but he has not been around at the top level for that long. He took his first professional job back in 2005 in Serie B, but success did not come instantly.
His first job left little to write home about. His time at Pescara is more famously known for his superstitions rather than his record on the pitch. He once spray-painted his players’ studs black in an attempt to bring them luck on the pitch.
He would float in and out of jobs for a number of years, struggling to find any form of consistency as he flittered between the lower divisions of Italian football. That would be right up until 2011 when he was put in charge of Sorrento.
It was the Sorrento gig that gave Sarri his big break. Not so much for what happened at Sorrento, but the fact his work there prompted promotion hopefuls Empoli to give him the task of getting the club back to Serie A.
It was here where the rest of Italy really started to take notice of Sarri’s work. He was unlucky to miss out on promotion to Serie A in his first season, losing in the play-offs to Livorno. However, the fruits of his labour would pay dividends the following season, with Empoli securing promotion with a second-place finish.
One of the most eye-catching developments that occurred through his time at Empoli was his use of drones to capture footage from training sessions. That level of detail may not sound like such a surprise in the current age of technology and football analyse that we see on a daily basis, but going back just a few years in Italy fans, pundits and the media were mesmerised.
Sarri’s meticulous level of analyse is widely credited as a key factor in Empoli’s ability to stay in the top flight at the first time of asking.
In a similar fashion to how he got the Empoli role, it was a performance against Napoli, whilst in charge of the former, that convinced Aurelio De Laurentiis that Sarri was the man to take Partenopei forward. Writing on Bleacher Report, Blair Newman summed it perfectly.
Having watched his Napoli so comprehensively overwhelmed by Sarri’s tactics on that day, perhaps De Laurentiis came to the conclusion that if you can’t beat Sarri, hire Sarri.
Initially, Sarri was not an overly popular choice to replace Rafa Benitez, but it was he who was given the job and he set about copying the philosophy he had implemented so successfully at Empoli.
He tried to sign the likes of Daniele Rugani and Matias Vecino, among others, both figureheads in his Empoli sides but his efforts were unsuccessful. Both are players that Sarri is reportedly keen to bring to Chelsea this summer.
Sarri’s Napoli were filled with goals and became exciting to watch with Gonzalo Higuain leading the line. Instantly Napoli came very close to the Scudetto but didn’t quite have enough.
During the 2015-16 season, they finished as ‘Winter Champions’, something that may be taken lightly by those outside of Italy, but not so much by those at the San Paolo. However, it was not to be. They finished second, nine points behind Juventus.
Napoli continued to improve, despite losing Higuain to the Old Lady, the Partenopei finished third the following season. Despite that, there was an acceptance that the club was improving, which brings us on to the previous campaign in Naples.
Scudetto pact
Across every league in Europe, there’s something of a football food chain. In Italy, Juventus sit top of the pile. On reflection of the previous 2017/18 season, many might say Napoli fall just short in second. In reality, that is not the case, you could argue that they sit as low as fourth or fifth.
You only have to look at the differences in wages bills in Italy. Napoli reportedly had the fifth-highest in the league last season.
However, there was a feeling among those at the club. A special feeling. Sarri had put together a squad capable of winning the Scudetto, against all odds. Like Higuain, many players were expected to move on to bigger and better things, but they chose not to.
The likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Marek Hamsik would have had offers to move on, earn more money and win more trophies elsewhere, but they agreed to go for the Scudetto one last time, forming the ‘Scudetto-pact’.
Napoli sat top of the league for roughly half of the campaign and in many people’s eyes, they were the ones that were supposed to win the league. Napoli were breaking the league’s tradition. Denying the Old Lady another title, all while playing eye-catching football. They were different. They were new and it was rejuvenating the Italian game.
Sarri’s men had put everything into winning the league, it was this or nothing. They prioritised domestic games over cup runs and Europa League fixtures and it started to collapse. The expectation became too much, the pressure was mounting on Sarri’s men and the lack of rotation in the side was something that came back to bite them.
A disastrous end to the season saw them fall short and finish second with a massive 91 points, four less than Juventus. In the end, plaudits and admirers aren’t enough to win you titles, with the current Napoli team now entering a new era under Carlo Ancelotti.
Sarri-Ball
After Ajax there was Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan, then Pep Guardiola, who rather sent football to sleep. Fortunately, now we’ve got Sarri, who can wake football up again.
High praise for Sarri from former Italian international Fabio Capello, shows you just how highly he is thought of back in Naples.
A style of play with a huge emphasis on passing, but not passing for passing sake. ‘Sarri-ball’, as it became known, saw Sarri utilise a 4-3-3 system that focused on positional play, movement and pressing the opponent in the final third in what was progressive and exciting football.
The Real Football by #Napoli_sarri Thx @ii7osani pic.twitter.com/GjJ6y5YinU
— . (@Valdierama) August 3, 2017
A trio of Insigne, Hamsik and Mertens linked up to provide fluent movement and create space in behind.
It is no surprise to see Mertens being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge when you see the incredible role that Sarri played in transforming Mertens, even so late in his career, into one of the best instinctive forwards in Europe.
Not only did they become ‘the hipster’s team’, they were earning plaudits all over Europe. Many considered them to be the best team on the continent, with impressive showings domestically and in the Champions League, with games against Real Madrid and Manchester City providing memorable performances.
Guardiola could not hide his affection for Sarri and his style of play, with Napoli going against the grain in Italy.
In Italy, where the culture is defensive in the box, Napoli play 40 metres in front, a bit like Sacchi did once. With the ball, they are fantastic. For me, they are one of the three best teams right now in Europe at playing football.
It is yet to be seen whether or not Sarri will be able to rival Guardiola domestically next season but his expected arrival is a sign that Roman Abramovich is finally set to get the beautiful football that he has so long desired at Stamford Bridge after missing out on the former Barcelona manager himself.
The post Maurizio Sarri: The chain-smoking tactician hoping to bring beautiful football to Chelsea appeared first on Read Chelsea.
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| Article Name | Maurizio Sarri: The chain-smoking tactician aiming to bring beautiful football to Chelsea |
| Description |
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| Author Name | Candyboy |
| Published On | July 06, 2018 |
| Post Category |
Chelsea
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