Chelsea vs Manchester City: Preview, Predicted Starting XI and 5 talking points ahead of the Community Shield

Modified Aug 04, 2018 17:45 GMT

Manchester City v Chelsea - Premier League — Chelsea and Manchester City lock horns in the Community Shield on Sunday

#1 Will Sarri’s tactics be effective for Chelsea?

Arsenal v Chelsea - International Champions Cup 2018 — Chelsea under Sarri has looked good in Preseason

Maurizio Sarri's Napoli finished 2nd in the league last season, with 91 points and only a brilliant Juventus side with better resources and 4 more points stopped them from getting the League title. Sarri relocated to Chelsea over the summer and immediately made subtle changes to the London side which seems to be very effective.

For starters, he has switched to a back four, and this has strengthened the Chelsea defense. He has also rejuvenated Ross Barkley in the preseason and brought his midfield general Jorginho to dictate proceedings for a new look Chelsea. In addition, Hudson-Odoi and Pedro seemed to have slipped effortlessly into his tactics.

In the preseason, his "Sarri-ball" principles have blossomed well and Chelsea already looks a different side, with a lot of pressing in the team and increasing easiness on the ball. His center backs are the only defenders in the team it seems and Sarri even expects them to play the ball out of the back. His players press higher up on the pitch and with Jorginho already looking like a leader in the midfield, have put themselves on a very strong position ahead of the new season.

The only hiccup that remains is regarding how he shall fit Jorginho and Kante together, but that will be when the French World Cup winner returns from his vacations and even then, you can trust Sarri to find a way. For now, Sarri should give Pep a strong challenge in his own game in the Community Shield.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 8500 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

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Edited by Raunak J