Although having players capable of playing in different ways is vital, Maurizio Sarri doesn’t tend to agree.
The new Chelsea boss has a regimented formation and way of playing that certain players can fit in, and he doesn’t like to deviate from his way of playing.
The main criticism that arose from Napoli’s challenge for the Scudetto last year – Juventus eventually won their seventh straight – was that Sarri failed to rotate his team enough, instead retaining the same system and selection of players.
He adopted his traditional 4-3-3 for the whole of the season and while it worked so well up to Christmas, teams eventually figured it out, making life more difficult for Napoli.
Also, his lack of rotation meant players burnt out during the run-in, causing Napoli to lose momentum.
Sarri’s 4-3-3 will bring Chelsea success against Premier League teams – except the top six.
We’ve seen Sarri sides play against Pep Guardiola sides – such as in the Community Shield – and the Italian has been dominated by him.
Unlike Arsene Wenger, Sarri must find a way to adapt his style of play to his opponent.
If he doesn’t do that, Chelsea will struggle when good teams crack how to play against Chelsea.
Also, with Chelsea playing in the Europa League, Sarri must learn how to rotate his team.
Chelsea have a huge squad full of international players, so finding adequate replacements shouldn’t be difficult.
But Sarri must learn to rest his big players in matches to avoid them burning out.
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