Maurizio Sarri has warned his Chelsea players that they must improve defensively if they wish to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
Despite our unbeaten start to the new season and the fact that we are one of the most exciting teams to watch, there is still a consensus that we are a defender and attacker away from being serious contenders for the Premier League title.
Sarri arrived far too late in the summer transfer window to complete all the transfer business that he required and in the end he only managed to bring in Jorginho, Kepa and Mateo Kovacic, and although all three players have performed at the very highest level, we are still a few players short.
And one area that many are keen to see added too is the back-lined, as David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger are so unpredictable that they can cost us three points at any given moment throughout a game, and that is a major concern for Sarri.
[the_ad id=”238″]So ahead of a tricky fixture against Crystal Palace this weekend, Sarri has told his Chelsea players that they need to improve the defensive side of the game if, by the end of the year, they want to take the title off Manchester City.
“I am very happy with the results and my players, but I know on the pitch we need to improve,” he told Sky Sports.
“We have quality, technical qualities, and we need to improve the defensive phase, otherwise we are not a solid team. And if you are not a solid team you cannot have very important targets.
“When I say defensive phase I am not talking about the defensive line, I am talking about all the team because it’s very important for us to defend in the opponent’s half and have the ball there.
“The defensive line is only a result of the defensive phase of the team, so it’s important to improve as a team defensively. We have technical quality so we can be dangerous in the offensive phase and we can win matches without a very high level of tactical organisation; for that I am lucky.”
[the_ad id=”238″]Will the Italian bring in a few players this January? Here are our thoughts.
We have been so impressed with the levels of performance from the lads over the early weeks of the season and firmly believe we can challenge City for that title, but if we manage to bring in Kalidou Koulibaly, Toby Alderweireld or Alessio Romagnoli during the transfer window, then we will look firmly like Champions.
