SARRI ON CRUISE CONTROL
Three goals on the road but, as Chelsea’s new engine needs fine tuning, it’s a case of...
HARD to argue with a start like this for Maurizio Sarri. Three goals away from home, a definitive performance from his keynote signing Jorginho and a joyful cameo from Eden Hazard.
Those highlights only told part of the story. Chelsea demonstrated much t hat was commendable, principally the result. Yet they are very much a work in progress, a prototype and this was a stuttering test drive. At times the engine did splutter into life and you could see how impressive they might be.
‘If you looked at the result, you can think it was an easy game,’ said Sarri. ‘But the first half was hard. We were in trouble for 15 minutes against a physical team. We are not a physical team. And the best of the game [for us] was to suffer for that period.’
Indeed, Chelsea spent much of the first half chasing their tail, perplexed by H udders field’ s intensity and tactical superiority and looking uncomfortable in their new skin. The Italian coach suggested his players were not r eady f or t he 3- 5- 1- 1 s ystem Huddersfield played, or rather that they lack sufficient grounding in what became known as Sarri-ball, to adapt.
‘Maybe for Napoli in the last year it wouldn’t have been a problem but for Chelsea, with some of the players only having had three days of training, it was a problem,’ he said. That they found themselves 2-0 up at half-time despite having been out-thought and out-fought for much of the half was not exactly a travesty.
They have excellent players who can invariably dig the team out of such holes. But it was in no way a reflection of the balance of play.
‘The players left everything on t he grass,’ said Huddersfield manager David Wagner, speaking principally of his team in the first half. ‘I have seen passion, desire, the spirit we usually have.
‘I felt the energy in the stadium. We played tactically well and pressed them in the right area, then dropped it into the deep block and limited their chances.
‘ Everybody has known how difficult this can be. I have seen enough to take a lot of positives. We were shocked I think to be 2-0 down [at half-time].’
For Sarri, the positives would have been Jorginho eventually taking the game by the scruff of the neck after looking bewildered for 35 minutes; Hazard’s wonderful 14-minute contribution; and Kepa looking like a solid goalkeeper with excellent feet to play out.
On the downside, Alvaro Morata looks no nearer being at home in a Chelsea shirt and it will clearly take time for all parties to adapt to each other. ‘ I don’t want to do another Naples. I want to do a good Chelsea. I have to adapt myself to the characteristics of this championship and to my players.’
Sarri said he will use this next month, before Europa League games kick in, to get his ideas embedded in this team. Thereafter, the relentless tide of fixtures will
be against him. Whether Chelsea will be sinking or swimming by then is a moot point.
Wagner’ s system, with his wing-backs Chris Lowe and Florent Hadergjonaj pushing so high when in possession, meant Chelsea simply found themselves outnumbered in mid field. It afforded them a degree of dominance and a marginal penalty shout when David Luiz lurched over Alex Pritchard to clear in the 24th minute.
But if Huddersfield took the tactical plaudits, Chelsea’s class ultimately made the difference. An example would be Jorginho, who spent much of the half looking slightly aghast at the pace of the Premier League and a little lost.
But he would find his feet. Firstly, in the 34th minute, there was a little touch in the centre circle which released Pedro. His run stretched Huddersfield and freed up Willian. The Brazilian toyed with Hadergjonaj, dashing past him to the by-line before pulling the ball back. And there was N’Golo Kante, as befits his new role further forward in midfield. He shot the ball into the ground and the bounce deceived debutant goalkeeper Ben Hamer, looping into the net.
Huddersfield’ spain was extenuated by their nearest miss in t he 38th minute, when Aaron Mooy’s corner was flicked on by Mathias Zanka and Steve Mounie demonstrated excellent movement to drift away from his marker and connect with the header, only to see his chance rebound off the post.
Yet even as Huddersfield remained the more coherent team they faltered. Just before half-time Kepa touched the ball to Jorginho on the edge of the Chelsea box. Jorginho and his team-mates worked the ball up the pitch with speed and precision, until the new signing was now poised just outside the opposition box.
Deftly, he touched the ball to Ross Barkley, whose flick played in Marcos Al on so and temp ted Christopher Schindler into a rash, foolish challenge which caught the Spaniard’s ankle and earned him a booking. Referee Chris Kavanagh awarded the penalty. Despite his travails, Morata did not step up but Jorginho did and, with a skip and a feint, he sent Hamer one way and rolled the ball in the other.
Thereafter Chelsea took control, which led to a spectacular Alonso effort in the 58th minute, then a 30-yard free-kick, also from Alonso, in the 62nd minute.
Still, chances came for Huddersfield, Kepa touching over from Philip Billing, then when Hadergjonaj pulled the ball back to Laurent Depoitre, who could only shoot over.
But then came Hazard. ‘He’s good, isn’t he?’ said Wagner. In his 14 minutes, he frequently performed those trademark runs. In the 80th minute another, winning the ball in midfield, before threading a pass beyond the Huddersfield rear guard and into the feet of Pedro, who took a touch and lifted his shot impudently over Hamer for 3-0.
‘Sometimes mentality can beat quality,’ said Wagner. But that is harder when a team has Hazard to come off the bench.