4 Takeaways from Maurizio Sarri's First Chelsea Game in Charge

Chelsea kicked off their friendlies at Optus Stadium in Perth by beating Perth Glory 1-0. The Blues had no trouble attracting fans across in Australia as the game drew out a crowd of nearly 60,000.

The only goal of the game was scored by Pedro in the first half which was assisted by Hudson-Odoi. This was the first game of Maurizio Sarri in charge and despite scoring only one goal, Chelsea played positive attacking football.

From playing a 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 under Conte, Chelsea adopted a 4-3-3 in their first game under Sarri. Morata struggled for the time he was playing but all the other players seemed to play their part well. The Blues will have a tougher test on their hands next time as they play Inter Milan.

Without putting too much emphasis on this one game, these are the 4 main takeaways from the game.

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#1 Cesc Fabregas will love Sarri

Cesc Fabregas in action

After playing defensive football for almost two years, Cesc Fabregas will enjoy playing possession-based football again. He lasted the entire ninety minutes and looked calm and threatened to unlock the defence the entire game.

In the first half, he played ahead of Jorginho and once Jorginho was removed, he slotted back as the deep-lying midfielder dictating play from behind. While Jorginho might have stolen the show, Fabregas was pulling the strings with his long balls and direct play and it came as no surprise as he was named the 'Man of the match'.

He was asked on playing further forward in a new role to which he replied, "No not further forward than where I usually play, just further forward than the last two years. This is where I play my entire career."

Fabregas excels in such positions and so it comes as no surprise that he was especially excited to play under Sarri. With competition from Loftus-Cheek, Barkley and Bakayoko, one match is not enough to ascertain whether Fabregas will start or not. But he will play a key role if the first match is an example of things to come.

#2 Jorginho will fit in perfectly

Jorginho in action

Jorginho had a brilliant debut with Chelsea and it seems that he will only get better moving forward. He played the deepest lying midfielder for the 45 minutes he played.

In those 45 minutes, he had a hundred and one touches and completed 98 passes with a pass every 27 seconds. Almost every attack went through him and he controlled the tempo of the game perfectly. It is yet to be seen if he will replace Fabregas or play with Fabregas but once Kante is back, the Chelsea midfield is going to be one of the best in the Premier League.

#3 Hudson-Odoi was promising

Hudson-Odoi was promising

In the absence of Eden Hazard, Hudson-Odoi was given a start ahead of Charlie Musonda and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. While he played only forty-five minutes, he looked lively and direct, showing great pace and awareness.

He set up the only goal of the game by cutting in and then out to create space for the cross which Pedro finished. While Pedro scored the goal, some might argue he was the best winger on the pitch for the forty-five minutes he played. While he may not be a starter, he might just find a bench role at Chelsea.

#4 Sarri raises hopes of a good campaign for Chelsea

Sarri

If this one game is an indication of what is to come, then Chelsea fans should be happy as Chelsea played good football for the most part. While the game was not even close to perfect, it seemed like it was a step in the right direction.

Barkley, Jorginho, Fabregas all looked sharp and Chelsea, for moments, were playing one-touch football which is alien to Chelsea fans for the past 2 years. The 4-3-3 formation looks like the way forward for Chelsea under Sarri and while Chelsea will be tested against better opposition, it was a job well done for Maurizio Sarri at least in the first game.