So, what is Sarri-ball?
MAURIZIO SARRI reckoned it would take three months for his team to grasp it. After five wins out of five to start the Premier League — plus a Champions League success at PAOK — maybe the Chelsea boss’s new boys are particularly fast learners.
So just what is Sarri-ball? What are the key components of Sarri’s system which was designed at Empoli, refined at Napoli and is quite possibly being perfected at Chelsea.
4-3-3
Formation Out has gone Antonio Conte’s five at the back with a shielding midfield. Sarri swears by a compact 4-3-3.
71.04
Possession Conte was happy to play on the counter but Sarri wants to play with the ball. Possession starts at the back and the Italian is happy to keep the ball there until an opportunity arises to launch a raid forward. Their possession stats are 71.04 per cent, more than 16 points higher than 2017-18.
752
Passing Sarri preaches passing, starting at the back where triangles are encouraged to suck opponents in. Then it’s all about quick, intricate passing moves to get the ball forward. Dribbling is now frowned upon which may help to explain why they have clocked up almost three miles per game less than last season — 68.2 miles from 70.9. Chelsea this season are averaging 752 passes per game, a 40 per cent increase on last season. Going into this weekend Chelsea boasted five of the Premier League’s top six passers with David Luiz’s pass success percentage soaring from 45 to 73.
186
Jorginho The Italy midfielder was the heartbeat of Sarri-ball at Napoli and is replicating that role in England. Jorginho, the division’s leading passer, is the man who engages with his defenders in passing moves and is the holding pivot when the five in front of him go forward. Just about everything goes through Jorginho who set a Premier League record with his 186 touches in the 2-1 win at Newcastle. He attempted 173 passes in that match and all season he has attempted 500 short passes compared with just nine long balls. 474
Playing higher up the pitch
Sarri plays with a high defensive line to stop opponents playing between the lines. And with their on-field general, Jorginho, in midfield it means most of Chelsea’s work is in the opponent’s half. This season they are averaging 474 passes per game in the opposition half — last season that figure was just 311. Sarri also demands the press starts with his front three.
2.4
Shots faced By bossing the ball and playing high up the pitch it does restrict opposition chances. They have faced just 2.4 shots on target so far, down from 3.1 in 2017-18.
3
No rotation Sarri wants an elite group to buy into what he does and that elite group will be deployed as much as possible. In five games this season he has made just three changes to his starting XI. Conte, at the corresponding point of last season, had made nine. Last season at Napoli, 10 players started 30 or more games for Sarri while seven more were named as substitutes at least 30 times. Gary Cahill has already hinted he wants out and expect a few more to be unhappy with Sarri’s loyalty to a chosen few.