‘What is Sarri-ball?’, asked pundit Ian Wright after Chelsea’s 2 – 1 win over Newcastle. Well Ian, if you find the answer please let us, the Chelsea fans, know. I really don’t remember a Chelsea goal that was scored this season that one can point to and say “Hey! Look, that’s Sarri-ball for you”.
Out of the 40 goals that Chelsea have scored this season, Eden Hazard has either scored or assisted 20 of them, a huge contribution of 50 per cent.
When we look at shot accuracy or shot efficiency, Chelsea have the lowest at 34% in comparison to the rest of the top six. Therefore, if anyone deserves the credit for helping us stay in the race for a spot in the top four this season, it’s Hazard. Not Sarri or Sarri-ball.
Jorginho’s passes are either lateral or backwards for the most part. The Italian, who is yet to register his first Premier League assist, comes in at number eight when compared to his teammates in terms of key passes played per game. Hazard, Willian, N’Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic, Oliver Giroud, and Cesar Azpiliucueta have played more key passes than the ‘midfield maestro’ who is apparently pivotal to Sarri-ball.
I am still not so sure what is so beautiful about Sarri-ball. Quite honestly – it’s painfully boring, given the amount of possession we have.
How is Sarri doing compared to Antonio Conte’s ‘torrid’ 2017-18 season? Let’s take a look…
Sarri (After 22 Games)
W – 14, D – 5, L – 3
Goals Scored: 40, Goals Conceded: 17
Conte (After 22 Games)
W – 14, D – 4, L – 4
Goals Scored: 41, Goals Conceded: 15
Was it worth replacing a Premier League and FA Cup winning coach for a manager who was purely brought in for his ‘positive’ football? Well, time will tell.
Conte’s second half of the 17-18 season was abysmal by Chelsea’s standards and one can only hope that Sarri does not end up suffering a similar fate. However, just like me, many Chelsea fans are yet to be convinced by Sarri-ball.
