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CHELSEA - Opportunities
Maurizio Sarri's arrival
Maurizio Sarri was appointed in July as a replacement for his compatriot Antonio Conte, after the 46-year-old former Juventus manager had fallen out with the board.
The 59-year-old Sarri built his reputation in Serie A first with Empoli with whom he secured promotion from Serie B and remarkably helped them retain their top-flight status. He further enhanced it with his three-year spell at Napoli, where he forged a compact and entertaining team well drilled in positional play and possession-based football.
He led a Napoli side to famously challenge Juventus all the way in last season's Serie A race. Even though the San Paolo outfit ultimately failed in their quest to end their 28-year wait for the Scudetto, they won fans over with their exciting brand of football, and their final haul of 91 points is the record highest for a team who didn't win the Italian league.
Sarri's arrival represents an opportunity for the club to deliver what its owner Roman Abramovic has been yearning for, winning trophies by playing aesthetic football, and Sarri's style of play nicknamed 'Sarriball' is bound to keep the Stamford Bridge faithful entertained.
He possesses the tactical acumen to succeed at a club like Chelsea, and he also has recent history in his favor, as Italian coaches tend to do well in the West London club, but whether these factors would translate into success on the pitch remains to be seen.
Jorginho
Jorginho was the fulcrum through which every attacking play of Maurizio Sarri's Napoli went through. The Brazilian born Italian international is a class act in midfield, and his excellent range of passing makes him the perfect match for any team seeking to play possession-based football. It is no wonder Pep Guardiola is a keen admirer and sought to bring him to the Etihad until he ultimately chose to transfer to Stamford Bridge.
The 26-year-old created passing records in the Serie A that defy imagination. Since Opta started gathering data for passing stats in Serie A in 2004, Jorginho holds 9 out of the top ten spots for most passes attempted in a Serie A match.
In a 3-1 victory over Cagliari last season, Jorginho attempted a phenomenal 195 passes, completing 180 of them (92.3% accuracy), with 75.6% of those being forward passes, and at an average length of 13m.
Furthermore, he attempted and completed more passes than any other player across Europe's top five leagues last season (3197 attempted, 2860 completed).
For all of his brilliance, Jorginho has largely gone unnoticed, and only won his first competitive international cap on November 13 last year in the second leg of the ill-fated World Cup play-off match against Sweden. At Chelsea, he would have a higher platform to display his brilliance to the world, and with him in top gear, Chelsea would fancy their chances of excelling this season.
