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Maurizio Sarri arrived at Chelsea after the club had acrimoniously parted ways with Antonio Conte. The latter had laid hands on the Premier League and the FA Cup in his two years at the helm. Thus, Sarri had a monumental task on his hand, trying to replace his countryman.
However, five months into the season, one can safely say that Sarri has adapted to the Premier League like a duck to water. Carrying forward his footballing philosophy from his Napoli days, the Italian has guided Chelsea to third place in the league table.
Apart from a loss to London rivals Tottenham, Chelsea have looked largely untroubled with draws against arch-rivals Manchester United and Liverpool and a victory against Arsenal.
Many believed that transitioning Chelsea from a hard-headed defensive approach under Conte to the free-flowing, attacking team Sarri craves would’ve been an arduous task. Yet, the Italian has gotten the team dancing to his tunes and the ‘Sarri Ball’ revolution seems to be well ahead of schedule.
Moreover, Sarri has individually helped players scale greater heights than they did previously. The Italian’s tactically astute nature and supreme man-management ability have helped Chelsea punch truly to its weight.
With Sarri having improved several players through his fledgeling tenure so far, a closer look at the players that have profited most from the Italian’s arrival is warranted.
Through this article, we would do exactly that and catch a glimpse of the most improved Chelsea players this season.
#5. David Luiz
The Brazilian left Chelsea in 2014 to ply his trade at Paris Saint-Germain. After a couple of title-winning seasons in Paris, he returned to London when Conte identified him as an important component in his machine.
Luiz enjoyed a superlative 2016-17 campaign as he powered Chelsea to the Premier League title. Playing in the middle of Conte’s ‘three at the back’ system, he performed admirably defensively while his ball-playing ability also came to the fore.
However, the next season wasn’t so fruitful as a rift with Conte led to the Brazilian being frozen out on the bench.
Having never been looked upon as a reliable option in a back four, Sarri’s imminent arrival seemed to spell doom for the Brazilian. However, the Italian worked his charm and propelled Luiz into a reliable defensive option.
Apart from a sluggish display against Tottenham, Luiz has looked solid and comfortable alongside Rudiger. Moreover, his passing ability has helped him gain an edge over the likes of Cahill and Christiansen.
While Luiz may still not be the complete package, he has come on in leaps and bounds since the arrival of Sarri. The Brazilian’s career seems to be on an upward curve and Sarri needs to be given due credit.
#4. Antonio Rudiger
The German arrived from Roma in the summer of 2017. Despite arriving with a burgeoning reputation, Rudiger was never really able to cement his place in the Chelsea starting eleven. Additionally, the lack of confidence around the team led to the German enjoying a sub-standard debut campaign.
However, under Sarri, Rudiger has looked anything but a defender lacking confidence and experience. Still only 25, the defender has displayed immense maturity in holding the fort at the back.
Sarri has used Rudiger in a role similar to Koulibaly at Napoli. The pair is cut out from the same cloth of defenders. Both like to be the aggressive defender, using their raw strength and pace to out-muscle and out-power opponents.
Additionally, Rudiger, like the Senegalese, has adapted to Sarri’s demands of playing out from the back. In the Premier League, the German averages around 80 passes per game at an astonishing accuracy of over 90 percent.
Rudiger’s progress seemed to have stalled under Conte last year. However, the new manager has extracted every ounce of performance from the German.
#3. Eden Hazard
The Belgian was sensational at the World Cup in the summer. Despite scaling such peaks with his national side, Hazard has managed to take his game up another notch with Chelsea.
Hazard has been an important cog in the Chelsea wheel since his arrival from France. Unsurprisingly, the Belgian has enjoyed stellar seasons whenever Chelsea have laid claim to the Premier League title.
However, towards the end of last season, Hazard seemed to lose a bit of his spark. Conflicts with regards to the style of play with Conte and the latter’s asking the former to continuously track back being two key flashpoints.
Despite not thriving in Conte’s defensive set-up in 2017-18, Hazard still registered 12 goals and 4 assists in the league. While he was undoubtedly one of the league’s top-drawer players last season, he has just been better this term.
Major credit needs to be given to Sarri for inspiring the Belgian to scale further heights. The Italian’s insistence on a fluid front three has enabled Hazard to play with greater freedom. With lesser inhibitions, the forward has made the net bulge on 7 occasions and laid on a further 5 assists. The stats lending weight to the argument that Hazard could just be the undisputed best player in the land.
Many thought that Hazard couldn’t get any better before the start of the season. However, Sarri’s magic has put those claims to bed.
#2. Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The young Englishman has been on Chelsea’s books for numerous years now. Despite being hailed as a precocious talent in his teenage years, Loftus-Cheek has not yet realised his vast potential.
In the 2017-18 season, the Englishman was shunted out to Crystal Palace on loan. After featuring 24 times in the league for the Eagles, he returned to Stamford Bridge hoping to make his mark under the new manager.
Even though game time has been hard to come by for Loftus-Cheek, the Englishman has shown immense poise whenever on the pitch. The teenager who was once criticised for his questionable decision making is now suddenly earning rave reviews for his maturity.
While Loftus-Cheek deserves credit for his upturn in fortunes, his manager Sarri also needs to be commended. The Italian could easily have let the Englishman leave. However, the Italian saw potential in the young man and started easing him into his system courtesy the Europa League.
In Europe, the Englishman has been sensational, bagging 3 goals in 4 appearances. Moreover, he has made full use of the limited opportunities accorded to him in the league. A tally of 2 goals in 117 minutes of football is not to be scoffed at.
Under Sarri’s tutelage, the Englishman could just be on his way to unlocking his enormous potential. The player who was on the fringes could finally break into the starting eleven very soon.
#1. Ross Barkley
The former Everton player arrived at Chelsea in January 2018 and found game time hard to come by. With Conte’s insistence on playing two conservative midfielders, Barkley’s creative talents were being wasted on the bench. However, the arrival of Sarri has re-invigorated the Englishman.
The Italian has used him in a role similar to that of Hamsik at Napoli. Blessed with the ability to beat a defender with a drop of the shoulder, Barkley has adapted to the role superbly.
Playing on the left side of a midfield three, Barkley has used his creative ability to perfection and has contributed 3 goals and 3 assists in 495 minutes of Premier League action.
Though he might still have to sharpen his game defensively, Barkley’s attacking displays have made sure that a permanent starting berth is not far away.
After being dubbed as a potential torchbearer for the new generation of English footballers, Barkley’s career hit a roadblock, courtesy injuries and fall-outs at Everton. Moreover, the spell under Conte led many to fear that Barkley could also fall into the ‘what could have been’ category.
Yet, the arrival of Sarri and the player’s upturn in form have led to those fears being allayed.
