5 Chelsea players who should thrive under Maurizio Sarri

Chelsea left it relatively late in the summer to appoint Maurizio Sarri as their new manager. It took until midway through July for the Blues to sack Antonio Conte, and they appointed Sarri just a couple of days later.

The fact his appointment came so late on in the transfer window meant Sarri didn’t have much chance to improve his side. He bought Jorginho with him from Napoli, before signing Kepa Arrizabalaga and Mateo Kovacic in the final days on the window.

Perhaps the greatest success for Sarri was keeping hold of players who were reportedly looking to leave Stamford Bridge. Even though he lost Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid, he was able to hang on to Eden Hazard and Willian, two of his most important players. Obviously, they could still move elsewhere in Europe where the transfer window is still open, but that seems incredibly unlikely.

It is clear that Sarri will be looking to recreate the sort of success he had at Napoli, with a similar style of football. It will take time for him to get this Chelsea side playing ‘Sarri-ball’, but there were promising signs during their win over Huddersfield Town this weekend.

His style of play should really be of benefit to a number of his players and should bring the best out of them. Here are five of his players who should thrive under Sarri’s management.

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#1 David Luiz

Luiz rarely featured under Conte at the back end of last season

Last season under Conte, Luiz was frozen out of the Chelsea side and didn’t play a single minute of competitive action after February. The Brazilian is said to have fallen out with his former manager, after criticising the Italian’s tactics following a 3-0 Champions League defeat away at Roma.

However, he started both the Community Shield game with Manchester City, and the opening day draw with Huddersfield, suggesting Sarri is prepared to give him another chance.

Everyone was shocked when Conte bought Luiz back from PSG to Chelsea in 2016. He went on to play a key role in the centre of a back three as the Blues strolled to the title. However, he suffered as much as anyone last season, and had Conte remained at Chelsea, he most certainly would have been out the door.

Under Sarri he will be encouraged to pass the ball out from the back, and there is no one in English football better at that than Luiz. He is superb on the ball, and will really suit the way his new manager wishes to play.

#2 Ross Barkley

Barkley is looking to finally make his mark at Stamford Bridge

Barkley is almost the forgotten man of English football at the moment. In a summer where the country got behind so many young players at the World Cup in Russia, Barkley, who was once seen as one of the most promising prospects in England, was at home, having missed much of last season with injury. However, he has now had a full pre-season, so will be looking for a better campaign this time around.

Although he has struggled for football over the past 12 months, Barkley is still an exceptionally talented footballer, and at 24, still has time to get his career back on track. The former Everton man started their game at Huddersfield this weekend, suggesting that Sarri is prepared to give him the opportunity to impress. He has all the attributes to suit a team managed by Sarri, so he may finally be able to fulfil his potential.

#3 N’Golo Kante

Kante has had three superb seasons in English football

During his three years in the Premier League, Kante has perhaps been the best centre midfielder in the country, if not all of Europe. He has been seen more as a defensive midfielder in that time, during which he has won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup, as well as winning the World Cup with France this summer.

We saw something different from Kante in the opening game of the season at Huddersfield. Whereas he has been the only defensive minded player in the Chelsea midfield in recent years, that could change this year, with Jorginho happy to play at the base of a midfield three, sitting deep and dictating play.

This gives Kante more freedom going forward, and he has the engine to get up and down the field, and we saw that when he scored Chelsea’s first goal of the season with a volley at the John Smith’s Stadium.

#4 Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Loftus-Cheek starred for England in Russia this summer

There was uncertainty surrounding the future of Loftus-Cheek this summer, after a couple of impressive performances for England at the World Cup. The midfielder made it clear that he wanted to play regular first-team football this season, whether that came at Chelsea, or elsewhere. The transfer window has now shut it England though, and he is still at Stamford Bridge, which suggests he will be a part of the Chelsea squad this season.

We all saw the different qualities Loftus-Cheek has to offer at the World Cup this summer, and he will hope to show those when he gets the chance in blue this season. Even though N’Golo Kante and Jorginho will be among the first names on the teamsheet, there is another space up for grabs in that midfield, and Loftus-Cheek has the chance to take it. He has the physical edge in that midfield over others fighting for that role, so offers something a little bit different, and he will hope this convinces Sarri to pick him regularly.

#5 Eden Hazard

Chelsea managed to hold on to Hazard this summer

Despite all the talk, Eden Hazard appears to be staying at Stamford Bridge this summer. Comments by the Belgian following an excellent World Cup suggested that he was hoping to join Real Madrid, and although the transfer window is still open in Spain, it is inconceivable that Chelsea would be prepared to sell their prized asset without being able to bring in a replacement.

As he will now be playing under Sarri, he may be able to improve his game under the Italian. Having played under Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho for the past five seasons, he has been managed by defensive coaches, so Hazard has never really had the players around him to succeed. Sarri though will play an attractive, attacking style of football, that should allow Hazard to have a massive influence on the field, and play his best football.