Sarriball, the name given to the brand of football created by Sarri who is known for his specific style and idea of football. A footballing style packed with lots of tactical intricacies and also a joy to watch when executed perfectly.
The system is all about quick forward one-touch passing, with focus on passing accuracy, movements and quick thinking. The system is very much similar to Pep’s Mancity system, but a lot different is many ways.
When playing the Sarri way, the team tries to keep possession in order to take control of the match and dictate the play. The team utilizes the play-out from the back philosophy to build up play and attack with a high defensive line and press very high up the pitch in order to try to win the ball as quickly as possible.
To successfully play this system, or any system that focuses on tactical intricacies, the players must possess the necessary abilities to effectively execute what is required in their various roles.
For sarriball to be effective, the players must have very good technical abilities and must have the ability to press teams for the most part of the game (fitness level is very important in this system).
Every player on the pitch must be able to understand his role and the tactical demands in the game.
Chelsea had a perfect start to the season, winning most of their opening games and going over 13 games unbeaten in all competition.
Even though we saw glimpses of sarriball in effect, it was still very clear that there were some issues within the team and some players weren’t good enough for the system.
Fast forward today, Chelsea have drawn few games where they should have won and lost games due to some of the issues and vulnerability in the current squad.
How I Want The Chelsea Starting 11 Lineup To Look Like Next Season
My Reasons/Opinions
For me, after Looking at Chelsea this season and the potential of the team if they had the right players, I decided to create my fantasy lineup with players I feel will help improve the team and allow sarriball take full effect.
For this fantasy lineup, I made about 4 changes to the current Chelsea starting eleven.
The reason for having Icadi, Fekir, Koulibaly, Sandro in my fantasy lineup is that Sarri ball needs players who have the technical abilities and intelligence in their roles to play the system effectively.
For Icardi, he is a striker that possesses the technical qualities a striker should have to play the sarri way.
For Fekir, his strong left foot and ability to dribble, cut inside and shoot, makes him the perfect mirror of Hazard on the other side of the flank. He possesses great technical qualities which makes him a very good fit for sarriball.
For Koulibaly, I chose him as the perfect replacement for Luiz. His speed, strength, defensive ability, passing and ability on the ball makes him the perfect player for that spot.
For Sandro, he is a quality leftback that will be a perfect replacement for Alonso.
There are lots of times this season that the blues couldn’t break teams down through the wings due to fullbacks not doing their job correctly. Sandro as a leftback is strong, fast, very good at overlapping and tracking back when necessary.
Having quality fullbacks makes it easy to break teams down who defend and stay compact and his attacking and crossing ability will really help sarriball be more effective on the pitch.
And that is a wrap…
What do you think about my Fantasy Lineup? – Which players do you think will fit the sarriball system?
I would love to read your own opinions… Enjoy your day.
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