Why is Maurizio Sarri regarded a genius?
Most managers, today, are pragmatic and prefer results over the style of football they play. Then there are some like Pep Guardiola who believe in the beauty of the game; football is an art to them, and they are the artists. Maurizio Sarri falls in the second category, and there is creativity wherever he coaches. Here we decode Maurizio Sarri- the genius.
How come you haven't heard much about Sarri?
Even if you are a die-hard football fanatic, it is highly likely that you wouldn't have heard much about Maurizio Sarri. It's because he never made it to the top flight until 2014. After all, he was a banker, who turned a football manager. He got his first chance to manage in the Serie A with Empoli, when he was nearly 55 years old.
But what makes Sarri so special?
Chelsea have, time and again, appointed serial winners as their managers. Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte all had a proven record and they delivered in their short stints. However, unlike his predecessors, Sarri hasn't won anything ever, apart from being named the Serie A coach of the year. Yet, it is his style of football that convinced Abramovich.
Why did Abramovich hire Sarri?
Even though Conte won the Premier League and the FA with the Blues, there was one main reason Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, was drawn to Maurizio Sarri. In March, Chelsea had a forgetful night against Manchester City where they had just 28% of the ball and zero shots on target. Abramovich was certain that he wanted attacking football.
Expect Sarri and his Chelsea to revolutionize English football
In his 2-year stint, Conte has changed the way football is played in the Premier League. Several English teams had to discard the back four and opt for a back three to stop Chelsea, when they were running riot, two seasons ago. Most of them have continued to play with the back three ever since. We expect Sarri to do the same.
Sarri is a football purist and prefers attacking football
Conte and his predecessor Jose Mourinho at Chelsea play pragmatic football and prefer to sit back against big opponents and play direct and counter-attacking football. On the other hand, Maurizio Sarri's style is similar to Manchester City's Pep Guardiola. Sarri loves to take control of possession and prefers to go for the kill by a thousand cuts than one fatal blow.
It's Sarri ball not tiki-taka
Sarri's style of play might be similar to Guardiola's tiki-taka which emphasizes on possession based football. However, Pep style of play can put you to sleep at times since it can result to aimless passing from side to side. Unlike Pep, Sarri is much more exciting because the focus is only on passing the ball forward and quick counter-pressing when possession is lost.
Sarri gets his influence from Arrigo Sacchi
We have to talk about Sacchi, from whom Sarri draws his inspiration. Similar to Sarri, Sacchi was a nobody in football- a shoe salesman who would go on to rewrite how football was played across the globe. In an era, where Italian football mainly focused on strong defensive play, Sacchi created a 4-4-2 system that believed in high pressing and high organized attack.
Top managers have already started studying Sarri
For a relatively unknown manager, Sarri already has several fans in England with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola being his biggest admirer. Bournemouth Eddie Howe is also in awe of Sarri and Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino also holds him in high regard.
Guardiola is Sarri's biggest fan
"For somebody like me, who loves watching games, Napoli are spectacular, and his brand of football is a joy to watch. Often a coach is judged on wins, but you've also got to look at the shape...he did a fantastic job" Guardiola said.
Will Sarri be able to keep his job at Chelsea?
Sarri might not be able to achieve the results he wants immediately, but as time goes by, expect this Chelsea side to be dangerous and lethal. After all, in his 3rd season with Napoli, he took them to 91 points. It doesn't matter if Chelsea win titles, but one thing is for certain, be prepared to fall in love with the football Chelsea play.
