Croatian
6 years ago
His Napoli could strike in any situation, you give them ball, they will use their fantastic build-up or share balls to the wings, and if you have posession they will constantly press you and strike with counters. They play extremely entertaining football but that also means their defence could be shaky.
From what I've seen, these are things that are mandatory in his system:
- Ball-playing centerback, it was Koulibaly in Napoli, in Chelsea it could maybe be Christensen?
- All-round fullbacks. He won't work with fullbacks who can't defend. I think Alonso and Azpilicueta could be starters.
- All midfielders must be good passers, able to work in build-up, I think you will need another CM, Kante is guaranteed, I doubt Bakayoko will start, and Fabregas might have chance in more offensive Jorginho role. I think B2B midfielder (Allan) would fit in the most, he was one of most important players in Napoli, able to carry the ball but also do a lot of defensive work.
- Forward line doesn't actually require someone like Mertens, fast and good dribbler, but rather someone who can drop down but also be there to finish. Morata would fill in that role IMO very well. And crossing from fullbacks would benefit both him and system. Hazard can do exact playmaking-winger role like Insigne, no doubt, and on other wing you have Pedro and Willian, which are bit different than Callejon, hardworking winger with good positioning and ability to get into box.
- High press would work in Chelsea IMO.
His training methods are very modern from what I've heard, he'll especially work with passing in trainings. He lost title in Napoli because his players were too tired towards end, and you can't do that with Juventus breathing down your neck. He had alright players on bench though, Chelsea probably has better bench but he clearly has favorites and don't expect much rotation. Don't expect Hudson-Odoi or someone else making breakthrough, either.
So Sarri to Chelsea is looking closer by the day.
Can any Napoli or Serie A fans tells us a bit about Sarri's style of play, and the type of manager he is.
From the highlights, Napoli look lethal on attack but highlights don't tell the whole story. And what about his transfers, and touchline antics?