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SarriBall has officially kicked off at Chelsea, and it was worth the wait as the Blues beat Perth Glory 1-0 in a pre-season friendly. The kind of football they played today is exactly what the Blues fans have been dreaming about.
Pedro scored in the first five minutes of the game, but Chelsea's dominance throughout the game did not result in another goal. Here are three players who impressed the most in the friendly:
Honourable mentions: Ethan Ampadu, Cesc Fabregas, and Davide Zappacosta.
#3 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi showed precisely why the Chelsea fans have been hyping him up for a long time. The 17-year-old was playing as a left-winger for the Blues today and made sure that they did not miss Eden Hazard.
The young Englishman was running rings around Perth Glory's defenders and provided the assist for Chelsea's first goal. There was nothing he did wrong in the whole game and almost had a 100% accuracy with his crosses and passes.
The teenager was doing well defensively as well and dropped deep when needed. He was playing as a left-midfielder when Perth Glory attacked and was also ready for the counter-attack.
Should Chelsea sell Willian and then decide not to reinvest the money, it would not be a bad call. Hudson-Odoi and Charly Musonda have shown today that they are ready to step up and, as the saying goes, if you're good enough, you're old enough.
He played the first 45 minutes and was taken off for Mario Pasalic. Chelsea clearly missed him in the second half as no one was able to attack from the left flank as well as Hudson-Odoi did.
#2 Jorginho
Jorginho was making his first appearance in Chelsea, and he showed the fans why Maurizio Sarri signed him. The Italian was dominating the midfield along with Cesc Fabregas. His pinpoint passing and vision was unmatched.
Yes, it was just a pre-season game, but his stats at the end of the game read: 101 touches, 98 passes – all that in 45 minutes! He averaged a pass ever 27.55 seconds.
The midfield looked strong thanks to the Italian and the fact that they did a brilliant job despite not having a defensive midfielder showed how good he was. Chelsea fans will be eagerly waiting to see him and N'Golo Kante work together in the heart of the midfield with Ross Barkley or Fabregas in front of them.
#1 Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley was the pick of the lot today. The former Everton man has finally brushed off his injuries and is getting back to his best.
Sarri would have been impressed by him, and if he continues to play like he did today, he will be able to cement in the starting lineup.
Barkley has been compared to Frank Lampard a lot in the past. While it's too early to say that the can emulate the Chelsea legend, he clearly showed encouraging signs today.
He dribbled past the Perth Glory defenders like they were dummies they used in training. However, he was unable to convert a few chances and certainly needs to work on his finishing and shooting.
