Chelsea 2-0 Bournmouth: Sarri-ball looks set to conquer the Premier League

To and for, forward and back, to the side and back again. The ball kept moving, the players, disciplined, determined, yet calm. From the sidelines, the Orchestrator barked instructions, but did not look utterly concerned. He had belief in his team, in his players. He had sent them out drilled in his philosophy and so deeply was it embedded in them, that there was only one outcome.

Bournemouth toiled hard for 70 odd minutes as they tried to match Chelsea with all their might but ultimately were undone by the individual brilliance of Chelsea. Pedro broke their resolve in the 72nd minute, while Hazard sealed the 3 points in the 85th minute. The source of these brilliance, one must note, is Chelsea’s new, urgent style of play. Urgent, yet gracefully poised on the ball.

Maurizio Sarri started with Kepa in goal, with Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz and Alonso ahead of him. The midfield comprised on Jorginho, Kante and Kovacic. In the front, Willian and Hazard teamed up with Morata. What unfolded was the utter dominance of the Blues at Stamford Bridge, but the teams went to the break with the scores even.

Bournmouth had managed to frustrate Chelsea, who even with the lion’s share of possession, found it hard to break through their compact defense. More of the same continued in the second half until the 2 goals settled minds, moods and nerves. Chelsea deserved the win, they were the better team. The Blues had 73% possession, had attempted 704 passes with 87% accuracy. They had 24 shots in total, with 6 on goal.

However, even with the win, there were concerns, the most urgent of which would be Morata’s performance. The fact that Willian had an off day would also have drawn a few frowns. Another big cause of concern would be the Chelsea defense, especially, Luiz, who still looks uncomfortable in a back 4.

Yet, one cannot help, but admire the Sarri Ball revolution unfolding in the Premier League. Jorginho, Kante and Kovacic look totally at ease under Sarri’s system. Jorginho dictated the midfield again and with every passing day, Kovacic looks like a fine addition to this Chelsea team. The Croatian drove forward very well and caused Bournmouth quite a few worries. Up ahead, Hazard was brilliant on the left and with a little more support from his striker, could have been even more effective.

But the star of the show was N’golo Kante. A new position, new mates in the midfield, but same old Kante. He was brilliant to say the least and he is the thread that holds the foundation of Sarri Ball together in this Chelsea team. He did everything he is great at, tackling, winning balls, intercepting, but looked so effective at a higher position. Like he always does in every games, Kante was everywhere and if he works just a little bit on his final pass, the Frenchman would made Chelsea unstoppable.

With this win, Chelsea are currently 2nd in the table, behind Liverpool only on goal difference. Even though Maurizio Sarri denies it, the Blues look like they could match City and Liverpool and even get the better of them. For now, the Sarri Ball keeps rolling and by the looks of it, there is no stopping it any time soon.