Sarri needs time to sort us

ROSS BARKLEY has warned Chelsea supporters that it could take three months before they see the best of Maurizio Sarri’s team.

Chelsea did not look ready for the new season in their Community Shield defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.

But Sarri, the 59-year-old former Napoli manager, has only been able to work with his squad for just over three weeks.

Until yesterday he had not even seen half a dozen of the players after their World Cup exertions. Barkley, whose season was wrecked last year by hamstring injuries and by a manager in Antonio Conte who apparently did not want him after his £15million January switch from Everton, has urged Chelsea fans to be patient.

The midfielder has played in all of Sarri’s warm-up games and insists he is now fit and ready for the new season.

“If you look back to now in three months’ time you’ll see a big difference,” said Barkley. “We’ve just got to be patient with getting to know the new manager’s way. We’ll keep learning.

“On Sunday, we didn’t do what we needed to do but the results, I’m sure, will come because we’re good players. We’re working on the manager’s style day by day in training.”

The 4-3-3 shape that Sarri favours could work for Barkley, who has played on the left of the system in all the warm-up games, although players such as Willian, a substitute at Wembley, and Eden Hazard,