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This new season sees another new manager walk the doors of Stamford Bridge. Italian coach Maurizio Sarri has become the 13th manager to take charge of Chelsea Football Club in the Roman Abramovic Era. The musical chair of managers at SW6 now seems natural at the club.
The new era has got off to a dream start for Chelsea with four wins in four games. Heading into the International break, things could not have been better for the West Londoners. Despite the four wins a lot of talk has revolved around the defensive problems and the inability to quickly break down other teams. While these issues are there for everyone to see and this team is far from perfect, there are more positives than negatives for Chelsea so far. We take a look at them.
#4 100% Win record
Ultimately, it's a result game and Chelsea's 100% win record after four games is something that should please fans. Working in a new system, results can go haywire early on. The fact that Chelsea is yet to drop any points orders well for the future.
Before this season, Chelsea has won their first four games on five occasions. On four of them, the Blues have gone on to win the title. This statistic is sure to light up the eyes of Chelsea fans. Along with a history of winning the title in a manager's first season, there might be few people starting to dream at Stamford Bridge
However, it might be too early to make any such conclusion for a side that finished 30 points behind the last year's champions. Unlike two seasons back, Liverpool and Manchester are two teams playing at the top of their potential right now. Also, when Europa League football kicks in, Chelsea would get a better idea of where they stand with a congested fixture list.
However, what the club now know is, they are on the right track. The fanbase can sleep peacefully knowing under Maurizio Sarri, the club is the right hands. Also, it's visibly a team that knows how to win. Against Arsenal, Newcastle, and Bournemouth, the match-winning goal have come late in the game. Despite dominating possession, Chelsea's patience has come under test. But each time the goal has come. If there is a quality that stands out about great teams, it is the ability to find a way to win in such moments.
#3 Adapting to Sarri-ball
This summer, Chelsea did not just change their head coach but in the process also the style of play. Maurizio Sarri's philosophy of football is in completely different to Antonio Conte. The Chelsea team is going through a complete makeover in the way they play.
The early signs suggest Chelsea are adapting well to the process of integrating into Maurizio Sarri's attacking ideology. So far in the four games, Chelsea have kept 62%, 63%, 81%, and 73% possession. Quite clearly, Chelsea is already dominating and taking control of games unlike the previous year's when more often than not, the club's football has been pragmatic and reactive.
Against Newcastle with 913 passes, Chelsea set a record for third most passes ever in a Premier League game. So far, this season, Chelsea lead the passing chart of the league with 2996 passes. Jorgino's 417 passes are the most by any player across the League this year. David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger with 349 and 337 are third and fourth on the list respectively.
While Possession and passing stats count for nothing if the team does not win, it does show the team's way of playing. For Chelsea, these numbers are extremely encouraging as they exhibit Maruzio Sarri's success in implementing his ideas on the pitch.
#2 New Signings succeed
The summer transfer window saw Chelsea make three major additions to the squad. The first of which was Napoli's Jorginho, who came to Stamford Bridge in the same deal as Maurizio Sarri. Not to the surprise of many, the Italian has fit into this Chelsea side as a glove. Having already worked under Sarri, Jorginho has been instrumental in helping the Blues adapt to his style of play.
The Brazilian born midfielder controls the tempo and pace of the team from his deep-lying midfield role. The current Chelsea team is one that lacks a leader and hence Jorgino has been a welcome addition to it. At various times, he can be seen shouting at teammates to get into position and helping them find the right pass. Do not be surprised if he is someone who wears the armband in the years to come.
The other big move Chelsea made in the summer was of bringing Kepa Arrizabalaga to the club. Desperate to find a replacement for Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea spent a world record fee on the Bilbao goalkeeper.
While so far, he has not made any glamour saves, he looks an assured figure behind the goal. The Spaniard's distribution and ball playing abilities have been faultless so far. These are important qualities in Sarri's system and his confidence on the ball will ease some nerves at Stamford Bridge.
Another newcomer at Stamford Bridge is Real Madrid loanee Mateo Kovacic. The World Cup finalist has so far only made two starts and is yet to regain full fitness but has already shown glimpses of his capabilities. From what we have seen so far he is likely to form a deadly partnership with Eden Hazard on the left-hand side.
#1 Players find form
The biggest positive for the Blues comes from players who were already at the club. Something club's talisman Eden Hazard symbolizes. The Belgian was visibly frustrated by Antonio Conte's methods and looked likely to leave. But under the new manager, he seems a happy man again. So far in only two starts, he has already scored two goals and has two assists to his name.
One player that looks revitalized under Maurizio Sarri is former Barcelona forward Pedro. Last season, the Spanish international did not even look half the player he was known to be. Not many Chelsea fans would have blinked an eye if the club sold him in the summer. However playing in a system that resembles the one he has played in most of his career, he looks back to his best. With three Premier goals to already show for, Pedro will certainly be an important player for Chelsea this season.
Above all, the biggest success story has been Marcos Alonso. There were big concerns about his adaptability to a four-man defense. There still remain questions on his defensive abilities as Sarri was quick to point out. However, his offensive contributions are hard to ignore. Either by scoring, assisting or earning the penalty, Alonso has contributed to six of 10 Chelsea goals this season. Unlike last year, he is just not scoring but his overall attacking play has been sublime. There is a visible improvement to note in the Spaniard's crossing and passing.
