Sarri But Not Sarri Thread

[Unionjack 7,531]

7 hours ago, Henrique said:

Its refreshing to watch a game with no sideline histrionics after every goal is scored. 

Sarri said in a interview he doesnt get too excited even after a big win nor gets down after a big loss. But prefers to be even all the time.

 

But I quite like seeing managers and players showing the same passion i have for the club.

[the wes 7,212]

 

[manpe 10,855]

4 hours ago, the wes said:

 

Didn't know this was the 2nd time he's replaced a sacked Conte  Antonio must really hate him now.

[Vesper 27,283]

[kellzfresh 7,226]

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

On 8/21/2018 at 7:32 PM, manpe said:

Didn't know this was the 2nd time he's replaced a sacked Conte  Antonio must really hate him now.

Doubt that the FSW likes him too much neither

How Maurizio Sarri transformed Rafael Benitez's Napoli side

Sarri's Chelsea face Benitez's Newcastle on Super Sunday

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11662/11479025/how-maurizio-sarri-transformed-rafael-benitezs-napoli-side

[Unionjack 7,531]

Its very early I know and stats don't mean much but just imagine what these figures will look like as the weeks go on.

We've got our problems of course but I'm excited.

Sarri-ball has arrived in just two games - revealing stats put Chelsea ahead of Manchester City

Italian boss is already making inroads into the way the Blues play

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/players/sarri-ball-arrived-just-two-15059876

[Special Juan 27,093]

After two wins from two it would be easy to say i'm enjoying what I am seeing but I really am. I know the defensive side of things need tightening up but I am positively sure that will come very soon.

I love what Jorginho brings to this side, his quick distribution and awareness is something else, if we ca get Morata firing after his Arsenal goal and start having a bit more solidity at the back then anything is possible.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

8 hours ago, Unionjack said:

Doubt that the FSW likes him too much neither

How Maurizio Sarri transformed Rafael Benitez's Napoli side

Sarri's Chelsea face Benitez's Newcastle on Super Sunday

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11662/11479025/how-maurizio-sarri-transformed-rafael-benitezs-napoli-side

As Maurizio Sarri prepares to go head to head with Rafael Benitez when Chelsea face Newcastle on Super Sunday, we recall how he transformed the Spaniard's Napoli side back in 2015...

Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea revolution is one of the biggest talking points of the new Premier League season, but Sunday's meeting with Rafael Benitez and Newcastle is a reminder of the work that got him here in the first place. It was back in 2015, when he succeeded Benitez at Napoli, that Sarri began to establish himself as one of the world's most highly-regarded coaches.

It was no easy task. On the contrary, like Chelsea this summer, Napoli were in something of a rut when he took the reins. Benitez had departed for Real Madrid, but he left behind a team which had gone backwards during his two years in charge. Napoli, Serie A runners-up when the Spaniard took over in 2013, had just slumped to a fifth-place finish.

Those were the circumstances Sarri walked into. The former banker only had one season of top-flight managerial experience behind him having taken Empoli into Serie A two years previously, but he swiftly changed Napoli's fortunes. With Chelsea supporters now hoping for the same kind of transformation at Stamford Bridge, we examine how he did it.

Placing Jorginho centre stage

Sarri's insistence on signing Jorginho for Chelsea this summer came as little surprise to those who followed his spell at Napoli. The midfielder had been a bit-part player under Benitez - his agent said he would have left the club in the summer of 2015 if the Spaniard had stayed - but Sarri decided to build his team around him right from the start of his tenure.

Just like at Chelsea this season, a change of formation was key. Sarri abandoned Benitez's 4-2-3-1 set-up, replacing it with his favoured 4-3-3. Jorginho was placed in the heart of the midfield, where he was able to dictate the play as Sarri implemented an expansive, passing style.

"Sarri's formation and playing with a midfield three have been fundamental for me," Jorginho said at the time. "Then, there's his mentality and his style of play, which involves the ball always being on the ground, the continuous pressing forward, constantly imposing our game on the opposition. All of this enhanced my characteristics and it's evident that it suits me well. He's a great teacher and I admire his philosophy of the game a lot."

The statistics underlined his influence. Jorginho had more touches and made more passes than any other Serie A player in Sarri's first season in charge, helping him transform Napoli's style of play and climb from fifth to second in the table. He proved to be similarly influential over the following two campaigns.

Signing Allan

Of course, Jorginho was not the only important component of Sarri's midfield masterplan. To his left was the excellent Marek Hamsik, and to his right was Allan. At £10.3m from Udinese, the Brazilian was Sarri's most expensive recruit that summer. It proved to be money well spent.

Allan played a box-to-box role in Napoli's midfield, bringing graft to complement Jorginho's craft. There were three goals and five assists from him in that first season, but more importantly, there were also 109 successful tackles. Only Atalanta's Marten de Roon made more in Serie A.

Allan's value to the side was not lost on Sarri. "Allan is an important player," he said at the time. "He has great dynamism, excellent ability to intercept and an understated quality. He is a complete player."

Allan's intensity was invaluable alongside Jorginho, but his defensive efforts also helped Sarri tighten Napoli up at the back. With the new set-up in place, Napoli went from conceding 54 Serie A goals in Benitez's final season in charge to just 32 in Sarri's first.

Taking Higuain to new heights

Gonzalo Higuain's performance in Napoli's final game of the 2014/15 season rather summed up his campaign. The Argentine scored twice in the meeting with Lazio, taking him to 29 goals in all competitions, and yet a crucial penalty miss at 2-2 ended up costing his side dearly. In the end, the 4-2 defeat wrecked their Champions League qualification hopes.

Higuain presented new head coach Sarri with two challenges. The first was to keep him at the club amid speculation surrounding his future; the second was to ensure he put the difficult moments of the previous season behind him.

Sarri succeeded on both counts. "Sarri took just a few minutes to convince me to remain at the club," said Higuain in December 2015. By that point, he had scored 16 goals in 18 Napoli appearances, including winners against Juventus, Fiorentina and Inter Milan.

The goals kept flowing in the second half of the season, with Higuain ending the campaign with a Serie A record of 36 goals. He put his improvement down to the man in the dugout.

"You don't have to be too intelligent to understand he had a decisive role in my improvement," he said. "Sarri proved himself to be humble with everyone. He also says what he thinks and for me honesty is the most important thing. You might not like what he says, but he'll only say it to make you do better."

Higuain was not the only Napoli forward who thrived under Sarri. Lorenzo Insigne went from scoring two goals in 20 Serie A appearances in 2014/15 to 12 goals in 37 in 2015/16, and Sarri later converted Dries Mertens into one of the most prolific strikers in Europe. Three years on at Chelsea, Alvaro Morata is already showing the same kind of progress.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

1 hour ago, kellzfresh said:

 

Agent Cech did try for us but cant be too obvious

Few more weeks with the piggy in the middle training tactics will be getting there

[Unionjack 7,531]

7 hours ago, Special Juan said:

After two wins from two it would be easy to say i'm enjoying what I am seeing but I really am. I know the defensive side of things need tightening up but I am positively sure that will come very soon.

I love what Jorginho brings to this side, his quick distribution and awareness is something else, if we ca get Morata firing after his Arsenal goal and start having a bit more solidity at the back then anything is possible.

Jorgi is fantastic mate. And once Mat K gets going there will be another big difference.

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Vesper 27,283]

5 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Jorgi is fantastic mate. And once Mat K gets going there will be another big difference.

I think Jorginho is the biggest regret Pep has ever had on a transfer fail. I rate him that high. Thank dog City didnt grab him or they would be untouchable, now that Laporte has solved their CB issues (as I predicted). With Jorginho, they would have been a Septuple threat, even with De Bruyne out for a few months. Still may be. I think DMF zero depth may come back to biye them. Watch January window for them to rectify.

Shocked they didnt make a move for Leandro Paredes. Also watch Jean-Philippe Gbamin (massive upside, I think might be a superstar),  Julian Weigl, Santiago Ascacíbar (same as Gbamin), Rúben Neves, Danilo Pereira, Denis Zakaria, Nabil Bentaleb, and Diadie Samassékou.

[Unionjack 7,531]

18 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I think Jorginho is the biggest regret Pep has ever had on a transfer fail. I rate him that high. Thank dog City didnt grab him or they would be untouchable, now that Laporte has solved their CB issues (as I predicted). With Jorginho, they would have been a Septuple threat, even with De Bruyne out for a few months. Still may be. I think DMF zero depth may come back to biye them. Watch January window for them to rectify.

Shocked they didnt make a move for Leandro Paredes. Also watch Jean-Philippe Gbamin (massive upside, I think might be a superstar),  Julian Weigl, Santiago Ascacíbar (same as Gbamin), Rúben Neves, Danilo Pereira, Denis Zakaria, Nabil Bentaleb, and Diadie Samassékou.

I dont know about what Pep might do but I really cant believe we got Jorgi. I rate our MF next to almost anyone.

How long does this so called gentlemans agreement last with daft cunt? Till the end of days or 1 season?

[Vesper 27,283]

7 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

I dont know about what Pep might do but I really cant believe we got Jorgi. I rate our MF next to almost anyone.

How long does this so called gentlemans agreement last with daft cunt? Till the end of days or 1 season?

With De Laurentiis?

He thinks it is permanent. he is trying to write Chelsea bans into all new Napoli contracts.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2791506-chelsea-transfer-news-elseid-hysajs-agent-addresses-blues-rumours

The agent of Napoli full-back Elseid Hysaj has addressed the speculation a Chelsea move fell through for his client this summer and denied reports there will be an anti-Blues clause in his new contract. 

Speaking to SportItalia (h/t Calciomercato), the representative, Mario Giuffredi, said he did not agree with such clauses:

"Napoli disappointment? No, Napoli did what they had to do, keeping all the big names. Not doing much does not mean having a big market, sometimes the best market is to confirm your valuable pieces if you believe in your team. If then the best market for you is to change the whole team, I do not share it. 
 
"Ban on Chelsea in the clauses? I do not agree with it, I also told De Laurentiis the same. If there are clauses in the contracts they must be able to be exercised. In the coming weeks we will address the Hysaj talk for renewal, we had talked about it before the market. Then there was a talk with Chelsea and we stopped."

[Cosmin 2,484]

I've just finished listening to Sarri's presser and I loved it. He is so calm and clear with his answers. He's not avoiding any question, he gives realistic quotes and seems to be difficult to irritate. 

Nice stuff. 

[kellzfresh 7,226]

37 minutes ago, Cosmin said:

I've just finished listening to Sarri's presser and I loved it. He is so calm and clear with his answers. He's not avoiding any question, he gives realistic quotes and seems to be difficult to irritate. 

Nice stuff. 

On if Hazard will start
"I don't know. I think Eden is ready for 50-60 minutes, not for 90, but he can start. He wants to play and I think that is the right way for him to think, but I have to think for everybody."

---

On if Eden is staying

"I think so. Because I'm a coach of a very good team and a team like that cannot sell such a player without finding a replacement. So I think Hazard will stay with us for this season."

---

On RLC not being in the squad against Arsenal

"It was only a decision based on me wanting to put wingers on the bench.I've spoken with him twice this week after I spoke with the club so I think RLC will remain with us. We can speak again for his situation but only in December."

---

On if he's thinking about switching to a 5-defender system

"No, I'm not able to play with 5 defenders. Because we are trying to defend by looking only at the ball. 5 defenders is not my way."

---

On Gary Cahill

"I think at this moment it's a lot difficult for a defender to play in my team. After only 20 days of training, it's easier for offensive players to get into the team. At this moment I think he needs to have more defensive training with us. I told him he needs to be patient, he's very important to us."

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On the Premier League

"In Italy, it's a war before the game and party during the game and if you are 2-0 up the match is finished. Here it's the opposite. "

---

On if he was working defensively this week

"Every week. We are working defensively every week. I'm not worried about the defensive phase because when I arrive in a new team I always have a problem with the defensive phase for 3 months. I have very intelligent players and I think they will be able to do it very well in 1-2 months"

---

On Kovacic

"I think Mateo and Eden played very well in the last 30 minutes. I think at that moment the intensity was going down. Like Eden, he's ready for 50-60 minutes. I like him very much so I hope he'll remain here in the future"