Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy thinks that Chelsea will have to improve defensively if they are to win trophies under Maurizio Sarri.
Sarri led Napoli to an impressive 91 points in Serie A last season thanks to his attacking ‘Sarri-ball’ brand of football which is based on free-flowing, attacking, pacey football.
He is trying to implement this style at Chelsea having taken over from the pragmatic Antonio Conte, with last weekend’s win over Arsenal showing signs that the Blues are starting to come to terms with this new style of play.
However, during the 3-2 win over the Gunners, they were carved open at the back on a number of occasions, and if it weren’t for Arsenal’s profligacy in front of goal, it would have been a very different story.
With Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho before him both winning the Premier League title through their more defensive style of play, Danny Murphy has warned Maurizio Sarri that he may have to be a little more restrained in his attacking style:
“Sarri is a manager who has a huge reputation for bringing goals and I can see that following him to Chelsea,” Murphy told bwin.
“I think [Alvaro] Morata and [Olivier] Giroud have the potential to score 20 Premier League goals this season if they both play regularly.
“I look at [Eden] Hazard and how he played at the World Cup and I think he also has the potential to score 20 Premier League goals in a season.
“Sarri is looking to implement a very attacking style, but I think we’ve already seen how easily Chelsea can be opened up and their defensive frailties this season.
“Chelsea would never get opened up so easily under Conte and [Jose] Mourinho so that’s a balance that needs to be addressed if the club is to be successful.
“You can’t win trophies if you’re leaking goals.”