Chelsea drew 1-1 with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge
Sunday 30 September 2018 17:13, UK
Chelsea were denied victory against Liverpool after a late equaliser earned their opponents a 1-1 draw, but Maurizio Sarri still enjoyed what he saw. Adam Bate was at Stamford Bridge to see whether the Italian's team can be considered true title challengers. The jury is out...
The sight of a former player curling in the equaliser from outside the box with barely a minute to go is never a pretty one for any home crowd. When it means a three-point swing that leaves the opponents you were set to overtake still top of the Premier League table then it is even more frustrating. But that was not really the mood at Stamford Bridge.
Instead, Chelsea were clapped off following their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday. The supporters respected the effort. As for the manager Maurizio Sarri, he was all smiles as he walked down the tunnel. "The match was wonderful," he said afterwards. His assistant Gianfranco Zola even shared a warm embrace with Liverpool goalscorer Daniel Sturridge.
It is a clue that while Chelsea ostensibly find themselves in the thick of this Premier League title race - just two points adrift of Manchester City and Liverpool - the reality is that Sarri is well aware that they are ahead of schedule. He remains convinced that his Chelsea team are some way behind their rivals. But he did offer a caveat after this result.
"I think they are a step forward," he said when asked if he had changed his mind about his team's prospects, "but I think also that we are closer than I thought one week ago."
That was a reference to the fact that Chelsea beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening and were minutes away from repeating the feat. Eden Hazard scored a wonder goal in midweek and, while his opening goal on Saturday was not quite so stunning, it was just the latest reminder that the Belgian is playing to his brilliant best.
"I think that he is able to score 40 goals so he has to score another 33," reiterated Sarri afterwards. "I think so and he is trying to do it." If the long stare at the Chelsea bench after tucking the ball left-footed beyond Alisson was a clue, Sarri has found a way of focusing his star player - and with Hazard in form, how can Chelsea ever be ruled out?
The flaws elsewhere in the team are the issue. Olivier Giroud is still waiting for his first Chelsea goal of the season. Alvaro Morata is only one ahead of him. Asked whether his side is too reliant on Hazard for goals, Sarri replied: "Maybe." He will persist with one of his two strikers "in the first part of the season" but might need to find another solution in the long term.
At the back, he was encouraged by the efforts of his players. Antonio Rudiger showed great determination to get back and clear Mohamed Salah's effort off the line, while David Luiz pulled off a similar trick to deny Roberto Firmino after the interval. "I am really very happy with the defensive performance today, especially in the second half," said Sarri.
Even so, they continue to look vulnerable. The five clear-cut chances conceded in the first half of the win over Arsenal last month remains the most by any team in a Premier League game so far this season. Against West Ham, only Andriy Yarmolenko's woeful miss allowed Chelsea to escape the London Stadium with a clean sheet. They are riding their luck.
Jurgen Klopp could hardly contain himself when asked whether Liverpool deserved their late equaliser. He was certain his team had done enough to claim all three points But somehow Sarri is unbeaten throughout his first seven Premier League games in charge of Chelsea and is also obeying the golden rule - by all means change the style but win while doing it.
At times, he must feel like an aeronautical engineer being asked to repair the plane while it is in mid-air. There was not much of a pre-season and with three cup competitions to negotiate as well as the league, there won't be too many free weeks to work on the tactical tweaks either. Sarri is going to have to fix this on the fly.
Some ideas have taken root. The continual attempts to play through the thirds with Jorginho operating as the pivot in midfield is a noticeable feature, even when it threatens to cause more problems than it solves against such a well-organised pressing team as Liverpool. But other aspects of his approach are going to take more time.
Fortunately, judging by the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, the majority of the home supporters recognise this reality. There was one moment of confusion in the press conference afterwards. "It is very difficult," said Sarri. "But I think we can fight for the champions." It was only later he clarified that he meant Champions League.
"No, I was talking about the Champions League," he explained. "For a spot in the Champions League. It is very difficult to arrive at a spot in the top four. There are six or seven of the top teams in Europe let alone England. But we have to try, of course. We have to try and stay very close in the table with the top teams and we have to improve more."
Chelsea's transition to Sarri's style of play might not be going completely smoothly. The vulnerabilities are apparent. But if he can continue to pick up points along the way - and do so with a smile - he might just be afforded the time and the trust to make it work.
