Maurizio Sarri insists ‘Sarri-ball’ is here to stay at Chelsea… and Jorginho is key man
Some fans have not been impressed by Italian philosophy but Sarri isn't going to abandon principles any time soon
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MAURIZIO SARRI says ‘Sarri-ball’ is here to stay — and under-fire Jorginho remains integral to that formula.
The Italian has been on the brink of the sack over the past few weeks with ex-Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane ready to take over if Chelsea chiefs match his ambitions.
Both Sarri and Jorginho, the enforcer from his Napoli days, have been targeted by Blues boo-boys.
Fans have slated Sarri over his predictable substitutions and his tactical inflexibility, last month chanting ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ and ‘F*** Sarri-Ball’.
Brazilian Jorginho, 27, was also booed by sections of the Stamford Bridge faithful for his under- performing displays.
Sarri defended the heartbeat of his midfield, telling fans they will have to accept the £57.4million signing as the team continue to adapt to his style of play.
He said: “Jorginho has a very strong character, a very strong personality. So I believe he has no problem to play under pressure.
“He played very well against Tottenham, better in the second half than in the first. So, for him, it’s very important to finish the match in that way.
“I think he can do better. But he needs all the team to understand our way of football.”
The ethos of Sarri-ball — compactness, positional discipline and counter-pressing — worked wonders at the start of the season.
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Yet Chelsea seem to have been found out since the start of this year, losing three of their seven Prem matches.
To add insult to injury, rebellious keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be subbed off during the closing stages of the Carabao Cup final penalty shootout defeat to Man City — though the club claim that was all a misunderstanding.
Angry Sarri showed who was boss by dropping the stroppy Spaniard for the midweek victory over Tottenham and may decide to continue with Willy Caballero in goal for today’s clash at Fulham.
But despite managing a club notorious for hiring-and-firing coaches on a yearly basis, Sarri says the pressure cooker of Italy’s lower- leagues were often worse.
He added: “I can understand that, for the media, a match in the Champions League is very important and one in League One is not important, but it’s not the same for me.
“I felt very big pressure sometimes in Serie C and sometimes very little in the Champions League. Napoli are not a little club. And in Naples the pressure is higher than here.”
Chelsea have finished outside the top four in two of the past three seasons and are again battling to qualify for the Champions League.
Yet they have a decent run-in — of their final 11 matches, they only have to play two of the top six.
While he never underestimated the Premier League’s competitive nature, Sarri accepts the toll it takes on its players. He said: “Now I understand very well that, in England, it’s very difficult to be in the top four.
“The Premier League is really very competitive and very hard. Not only the Premier League, because you have to play in the FA Cup, the League Cup, every match is difficult.
“Every match is mentally very expensive. You risk arriving at this moment of the season really very tired, more mentally than physically.”
CHELSEA (likely): Caballero, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Willian, Higuain, Hazard.