Chelsea fans have welcomed ‘SarriBall’ with both arms this season but amid all the fanfare about the attacking style Maurizio Sarri has introduced at the club, the failure of the strikers to hit top gear isn’t entirely the fault of the front men. The new style has to carry some of the burden.
The Blues have been by far one of the most attractive sides in England, with slick passing football headlining everything they do on the pitch. Sarri has got his players keeping the ball more but that could be affecting his strikers.
For all the number of touches the men in blue had on Thursday night against BATE Borisov, there was not a single chance for Olivier Giroud, directly through on goal against the opposition goalkeeper – well except that chance on 70 minutes that fell to him after Victor Moses mishandled his touch in the area.
Alvaro Morata has scored three goals this season while Giroud struggles for his first. But for all the noise about their poor quality, maybe pundits and fans need to throw some of that blame on the new flamboyant style at Stamford Bridge.
The one-touch passing game is good on the eye and perhaps takes the focus from the struggles the strikers have to go through without the ball. The ball spends a lot of time in midfield areas of the pitch and when Chelsea break, the flanks are mostly utilized through Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro or any other forward Sarri throws on. Nizaar Kinsella of Goal agrees.
Giroud 26 touches and one shot today. Not sure he (or Morata) gets exactly the type of service they would typically thrive on. #CFC #UEL #CFCvBATE
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) October 25, 2018
In the 3-1 win over BATE on Thursday, Olivier Giroud had only 14 touches by the 66th minute, compared to Cesc Fabregas’ 113. Of course, Fabregas is expected to see more of the ball, but the inability to get the ball through to Giroud frequently means he and Morata, will struggle to get goals.
