New boss makes mark at Chelsea with ‘Sarri-ball’ as choreographed chaos in training shows signs of fun to come News

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New boss makes mark at Chelsea with ‘Sarri-ball’ as choreographed chaos in training shows signs of fun to come

By Daily Sports on July 22, 2018

Amid the downpour in Perth that made the WACA's usually pristine turf feel more like a paddling pool, one training drill in particular stood out.

It started with Chelsea's players playing with the ball at the back, producing one-touch passes as if for the sake of it, before a whistled signal from Maurizio Sarri.

Suddenly, choreographed chaos. The ball had to be handed to Jorginho and the entire team would break at electrifying speed, the move eventually ending once

Alvaro Morata had scored.

An exercise in how to go from back to front in less than 10 seconds, essentially, and one we can expect to see examined on Match of the Day this season.

If they scored, Sarri would shout: 'Again.' If they missed: 'Again.' If they messed it up midway through: 'Again.' Repetitive, but the new boss wants this to become second nature.

'Sarrismo,' is what they called it in Italy. 'Sarri-ball,' is what they're calling it at Chelsea. This is the Sarri style of play which he promised Blues bosses will work in the Premier League.

Under Antonio Conte, there were complaints of dull defensive work becoming too mundane to bear at Cobham. Sarri's at least focused on attack in Australia on Saturday.

Maybe it was for the benefit of local Premier League fanatics who scrambled to catch a glimpse at the WACA, maybe because he knew there was media present.

Yet Sarri, the chain-smoking former banker who never played professional football, did not seem to take note of the intruders. He started the session by coming out early to place cones in their correct places, and finished it with the look of a man pleased with his day's work.

All exercises were conducted under the watchful eye of Sarri while fitness coach Paolo Bertelli was also particularly involved. Gianfranco Zola and Carlo Cudicini stood on the touchline and surveyed from afar, stood by the boundary of the WACA at times.

One drill included keeping possession in tight circles while defenders acted as piggies in the middle. Another was about winning the ball as high up the pitch as possible.

There was also a short 11-a-side match with both teams playing 4-2-3-1 in the first half then 4-3-3 in the second. Jorginho the orchestrator on one side, Cesc Fabregas on the other.

As a first glimpse of Sarri at work on the training ground, this was revealing. Conte was known for being temperamental. His successor, still idolised in Napoli, was given few reasons to lose his cool here.

Chelsea's presence in Perth has been felt well ahead of Monday night's friendly.

The local Perth paper poked fun at how flash they had found Chelsea following their visit, citing how they had hired a private jet that cost £335,000 and came with butlers. The owner of Perth Glory, their opponents on Monday, reckons his club is worth around £9m total.

Sarri arrived in Australia with his new squad on Thursday night and scheduled double sessions for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another will follow on Monday ahead of their friendly on the night.

The WACA's pitch held up for this session at least, and around 6,000 fans filed inside to watch Chelsea. Shirts on stalls were being sold for 120 Australian dollars (£68), and scarves for 30 (£17).

The names of all 25 squad members, from Ross Barkley to Cesc Fabregas to Morata, had been pinned up on the cricket venue's scoreboard. A nice touch from the locals which took Chelsea by surprise.

At the end of Saturday's session, utterly saturated, Sarri left the pitch pleased with his near two hours of work, exchanging handshakes with staff.

David Luiz had finished training at 7.20pm but thoughtfully stayed to sign autographs and take selfies. He finally made it inside and out of the rain at 7.55pm, sharing a laugh with stewards on his way.

Sarri's message at his unveiling was one of 'fun' – he mentioned the word a total of 11 times during that first press conference at Stamford Bridge.

He means business in Australia but Luiz and Co say they are fully committed to 'Sarri-ball'. Funner times ahead, they hope, and one laden with silverware. (Daily Mail)

•Photo shows Sarri

Source Daily Sports

Posted July 22, 2018