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Maurizio Sarri's first game in charge as Chelsea manager ended in a 1-0 win to the Blues after they edged past A-League outfit Perth Glory at the Optus Stadium in Western Australia earlier today. Chelsea enjoyed the lion's share of possession during the encounter and scored the only goal of the game as early as in the 5th minute to kick-start their pre-season campaign in the best way possible.
Callum Hudson-Odoi followed up a bit of trickery with a well-weighted pass from the left flank to find Pedro inside the penalty area, who made no mistake from close range and guided the ball into the far corner leaving Liam Reddy with no chance of keeping it out. Chelsea looked comfortable in possession throughout the game and could have extended their lead if they had been more clinical in front of goal, ending the first forty-five as the superior side.
The hosts produced a much better performance in the second half owing to some inspiring changes by manager Tony Popovic but the gulf in class remained evident and Chelsea prevailed comfortably in the end, despite almost fielding a second string side in the absence of their World Cup stars.
Chelsea will now fly to France to take part in the International Champions Cup where they face Inter Milan next as they prepare towards the upcoming season under Sarri. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the major talking points from the game:
#1 Chelsea lack a natural goal-scorer
Chelsea dominated proceedings from the word go but they did not have a lot to show for it in terms of goals, mainly due to their inability to find the back of the net. The swift start was not backed up with enough quality inside the final third as the attackers failed to provide the finishing touch on a number of instances in the first half.
Alvaro Morata, who started the game ahead of Tammy Abraham, failed to make any lasting impact on the game and proved why Chelsea are currently in the running to try and land a quality goal-scorer to boost their credentials for the upcoming season. The Spaniard struggled to time his runs to perfection and simply wasn't strong enough to hold the ball up for his fellow teammates.
Abraham came on in the second half and mustered a shot on goal but he is far from fully developed and Chelsea will have to actively engage themselves in the transfer market to try and seek reinforcements in the department.
#2 A stiff learning curve for Perth Glory and Jacob Italiano
Tony Popovic's men were far from favourites and everybody knew that it would take a herculean task if they were to cause a major upset against Chelsea on the night. The Blues dominated possession for prolonged periods and the A-League outfit struggled to break the visitors' shackles early on as they were forced on to the back foot consistently.
16-year-old Jacob Italiano, who will move to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach when he turns 19, started the game and had a rough idea of how football at the highest level works when he was forced into his own half by Davide Zappacosta's brilliance down the right flank.
Italiano is one of the brightest prospects in the A-League, following in the footsteps of Daniel Arzani who became the youngest player to feature in the World Cup this year when he represented the Socceroos, and will continue to play for Perth Glory for a few years before making the big move to Germany, as agreed upon by the two teams.
#3 Chelsea youngsters sparkle yet again
Chelsea's youth policy has shoved plenty of talents down the drain in the past few years and it almost feels like the trend is set to continue, despite all the talent that they boast of in the junior level. However, the performances from the youngsters who were offered an opportunity against Perth Glory was resounding, to say the least.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu, who are still only 17-years old, were two of Chelsea's best performers on the night and showed maturity that is often beyond their age. Hudson-Odoi looked inspiring in the 45 minutes he spent on the pitch during the game while Ampadu established a formidable partnership alongside David Luiz in the heart of Chelsea's defence up until late on in the second half.
Maurizio Sarri also threw in the likes of Mario Pasalic, Tomas Kalas, Lucas Piazon, Ola Aina, Tammy Abraham and Charly Musonda to the mix and it only boasts of the immense potential that is waiting to be unleashed by these players, as they try to break into the first team under the new manager.
#4 Cesc Fabregas might have a key role to play under Sarri
All eyes were on Jorginho as he made his first ever appearance in a Chelsea shirt during the game against Perth Glory and despite only featuring for just about 45 minutes, he impressed tremendously in a midfield three alongside Cesc Fabregas and Ross Barkley. The 4-3-3 was expected to be adopted by the Italian and it is almost certain that both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho will feature week in and week out for the Blues in the upcoming season.
All of Fabregas, Barkley, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater are expected to battle it out for a starting role next season and it seems like Fabregas still has a lot to offer to this Chelsea side and could thrive under Sarri in this new formation. The Spaniard wore the captain's armband on the night and lasted the whole ninety minutes playing in a number of roles, notably further ahead of Jorginho in a more free role in the first half and then from a deep lying play maker's position in the second.
Fabregas commented after the game that he is willing to play in a variety of roles in midfield for the team if required and his versatility and huge wealth of experience will certainly help Chelsea and his teammates in the upcoming season.
#5 Sarriball is yet to arrive, but the early signs are promising
Chelsea did not deliver a thumping win against Perth Glory but they just about did enough to see off the game and emerge victorious in the end. Maurizio Sarri would certainly love to address a number of issues before they prepare for the upcoming season and the game in Australia possibly gave him an idea of what needs to be done to establish Chelsea as a force to reckon with in the Premier League.
The expansive and attractive brand of attacking football that Napoli played under the Italian is something Chelsea fans would ideally want and the Blues have the required personnel in their ranks to pull off the same. Sarri is also expected to make a few signings before Deadline Day, which is fast approaching in a couple of weeks, and it is rumoured that he will try to implement the same tactics he used in Naples, where he almost knocked Juventus off their perch in the Serie A last season.
The appointment of Zola will certainly help him establish a connection with the supporters and players alike and if at all Sarri is given the right amount of time and backing at Stamford Bridge, Sarriball could quite literally take over England!
