THE LOWDOWN

three goals in his last five games.

But Sarri (below) admitted he had his doubts about the young English star when he took over from Antonio Conte as boss.

“At the beginning, in the first month, Ross was in trouble,” he said.

“But then he started to improve in every training session, in every match.

“I am surprised how he has adapted if I think back to the first month, but not if I think of the last two months.

“At the moment, from a tactical

of view, Ross is a step ahead of Loftus-Cheek because Ruben in the first part of the season had two or three little injuries.”

And Sarri spelled out the attributes of Barkley, who is expecting a hot reception from Everton’s travelling fans tomorrow.

“I like Ross very much,” Sarri said.

“He is a complete player. He has physical qualities, he is fast. Technically he’s very good.

“He kicks well with his left foot and his right. He’s

improving in moving the ball. He has become mentally quicker and he is improving tactically. He is on the way to becoming a very important midfielder, not only for us but also for England.” Sarri will make a host of changes again for the visit of Everton after Chelsea’s sluggish performance in Belarus on Thursday night. But LoftusCheek is a doubt after picking up a back problem. Eden Hazard, also recovering from a back injury, is almost certain to start after getting another hour of football under his belt in Belarus, where Olivier Giroud’s first club goal of the season sealed Chelsea qualification. But Sarri warned: “Eden is doing very well but now he needs to improve his physical performance. He did not play badly but he can do better. I’m not sure if he is ready for 90 minutes yet.”