Literally that's how a lot of Chelsea fans said it when they became exasperated about Mr. Maurizio Sarri.Actually a swear word,I detest. The Italian was introducing a possession-based, modern and progressive style of play(a far departure from what Chelsea had) that could not only usher in a new era of success, but sustain it.
Meanwhile he won them the UEFA Europa League in his time.

This season Chelsea is serving us a meal that is rather confusing, firstly was the surprise sack of Thomas Tuchel(now Bayern Munich boss) less than seven months back and today we have club footballing legend, Frank Lampard back as coach, nay caretaker coach. In between was the signing of Graham Potter only few months after the Chelsea takeover by Todd Boehly to begin a new project with younger players. Today Boehly can take it no more and out went Potter and in came Lamps to handle the remaining 10 games in the EPL and then Champions league, whilst they seek a substiantative coach in the summer.

This is same Lampard that coached Chelsea before Tuchel came in and in his 18-month reign he wasn't the kind of coach a big team like Chelsea need. Some fans are rejoicing and they don't find this piece of history relevant,they prefer to remember Lampard the legendary player.

Football followers will know that this kind of short-termism that seems to be building up in the current management, was actually the stock in trade of the previous one. Led by the erstwhile President, Abramovich,the previous management were masters of a ruthless hire-and-fire style of administration. Oh some will say, it brought them trophies(I agree, even the Champions league), but truth be told, it created a culture constant turbulence as far as long-term planning or even the implementation of a footballing philosophy is concerned. Till today Chelsea doesn't have a footballing philosophy!

So the Italian, Sarri, was essentially driven from Chelsea, because of things like impatientce and lack of knowledge by owners as well fans. Indeed I think very few people in Chelsea are in touch with the reality of sustainable club development. Maybe Mr. Boehly will change this rotten narrative.

A Conceptual Extremist

The above line is how a former Sarri player Luca Gotti once told GOAL in a enlightening interview. His words about Sarri– "a conceptual extremist and because of the elaborate nature of Maurizio's ideas, it's not always a smooth path. He needs time."

Meaning his going to Chelsea was a wrong marriage in the first place, infact it felt like a strange choice for Chelsea then. Again he went to Juventus from Chelsea and was booted out. Why? Maybe I should first remind you that Juve's motto is– "Winning is the only thing that counts." So Sarri's methods were met with similar resistance as at Chelsea–
same impatience by club owners was what made him receive the sack. However, "who don good, don good"(meaning his class is permanent). It must be noted that he won a Scudetto in Juventus.

Enter Lazio

It was clear, given their history that both clubs mentioned above weren't the right fit for Mr. Sarri.

So in 2021 Lazio came calling and Sarri answered the call. Again Gotti helps us with some enlightenment, "It's a very interesting project for Maurizio, it's a club that has shown in the past it is willing to let the coach work with continuity and without interruption."

With continuity. Without interruption. You would know that Lazio was the place him.

Lazio under him has flattered to deceive at times, but remember class is permanent, it takes time to build. Now, the club is reaping the rewards of their patience.

So whilst Lampard prepared to take charge of an expensively-assembled Chelsea team sitting 11th in the Premier League table on Saturday, Sarri was preparing second-placed Lazio for a colossal clash with Juve at the Stadio Olimpico.

Permit me to talk briefly about a coach I admire a lot, Masimilano Allegri, who coaches Juve. The hard-fighting Bianconeri were 2nd on the log before the 15-point penalty deduction hit them, but have now won eight of their last nine Serie A games and now have a legitimate chance of forcing their way back into the top four. Even so, on Saturday, be it known to you that Sarri's team came out triumphant with a 2-1 victory.

To add even clearer perspective to Sarri's work given this victory. Please note that Juve's remarkable run of form has been founded on excellent defending, which is hardly surprising, given the know-how of Allegri. However what is surprising, is that it is Sarri's Lazio, who boast the best defence in Serie A. The Biancocelesti(as Lazio is called) have earned 16 points from their past six games with no single goal conceded. That Juve goal ended this clean sheet streak.

More on his work at Lazio

Furthermore, there's another detail that makes Sarri's work even more impressive. He's been working within the ambits of a shoestring budget, with Lazio having a net spend of roughly €5 million (£4m/$6m) since Sarri came in for Simone Inzaghi in the summer of 2021. Such a hugely impressive feat.

But ofcourse like I said before, it wasn't all plain sailing at the start, which is no surprise, when you have a thorough coach like Sarri. He himself talked about his first six months at the Olimpico and frankly admitted that it was "a complex journey, full of difficulties. Some steps forwards, some setbacks."

For example there was the issue with the formation. Inzaghi the previous coach, employed a 3-5-1-1 formation. Sarri had to transition the team from that to his favoured 4-3-3 style.

Also working within that kind of budget As stated above meant he faced the challenge of a shallow squad. Meaning, it was quite some struggle for Lazio to play midweek football. Sarri turned to statistics to point this very fact out, during his first year in Rome– "We have an average of 2.1 points per game without the Europa League and 0.60 with the Europa League."

Now that's a huge difference. This season wasn't any different, as the issues of a thin squad confronted Sarri. This led to his team's surprise last-16 Europa Conference League elimination by Holland's AZ Alkmaar. Casual onlookers thought this elimination was a low score by Sarri; ofcourse it wasn't, it's the club's budget at work. The players "subconsciously" switched off due to this heavy workload, to save themselves.

Now it is clear that Lazio has benefited from this European exit and with 9 rounds of matches remaining this season, they are comfortably positioned in second place and thus a return to the Champions League beckons. Again nearly all the clubs around them, even Juve, are still battling it out in Europe for at least two weeks more. That should play perfectly into Sarri's hands.

The tracksuit trainer

We're talking about a coach's coach here. He has been the innovative and radical one who looks ahead of his time, yet in a kinda strange irony he is old-school in an area.🙂

He's loves the tracksuit! Yes he specialises in complex tactics and analytics, yet he can't wrap his head around the idea of a coach turning up for a game in a suit. It seems too complex for him to understand.

He is man that relishes behind-the-senes– he craves being at training sessions, to positively impact players with his innovative ideas. Midweek matches can be an inconvenience for him. Recently he said, “I am accustomed to a packed fixture list, but I don’t like it, because that takes away the greatest joy I have in this sport, which is being on the training ground during the week."

That's just him, being in the dugout is not as important to him as getting his hands dirty in the training ground. Little wonder he doesn't have the time for a fashionable suit or something, during matches.

Conclusion

Sarri has admitted that this Lazio side isn't at the same level as the Empoli team with which he made his name, or more recently the Napoli outfit he coached that made the rest of Europe sit up and take notice. His work in Napoli both on and off the pitch, is the bedrock of Napoli's current status, with their commanding lead at the summit of Serie A, plus they are still in the Champions league.

Securing a top-four finish this season would be wonderful and looking at it in context, it is even harder than his trophies at Juventus and Chelsea plus it would represent a fitting emphatic riposte who those who used to chant "F*ck Sarriball!" at Stamford Bridge.

So we round off with another from Gotti through GOAL, "Maurizio's ideas are radical but they're his, and his alone. Over 30 years of experience working in the game, he created, step by step, his own structure of football.

"He perfected every detail, and for this reason, Sarri's football is truly beautiful."

Indeed Sarri's football is beautiful and for me, with my Arsenal trained mind, I love that the virtue called patience is exalted(we don't see it often well enough in football these days). Well ofcourse you can also imagine I would be attracted to a possession-based play like that of Sarri.🙂

Cheers