The Blues opened their Premier League season with a win at Huddersfield, as they start the early stages of their tactical overhaul
Maurizio Sarri enjoyed a winning Premier League debut as Chelsea manager as Jorginho shone as the deep-lying leader at the heart of the midfield against Huddersfield Town.
Kepa Arrizabalaga made his Chelsea debut following his record-breaking £71 million ($91m) move from Athletic Club, but it was his £57m ($73m) team-mate, and fellow new signing, Jorginho who stole the limelight in the 3-0 victory at Huddersfield.
N’Golo Kante opened the scoring after neat work from Pedro and the World Cup winner may score more goals this season as Jorginho’s role gives him license to drive forward for the Blues.
Jorginho added a second from the penalty spot, seemingly taking over the duties from the misfiring Alvaro Morata, and he took his spot-kick with the confidence of a big-money signing.
He was also involved in the move to win the penalty, as Pedro started the attack, allowing Jorginho to feed it into Ross Barkley with a perfectly-weighted pass and the England international flicked it into Marcos Alonso’s path to earn the penalty.
It was one of the first pieces of subconscious and fluid play from Chelsea, and it immediately reaped rewards as it killed off Huddersfield just before half-time. Sarri had said that Chelsea were overthinking their play at times against Manchester City when they were well beaten in the Community Shield last week, but that was the football that Sarri’s four weeks in charge have led up to and Jorginho was unsurprisingly involved.
Jorginho is the leader in this system that he knows better than any of his team-mates following his time playing under Sarri at Napoli. He leads the press and controls the space between the defensive and midfield line. He also recorded the highest pass completion rate at 93.9% and the most clearances with five.
He is already one of the most vocal players on the pitch, with his new manager and price tag giving him a huge status in the dressing room. The midfielder played more minutes than any other player during pre-season and is gearing up for a starring role at Stamford Bridge, much to the frustration of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, who long targeted the former Napoli man.
Eden Hazard wasn’t even involved much in the game, coming on late in the second half to gain some match fitness ahead of Arsenal next week. His world-class dribble did provide the third goal, as he played in Pedro, who lobbed Ben Hamer.
Kepa will be the focus in weeks to come, but had little to do against a side that some are tipping for relegation, and it looks like the Premier League crowds will target the 23-year-old as intrigue surrounds the club’s record signing.
Morata once again looked off the pace, but the performance was otherwise positive for Chelsea, who quickly forgot their beating by Man City. It may have only been Huddersfield and Chelsea did have a slice of luck or two, with Steve Mounie’s shot coming off the post with the score at 1-0 and with a debatable penalty shout leading to the second but three points was the main goal.
Chelsea need time to reach boiling point under Sarri, who may need goals from all around his team with Morata looking unlikely to be prolific again this season.
The rest of the team look like they are ready to chip in though in this dynamic new system. Sarri has a hybrid engine in his midfield, with Kante providing the energy and Jorginho combining technique with tactical intelligence. The new midfielder also looks like he won’t be giving up penalty duties anytime soon.
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