Chelsea Are Thrilling Us with Sarri-ball, but the Best Is Yet to Come

The Premier League's summer narrative was set nice and early: Liverpool's excellent transfer business, combined with their stellar 2018 form, got chins wagging over a serious title race between themselves and Manchester City. It would be more competitive this time, more compelling, and it would be the story of the campaign.

Or so we thought.

While Liverpool's tussle with Manchester City is hardly a non-story, it's Chelsea's emergence as both a potential title contender and a stylistic rival to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's charges that's whipped up more interest and intrigue than anything else.

Chelsea's charge to 20 points from eight games has been an exhilarating ride. They've scored more goals (18) than all but two teams in the league (Manchester City and Arsenal), maintained the second-highest possession-per-game average (a whopping 62.7 per cent) and boast the league's top scorer in Eden Hazard (seven). Next on the menu is an ailing Manchester United side enduring a mini-crisis under Jose Mourinho.

The source of Chelsea's new powers? Head coach Maurizio Sarri, poached via an elongated and frustrating recruitment process from Napoli this past summer.

The 59-year-old developed a reputation for producing possession-heavy, free-flowing football in southern Italy—a style that left Guardiola gushing after his Man City side met Napoli in the Champions League last term.

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"[Napoli] are one of the best teams I've faced in my career. No doubt about that. Maybe the best," he said after an enthralling 2-1 win, per Goal.com. That night both sides attempted to pass each other to death, with the overwhelming quality in City's ranks just about hauling them over the line.

We've already seen the shoots of Sarri's footballing brand in England—affectionately nicknamed "Sarri-ball"—spring up, with Chelsea's development into an idyllic pass-and-move side occurring at a rapid rate.

So, what exactly is Sarri-ball, why does it work so well, who are the key components and, perhaps most importantly, what progress still needs to be made?

A Dominant, Controlling System

At peak effectiveness and with every player attuned to its methods, Sarri-ball is quite the sight. It's a footballing style that moves the ball from back to front quickly on the floor in a sort of vertical tiki-taka.

The style naturally dominates the ball, hence Chelsea's massive possession statistics that only fall shy of Manchester City. They're completing a whopping 601.1 short passes per game—a significant uptick on the 441.8 average they managed last season under Antonio Conte—and that's right in line with Napoli's average (603.7 per game) in their 91-point 2017-18 season.

The system is conducted by Jorginho, who was brought over to Chelsea in the Sarri signing, from a regista-esque role at the base of midfield. It's fitting that they were seen as a package deal, as without one, the other might not be anywhere near as effective in what they do.

His intimate knowledge of the philosophy has helped the Blues find their feet remarkably quickly in what is a very different tactical approach to Conte's. That Chelsea already look comfortable is largely down to him, as he literally conducts play on the pitch, pointing to where passes should go and shouting at players to tweak their positions.

Jorginho's averaging 106.6 passes per game, the most in Europe by a fair way. Playing into that average was his monster 180-pass game against West Ham last month at the London Stadium, where he alone accounted for 16.4 percent of the entire game's possession.

He sits at the base of a formation that's essentially a 4-3-3, but it tilts and twists as attacks play out. Marcos Alonso's forays forward on the left will result in Cesar Azpilicueta shifting inward to create a temporary back three to fill out the numbers, while both central midfielders ahead of Jorginho can flood the penalty box at will.

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Mateo Kovacic's ability to shuttle forward with the ball has been important, and Hazard finishing off chances and creating for others is what's got them through most games so far. His level of execution has been other-worldly. David Luiz has returned to prominence, with his slick passing from the back an important kick-starter at times, while Kepa Arrizabalaga's comfort with the ball at his feet has already proved useful when playing out under pressure.

But It's Not Quite There

Chelsea are yet to play a single league game this season in which they look like they're going to lose, such is the control they tend to exert on proceedings. The problem is, they've played a few that they don't necessarily look like they're going to win, either.

The Blues are at their free-flowing best when afforded some space to play into—like against Liverpool, where Hazard's goal was the cherry on top of a luxurious, sweeping move that ripped through the Reds right side—but already teams are focusing on trying to take that away from them.

Southampton, Cardiff City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Huddersfield Town have all done that, and while only one has been successful, it's highlighted a shortcoming in Chelsea's adaption to Sarri's methods: They can struggle to break down low-block teams who defend the edge of the box in numbers.

Credit: Sky Sports

In these situations they become almost totally reliant on Hazard to do something to break the lock. Pedro's off-the-ball movement is also superb, but his recent injury has pushed the load on to Hazard.

Their possession numbers against Newcastle (81 per cent) and West Ham (72 per cent) tell a vivid story: Chelsea have been allowed all the ball but haven't necessarily done much with it. West Ham held them to a clean sheet and a point, while it took a penalty and an own goal for the Blues to squeeze past Newcastle.

When facing teams that employ this approach, it's taking Chelsea a long time to find the all-important first goal. That initial breach is huge for any team, but even more crucial for a Sarri side—as it's only after the defence is breached that Sarri-ball can take hold.

Over the last few years, Napoli's most breathtaking goals have come when they've worked the ball from back to front under extreme pressure, playing through tight spaces in high-risk areas. It's in these situations where Jorginho can shine, as he's not only an assured passer but a press-resistant one too.

Credit: Sky Calcio

Where possible, Napoli would hold the ball deep in their own territory, with either the centre-backs or Jorginho, and coax opponents to press them in dangerous positions. They would then play quick, passing moves and ghost past them, surging into the space they've created for themselves as the opposing defence pushes up in time with the (failed) press.

We're yet to see much of this at Chelsea under Sarri. Hazard's goal against Liverpool had elements of it as the Reds were willing to press high up; Pedro and Alvaro Morata's goals against Arsenal did, too, as the Blues were able to use their opponents' pressure against them and play into the spaces created. But no other team has been so bold.

The earlier the first goal comes, the earlier opponents will step forward and meet Chelsea, thus allowing the necessary space for effective Sarri-ball.

Despite already accruing 20 points in the Premier League and maintaining a perfect record in Europe, they still only feel about 60 per cent calibrated to Sarri-ball. That we've only seen three beautiful, sweeping goals is a direct consequence of the team's struggles in breaking defensive teams down early. Once that clicks into place, we'll see devastating team moves garnished with beautiful finishes on a weekly basis.

All statistics via WhoScored.com. Follow @stighefootball. Facebook.com/SamTigheBR