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Manchester City got their season off to the best possible start when they waltzed past a listless Chelsea under the Wembley sun. City ended up winning the game 2-0 and were the superior team throughout. Sergio Aguero rose to the occasion and bagged his 200th and 201st goal for City. The game which is viewed as a ‘glorified friendly’ by some, had a good tempo to it and became stretched at times.
Of the two managers, Pep would clearly be the happier of the two as he watched his side play some exhilarating football during the course of the game. Pep would want more of the same from his troops when they travel to the Emirates to face Arsenal next Sunday.
On the other hand, Maurizio Sarri saw his side produce a sub-par performance at Wembley. If he hadn’t known already, he now knows that he has a monumental task on his hands to catapult Chelsea among England’s elite again.
With the Premier League just a week away, there were a few takeaways from the FA Community Shield. Through this article, we would look at those while analysing the implications it might have on the season to follow.
#1 'Sarriball' still has a long way to go
When Sarri was placed at the helm by Chelsea, the board knew they were getting their hands on a manager who likes to play free-flowing, attacking football aka ‘Sarri Ball’.
Sarri tweaked Chelsea’s system and is likely to go through with a 4-3-3, as opposed to the 3-4-3 deployed by Conte. He ventured into the market and bought Jorginho, an excellent ball-playing midfielder who could help Sarri ingrain his philosophy on the team.
Against Manchester City, they tried to play out from the back. However, their attempts lacked conviction and City were able to pinch the ball off them when they applied pressure. Jorginho was poor on the day. City’s midfield hassled and harried him into mistakes, whenever he was in possession. The Italian league is incomparable in pace to the Premier League and Jorginho will have to devise a method to overcome the close attention of opposition midfielders.
Apart from Jorginho, Fabregas and Pedro were poor. However, Chelsea’s worst player on the pitch was Morata. He looked bereft of confidence and lacked the movement that Sarri requires of his forwards.
David Luiz looked comfortable playing out from the back but Alonso was exposed on a number of occasions at Left Back.
Though it would be wrong to draw drastic conclusions from the Community Shield, Chelsea still look quite a way off the levels that Sarri would have liked. If the ‘Sarri Ball’ revolution is to encompass the Premier League, a lot of work needs to be done behind the doors and a few acquisitions are also necessary.
However, all is not doom and gloom for the Chelsea fans. In Sarri, they have an astute tactician who knows how to win games of football.
#2 Chelsea are half the team without N’Golo Kante
Chelsea missed the services of their midfield rock, N'Golo Kante in the Community Shield. Kante, who was signed two years ago, has become one of Chelsea’s most important players. In the game against City, Chelsea looked a pale shadow of themselves in midfield and Kante’s absence was a major contributor.
Chelsea fielded a midfield three of Barkley, Fabregas and Jorginho with Jorginho playing as the holding midfielder. While Jorginho is exceptional with the ball, he lacks the tactical nous and athleticism to function as the sole defensive midfielder. Chelsea conceded the first goal when Foden ran past Barkley with ease. The second goal was conceded after a sweeping counter-attack by Manchester City.
The most ominous sign for Sarri would have been the ease with which City’s midfielders got on the ‘wrong side’ of Chelsea’s midfield. Sarri would hope that Kante’s return would galvanise the midfield and help him control games.
While Conte liked his two central midfielders to be ‘destroyers’, Sarri likes his midfielders to be very mobile and support the attack at all times. Barkley would most likely be tasked with performing a role similar to Marek Hamsik. Jorginho would play as a deep-lying midfielder with Kante entrusted with breaking up the opposition’s play and putting Chelsea on the front foot.
Chelsea would want to wrap Kante in cotton-wool and keep him fit and fresh for the entirety of the season. Though Kante is irreplaceable, they should still be on the look-out for a midfielder with similar attributes. On the back of today’s evidence, it seems that the lesser Kante plays, the further Chelsea would be from the Premier League crown.
#3 Phil Foden and Callum Hudson-Odoi are battle ready
Chelsea sprang a surprise when they fielded Hudson-Odoi on the left wing, ahead of experienced players such as Victor Moses. However, those following Hudson-Odoi’s pre-season would know that he played himself into the starting eleven on the back of his performances.
Hudson-Odoi has been spectacular in pre-season. Against Arsenal, he caused Hector Bellerin all sorts of problems and the Arsenal defender endured a torrid evening. Hudson-Odoi’s greatest assets are his pace and dribbling and it was on display against City as well. He was Chelsea’s brightest player in the first half and was unfortunate to be replaced at the hour-mark.
Having performed in a game of this magnitude, one can safely say that he has the required mental toughness to sustain a full-scale Premier League season. Rather than sending him out on loan, Chelsea should give him his due and let the young 17-year-old ply his trade at Stamford Bridge and enthrall the crowd week in, week out.
Phil Foden was given his chance to shine at Wembley by Pep. He did not disappoint and got himself an assist. The most encouraging aspect of his play was the confidence he displayed on the ball. He was willing to ask for the ball under pressure and recycle it. His dribbling prowess was also on show and he linked up well with Mahrez.
Foden was part of the U-17 English squad that won the U-17 World Cup last year. Since then, he seems to have matured as a player and should be given a crack at the first team. Foden has the perfect manager in Pep, who is not afraid to throw youngsters into the mix.
With the Premier League nearly upon us, these English lads’ time in the sun could be just around the corner.
