Here’s how Chelsea could line up under Sarri with Jorginho in the team
The clouds of catastrophe and confusion are finally clearing out at Chelsea who announced the inevitable exit of Antonio Conte and appointed Maurizio Sarri as the new chief at Stamford Bridge.
Despite winning the FA Cup in his final game in charge, the ex-Juventus and Azzurri boss failed to secure a Champions League berth as they finished outside the top-4 in the league. The Blues did not succeed in landing their preferred targets last summer and the majority of new recruits failed to settle in and perform.
The new era under Sarri demands an uprise as the English giants are eyeing a return to title contention once more amidst the risk of losing key resources to European rivals.
Chelsea, nevertheless, surprised everyone by completing a £50m deal (rising to £57m) for Jorginho, the former Napoli midfield general, who was linked with Manchester City earlier.
Gli Azzurri almost snatched Serie A glory but missed out on it to reigning champions Juventus. Jorginho was instrumental in their dominance and the new Chelsea boss will expect the same from the player who flourished immensely under his watchful guidance.
The Blues, meanwhile, might lose several key resources to Champions League big boys this term amidst reports of interest in Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, Willian and N’Golo Kante.
This has to be an alarming sign for Chelsea who will have an uphill task of keeping the backbone intact but are likely to dive into the market and wrap up alternatives in case they fail to retain their prized assets.
Unlike Conte’s back-3, Sarri prefers a more conventional 4-3-3 setup that made him enormously successful during his Napoli realm. The likes of Gary Cahill and Andreas Christensen (or Antonio Rudiger) will form a perfect blend of experience and youthfulness as a central defensive pair whereas veteran Cesar Azpilicueta could move to his preferred right-back role once again.
The dynamic and energetic Marcos Alonso will operate from the other flank and the relentless presence of Kante and Cesc Fabregas will help Jorginho become more fluid and mobile while featuring as a deep-lying playmaker.
Eden Hazard will terrorise opponents with his hazardous runs whereas Willian will trouble the opponents with his pace, flair and set-pieces. It will be an interesting watch whether Sarri utilises an underwhelming Alvaro Morata as a targetman or if he prefers Olivier Giroud.
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