The Next Manager?

[Unionjack 7,531]

33 minutes ago, the wes said:

Can we put Jorginho in that suitcase aswell 😃😃😃

I'm worried hes off to shitty mate. As if we aren't behind them enough as it is. I know how other clubs felt now!

I THINK MAYBE Sarri might like it in the PL going up against Pep,Mou etc. Might appeal to him.

[!Hazard! 3,394]

Unlike with AVB, we also have a squad that is capable of playing football Sarri way. When AVB came, he wanted to play high line with John Terry, Luiz and Ivanovic (suicide), wanted to play tiki-taka with Mikel and Ramires in midfield (lol), the old core players were aging and our only real winger was Salomon Kalou. My god that squad was absolute rubbish. Our current line-up, despite lacking characters like JT, Drogba, Cole, Cech and Lamps, is miles ahead of what we had in 2011-12.

We do, however, need to bring in 3-4 new midfielders (maybe Seri, Jorginho, Mount, van Ginkel?) for Sarri's football to work but besides that we're good to go IMO. Hazard, Morata, Giroud, Willian, Pedro, Emerson, Christensen, Rudiger among others are built to play possession-based football and the likes of Kante and Azpilicueta aren't bad at all either with a ball in their feet. Youngsters like Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi are also well suited for Sarri's tactics.

Only question mark in addition to our midfield is Courtois. He hasn't impressed me one bit with his ball control or distribution. There are probably a dozen goalkeepers in the Premier League with a better ability in this regard.

[Tomo 21,751]

15 hours ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I like what I read about Sarri and I've seen Napoli a few times and they play very good football, especially considering they don't work on huge budgets. He's gone in there and improved a number of players.

An appointment like this is a huge risk but carries perhaps the biggest potential reward which would be playing exciting, vibrant football that most of us (including Roman) have wanted to see, but also in a means for us to be challenging for the top trophies.

I understand also that he isn't afraid to play youngsters if he deems them good enough which would be another bonus.

He would need time and patience though. From the article above, Napoli struggled initially and the likes of Guardiola's City, Klopp's Liverpool and Poch's Spurs were all pretty ordinary in their first 12 months. We have a group of players that has been used to playing in a certain style for a number of years and they won't adapt to such drastic changes overnight. If the board are willing to go 'all-in' with an option like this and give it the opportunity to flourish then I am all for it.

The one big thing we have over Liverpool and Spurs at the time Klopp and Poch took over is the quality of squad. Out of the players both inherited who was top class or even the level below? Coutinho, Eriksen at a push but that was it for both squad's. Vertonghen, Firminho, Walker, Rose for example developed further but they were bang average at the point their respective manager took over. As for Pep, City were actually outstanding for most of last season, it was only Bravo and the fullbacks that prevented them taking us to the very end or close.

We have a world class core of Courtois, Azpi, Kante, Hazard and despite poor form of late id personally add Andreas to that, our support players servicable aswell, take for example Liverpool blowing City away with a Henderson, Milner and Ox midfield, is (if it came down to it) a Drinkwater, Kante and Barkley midfield worse? I don't think so. We have players that while flawed can be very effective with good coaching and systems in place, something Antonio himself proved last season before changing his modus operandi to blank cheque or bust.

I also don't think it will require THAT big a transition, maybe if we went down that route after Jose it would have but Conte is almost like a middle ground manager between Jose and the purists and in a lot of ways has made steps to us transitioning to this type of football. We have a much better attacking system and often play a high line with everyone bar the middle CB regularly going forward so it won't be too extreme a transition compared to if we went straight for a Sarri esque manager after Jose.

[DDA 9,941]

5 minutes ago, Tomo said:

We have a world class core of Courtois, Azpi, Kante, Hazard

Courtois could be World Class but is restricted by his dogshit attitude. We are short of a World Class striker and have been screaming out for a serious playmaker in the central midfielder area for God knows how long. 

I agree though. We have a squad that could challange the Citys and Pools given the right additions in the summer under a manager like Sarri or Jardim. We have the talent in areas and I honestly think we would be clearly ignorant to not involve a few youth lads in the next campaign.

[Tomo 21,751]

2 minutes ago, DDA said:

Courtois could be World Class but is restricted by his dogshit attitude. We are short of a World Class striker and have been screaming out for a serious playmaker in the central midfielder area for God knows how long. 

I agree though. We have a squad that could challange the Citys and Pools given the right additions in the summer under a manager like Sarri or Jardim. We have the talent in areas and I honestly think we would be clearly ignorant to not involve a few youth lads in the next campaign.

Courtois is for me, areially there's none better atleast not in the PL (remember that wobble Cech had around the Scolari/Hiddink time when a ball in the box caused untold panic? It can't be underestimated just how handy Tibo being so assured on that score is) and many cite his lack of 'wow' saves but in my opinion he positiones himself so well he doesn't have to make them. Although as @!Hazard! has touched up on his distribution is pretty so so which could be an issue under Sarri.

Agree about the youth, as i mentioned in his thread Mount should be our first port of call and work from there. In the past i have been sceptical because i felt despite winning the youth cups the likes of Boga, Musonda and the "class" of 2010 weren't good enough for the step up and so it proved, but some of these guys have a much different vibe about them, with the right coaching and attitude from their side we potentially have our own class of 92.

[DDA 9,941]

40 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Courtois is for me, areially there's none better atleast not in the PL (remember that wobble Cech had around the Scolari/Hiddink time when a ball in the box caused untold panic? It can't be underestimated just how handy Tibo being so assured on that score is) and many cite his lack of 'wow' saves but in my opinion he positiones himself so well he doesn't have to make them. Although as @!Hazard! has touched up on his distribution is pretty so so which could be an issue under Sarri.

Agree about the youth, as i mentioned in his thread Mount should be our first port of call and work from there. In the past i have been sceptical because i felt despite winning the youth cups the likes of Boga, Musonda and the "class" of 2010 weren't good enough for the step up and so it proved, but some of these guys have a much different vibe about them, with the right coaching and attitude from their side we potentially have our own class of 92.

Courtois is certainly supreme in the air. This is a skill that can't go unoticed as it is very important to take ownership of the arial duels when goalkeeping especially in the Premier League. He does have good positioning but also we are all agreed that his distribution is average at best. This all said with a bad taste in my mouth left by his constant bitching and public sales pitches directed at La Liga.

In regards to the Youth. Boga, Musonda and co have not justified their hype thus far and to be honest I can't see Musonda ever getting there. This crop that currently play in the U18s are definitely showing signs of progression that we didn't really see in the last batch. Odoi, Mount and even RLC are proving to show signs that they may have a real chance of making it here. I would love to see what a manager like Sarri could do with those talents. 

I just hope we don't end up with an Alegri or Blanc. That could hinder their progress.

[Superblue 6,372]

5 hours ago, Tomo said:

The one big thing we have over Liverpool and Spurs at the time Klopp and Poch took over is the quality of squad. Out of the players both inherited who was top class or even the level below? Coutinho, Eriksen at a push but that was it for both squad's. Vertonghen, Firminho, Walker, Rose for example developed further but they were bang average at the point their respective manager took over. As for Pep, City were actually outstanding for most of last season, it was only Bravo and the fullbacks that prevented them taking us to the very end or close.

We have a world class core of Courtois, Azpi, Kante, Hazard and despite poor form of late id personally add Andreas to that, our support players servicable aswell, take for example Liverpool blowing City away with a Henderson, Milner and Ox midfield, is (if it came down to it) a Drinkwater, Kante and Barkley midfield worse? I don't think so. We have players that while flawed can be very effective with good coaching and systems in place, something Antonio himself proved last season before changing his modus operandi to blank cheque or bust.

I also don't think it will require THAT big a transition, maybe if we went down that route after Jose it would have but Conte is almost like a middle ground manager between Jose and the purists and in a lot of ways has made steps to us transitioning to this type of football. We have a much better attacking system and often play a high line with everyone bar the middle CB regularly going forward so it won't be too extreme a transition compared to if we went straight for a Sarri esque manager after Jose.

I agree about the Spurs and Liverpool thing. We have got a more talented squad than they had and we also have deep reserves of loan and academy players to help fill the squad. Like Conte did with Moses and this season Christensen, I would hope Sarri or any new manager that comes in can identify one or two players that could be recalled, giving us a larger transfer budget to spread over less players.

With regards to a transition though, what formation is Sarri going to adopt if he joined. If it's 4 at the back we need full backs. Emerson and Azpi can play there, but I wouldn't trust Moses, Alonso and Zappacosta at full back.

There are also question marks for me throughout the spine of the team which is the biggest worry. Lots of talk about Courtois leaving, do we need a commanding, leading centre back (could Rudiger and Christensen work as a first choice centre back pairing?), Kante needs a partner in the midfield (I feel this is the most important 'need') and there are still question marks over Morata's future and no guarantee's he'll kick on like we need him to next year.

I do think the team needs some fairly major surgery, but there are also, as you highlighted, a group of players already here that would suit and fit a more attacking and expansive style of football. 

 

[akgw13 867]

I agree with the multiple posts above, If Sarri is to be the next manager we are somewhat uniquely suited to fit his style of play.

I think Morata suits his style of play very well, he doesn't mind dropping deep and plays rather similar to Milik, Sarri emphasizes quick decisions and movement, Morata might not have the physical presence (yet) but he certainly has the mental capacity to thrive like this. Willian/Hazard(if he stays) both fit the type of attackers Sarri seemingly likes to employ, hopefully we close on Leon Bailey and Sarri takes a long hard look at Hudson-Odoi.

My biggest excitement would be in how he uses our Midfield options, Ruben Loftus-Cheek should be licking his lips at the idea of Sarri. He would be tailor made for his system, large physical presence + wonderful close control + good passing range. For me, he could walk into the starting XI and thrive. I also hold out hope for Barkley, i judge his time here as a wash so far. He has been recovering from a nasty injury, in a lineup that he doesn't quite have a set position and a team in flux. He fits the attacking role that Hamsik fills, he can hit from distance and arrive late to the party and hopefully finish. Sarri seems to improve players everywhere he goes, after a full healthy summer I begin to judge his Chelsea time next year.

I worry Fabregas would be a bit to small/slow to fill the Jorginho role against difficult teams but he is still useful as a passmaster against lesser opposition. Jean Seri/Jorginho are probably who we need, i also have high hopes for Ampadu developing in a Julian Weigl-esque player sitting in front of a back 4. What this means for Bakayoko? i have no idea.

In defense, Emerson and Alonso suit the left fullback role Ghoulam currently fills. Emerson probably a little more so due to his speed advantage, but the consistent output from Alonso can't be ignored. The way Hysaj(who is a target) plays which is a bit more defensive could easily be filled by Azpi. He doesn't bomb forward quite like Ghoulam so I do believe Azpi could fill that role quite well if need be. Moses/Zappa...not so much. Rudiger + Christensen fit like a glove, both have good ball playing ability with a nice range of passing. I wouldn't be upset if he brings Koulibaly with him, or if he takes on Zouma as a pet project but that is for the board to figure out.

Courtois for me....he can just leave. Sell him and bring in literally anyone else. He is a great keeper on his day but I am so done with his attitude toward the club. Be it Donnaruma or Oblak or Alisson. Caba is a wonderful backup and must be kept.

 

IF Sarri is to come I think it could make for quite an exciting time, his time frame might not be super long(which CFC coaching hire ever is!) but it could be enough to develop an attractive style which could be followed up by Jody Morris with Lampard on his staff. As supporters we might have to adjust our expectations to the new reality of the Manchester Super power spending, but giving Sarri a squad as talented as ours could make up for the gap. We need to bring in the RIGHT targets and have faith Sarri will finally trust the youth(his history seemingly points to the fact he will, but i thought that with Conte also)

Potential Targets: Leon Bailey, Hysaj, Koulibaly, Jorginho/Seri, a dynamic CM(Milinkovic is the dream, but wont happen in our lifetime)

 

I apologize as I'm sure many of my points have been hit on in posts above me, but i haven't been keeping up and just wanted to get my thoughts on Sarri out there.

[Unionjack 7,531]

Sarri plans to take Napoli duo to Chelsea but Guardiola could spoil his plans

http://www.calciomercato.com/en/news/sarri-plans-to-take-napoli-duo-to-chelsea-but-guardiola-could-sp-56512

[zekinjo 449]

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

36 minutes ago, zekinjo said:

 

Wonder if Tibos dad owns a restraurant?

[the wes 7,212]

Napoli fear THREE first-team stars could follow Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea

 

http://metro.co.uk/2018/05/03/napoli-fear-three-first-team-stars-follow-maurizio-sarri-chelsea-7519023/?ito

[Blusan Alamb 295]

Think Sarri is a downgrade on Conte.

[zekinjo 449]

1 hour ago, Unionjack said:

Wonder if Tibos dad owns a restraurant?

😂😂 Probably trying to open one in Madrid. 

[xPetrCechx 13,571]

1 hour ago, Blusan Alamb said:

Think Sarri is a downgrade on Conte.

sarri doing his subs on the 93 minute? or does he train his players to play VERY boring football (even more than conte)?

[Blusan Alamb 295]

Just now, xPetrCechx said:

sarri doing his subs on the 93 minute? or does he train his players to play VERY boring football (even more than conte)?

It's the trophy count.

[11Drogba 2,000]

Here are some videos that explain how Sarri's Napoli play

 

[Sideshow Luiz 2,310]

6 hours ago, zekinjo said:

😂😂 Probably trying to open one in Madrid. 

He's got grandkids there, after all.  Apparently.

[Sideshow Luiz 2,310]

8 hours ago, zekinjo said:

 

Is this tweet suggesting that the whole Napoli football club eat there, and they have spilled the beans (to him) that Sarri has signed?  Seems a bit "Coutois' dad" (ie, a little bullshit).

[DDA 9,941]

21 hours ago, 11Drogba said:

Here are some videos that explain how Sarri's Napoli play

 

I was literally about to post the same videos. The more I watch of this guy, the more I pray we get him. He has made Napoli into a Barca-esque, total football playing side. It's quite exceptional.

Another glimpse of how good he has made them. ^