Winners and losers as Hudson-Odoi and Jorginho star in Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea debut

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Chelsea got off to a winning start under new manager Maurizio Sarri as they beat Perth Glory 1-0.

It took Chelsea just five minutes to take the lead in Perth as Pedro got onto the end of a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for the first goal of Maurizio Sarri’s reign.

But that would prove to be the only goal of the game with the Blues happy to test themselves for fitness before returning to Europe for their International Champions Cup participation.

Here are the winners and losers from Sarri’s first game in charge.

Winner: Jorginho

The game against Perth also saw Jorginho given his debut for the Blues, in the deeper midfield role he made his own at Napoli, and the Italian would have quickly endeared himself to the Chelsea faithful with a controlled performance in which he dictated play as if he had been at the club for years.

Jorginho fit in well alongside Cesc Fabregas and Ross Barkley in the first half, using his passing ability and calmness on the ball to push Chelsea up the pitch with relative ease.

The Italian also dropped deep in line with his defence at times to help move the ball out from the back, combining with David Luiz and Ethan Ampadu to help implement Sarri’s style of play.

More players may come in to Chelsea before the transfer window shuts on August 9, but Jorginho might just be the most important addition to the Blues squad for Sarri.

Winner: Callum Hudson-Odoi

With Eden Hazard away on a deserved holiday following Belgium’s run to the third-placed play-off at the World Cup, Callum Hudson-Odoi was given the opportunity to start under Sarri for the first time in the pivotal left-wing role of Sarrismo.

And the 17-year-old had Chelsea fans in awe with his exciting play on the left, using his pace and dribbling ability to terrify Perth’s defenders.

It took the youngster just five minutes to make his first impact on the game, taking on Scott Neville on the edge of Perth’s area, beating his man before providing a good cross into Pedro for Chelsea’s opening goal.

And his assist seemed to add even more confidence to Hudson-Odoi’s game, as he continued to test himself against Perth’s defenders with his ability summed up perfectly in one run just before half-time.

Picking the ball up halfway into his own half, the winger evaded an Aussie Rules-style tackle and following slide attempt to burst down the left wing and put in a testing ball into the box, though it did not test the defence as much as Hudson-Odoi would have liked.

Loser: Alvaro Morata

Despite a good start to life at Chelsea last season, Alvaro Morata has endured a tough time in London as Antonio Conte grew frustrated with the Spaniard, often picking Eden Hazard in front of him or Olivier Giroud post-January.

Reportedly suffering with a back injury at times during the campaign, Morata missed out on a space in Spain’s squad for the 2018 World Cup and had been heavily linked with a move away from Chelsea and a return to Juventus after just one year with the Blues.

But the striker appears determined to get his Chelsea career on the right track, though he did not enjoy the best of times in his first game under Maurizio Sarri.

Morata rarely troubled the Perth Glory goal, either being caught offside or overthinking his runs and being crowded out by the defence.

Whether it is an issue of confidence in himself, the Spaniard will need to make the most of his game time early on in pre-season to show Sarri why he can lead the line for Chelsea before Michy Batshuayi and Giroud return to training.

Winner: Ross Barkley

Jorginho’s signing shortly after Sarri took charge of Chelsea quickly had fans dreaming of his partnership in midfield alongside N’Golo Kante, and the pair are set to be guaranteed starters come the start of the season once the Frenchman has returned after his World Cup glory.

That leaves one place in Sarri’s three-man midfield, to occupy the role Marek Hamsik thrived in at Napoli during the Italian’s reign. Ross Barkley was the first to be tested in this role on the left side, with Cesc Fabregas playing the Kante role and Ruben Loftus-Cheek yet to return.

And the January signing did well in his 45 minutes on the pitch, using his experience and ability as an attacking midfielder to provide a threat from deep and linking up well with Hudson-Odoi on the left, and could could have had an assist in the first half with a good run and pass into Alvaro Morata but the striker could not make the most of it.

Barkley also had opportunities to show his intelligence off the ball, going close to doubling Chelsea’s lead with a good run into the box but could not get that finishing touch Fabregas’ pass deserved.

In the second half, he was tested on the left-wing and saw another chance at getting his first Chelsea goal (albeit in pre-season) as his low, scuffed shot from outside the area hit the right post before moving away from the onrushing Pedro who had looked to pick up the rebound.

Winner: Cesc Fabregas

With just the one place up for grabs in Sarri’s midfield, Cesc Fabregas’ future at Chelsea may have come into question given his more reserved style and the demands of the left-sided central midfielder.

But with Kante still away the Spaniard was given the opportunity to play in the right-sided role in the first half and limit his movement without hindering the creativity which has made him key at Stamford Bridge in his four years so far.

Fabregas played a big part in Chelsea’s goal in the first half as it was his long-range ball which fed Hudson-Odoi and gave the youngster the opportunity to test himself early on.

The Spaniard has unfortunate not to record an assist of his own as another long-range pass found Barkley’s run into the box, but the former Everton man could not get a strong enough touch on the ball.

And in the second half, Fabregas dropped deeper into the Jorginho role alongside Tiemoue Bakayoko and Mario Pasalic, filling the Italian’s boots well in commanding the game from a deeper position.

Loser: Chelsea’s wing-backs

Sarri’s move to Chelsea brought an end to the club’s 21-month spell using three central defenders and wing-backs, with the Italian favouring his 4-3-3 formation.

As a result, this could bring an end to the Chelsea careers of the likes of Victor Moses and even Marcos Alonso and Davide Zappacosta.

Against Perth Glory, Alonso and Zappacosta were the starting full-backs for Chelsea but despite their attacking value, were caught out at times defensively – as a result of their wing-back experiences.

A better side would have provided more of a challenge in taking advantage of these gaps left at the back by Chelsea and Sarri will undoubtedly want to remedy this potential problem before the transfer window closes.

But it may not be necessary for the club to look into the market for a right-back with the likes of Ola Aina and Fikayo Tomori ready to stake their claims for a starting role once Chelsea kick off in the Premier League against Huddersfield Town on August 11.

Winner: Maurizio Sarri

Maurizio Sarri got off to the best possible start in charge of Chelsea as his side ran out 1-0 winners against Perth Glory.

And the opening signs of Sarrismo, or Sarri-ball, at Chelsea have been positive as they constantly pushed in attack in the first half and allowed their opponents very little time to trouble Marcin Bulka in the Blues goal.

Under Antonio Conte, Chelsea had to “prepare to suffer” off the ball in their quests for glory but Sarri has already instilled his attacking style of play on the club and the players looked to have already bought into it, playing with freedom further up the pitch without harming their defensive responsibilities – though better opponents will test Sarrismo more.

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