Maurizio Sarri expects further defensive problems to flare up at Chelsea as he retrains his players to “defend by looking at the ball, not the man” but is confident he has a squad capable of adopting his approach.
The chaotic victory over Arsenal exposed Chelsea as a work in progress at the back, not least during a frantic and error‑strewn first half when the hosts surrendered a two-goal lead. There may be further teething trouble at Newcastle on Sunday.
Just as at his previous clubs Sarri is having to change deep-rooted mindsets within the group he has inherited, with the basic principle of the team’s defensive approach having shifted. “We work on defending every week and I am not worried because, when I arrive at a new team, usually I have problems with the defensive phase for two or three months,” he said. “So I think it’s normal for me. Why? Because it’s not so easy to change the mind.
“If you are used to defending by looking at the man, and I ask you to defend by looking only at the ball, if you are 18 it’s maybe easier. If you are 28 and, for 10 years, you’ve played the other way, it’s not so easy. So you have to change completely the mind. My feeling is that, in this team, I have very intelligent players. So they can improve in one month. They will be able to do it very well in one or two months. Not more.”
Sarri’s approach demands his players press opponents higher up the pitch, offering them less respite to mount attacks. “In the last part of the first half against Arsenal we lost distances, so it was impossible to press and recover the ball,” he said. “We were immediately in trouble. But I think it’s better that way.
“Doing things this way depends only on you. You are not depending on the opponent. It’s very easy and, if you defend by looking only at the ball, you can stay very high up the pitch. In the other way you depend on the movements of the opponent.
“It is possible I could have to [compromise] but I am better when I play my way of football. I don’t know if I’m a very good coach if I teach another way of football. I think the owner [Roman Abramovich] knows my way. If they called on me 40 days ago, it’s because they [the club] wanted to see my football here. It’s not easy but I have to try.”
