Football news - Chelsea show another side to Sarri-ball - and it isn't pretty

On Sunday we saw another side to 'Sarri-ball' – the attractive new brand of fast-passing football at the centre of Chelsea's latest temporary tactical fad.

We saw how turgid and tedious it can be, when it is done badly by a side already looking jaded by it's somewhat overburdened Rococo excesses.

In the 2-0 win against Fulham, it was possible to see the immutable system slowed down, to the extent that it could be watched almost frame-by-frame. And it wasn't pretty.

Afterwards, Maurizio Sarri was asked three times asked about the performance: on each occasion dodging the question, in favour of an answer stating that the points had been won. That in contrast to his long-stated position of the supremacy of the system, and the need to perfect it.

There were problems all over, against the neighbours rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. But it was in midfield that the system seemed – has seemed for a few weeks now – to be breaking down.

The perseverance with Mateo Kovacic is starting to grate. Initially looking a player of rare technical ability, his lack of directness is starting to reveal itself as a major flaw. But that, in itself, shows the heart of the culture clash between many at Stamford Bridge and their new manager, who seems to value that lack of directness as a trait to be valued, almost beyond all others.

Chelsea have three players able to work in the Kovacic-role; with Kovacic himself the lest direct of the three. Ross Barkley, probably at mid-point in the list, was rested against Fulham having picked up a knock against PAOK. But the ensuing midfield three of Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and the Croat left Chelsea with a negative set-up that achieved little going forward.

With the rare exception of Kante's early steal, to set up Pedro for his opener, little progressed from the central trio - but for the now customary astronomical catalogue of sideways passes.

The most direct of the Kovacic three, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, did display a little more guile when he was introduced after the hour. And his goal was well celebrated by the Stamford Bridge faithful. But it was disappointing to see him benched in the first place: if there was an opportunity for Sarri to attempt to broaden his starting options in midfield, the dearth of quality in opposition surely made this it.

Post-match, Sarri had nothing but praise for the Englishman. “In the last three weeks, he's solved me problems,” he said. “I was really very happy after the last match in the Europa League because I think he played the best performance from the tactical point of view.”

So why not start him here?

On Wednesday night Chelsea traipse to Molineux to face, in Wolves, one of only two Premier League sides on a worse run of form than Fulham. Next Thursday brings the trip to Hungary, to play Vidi in a Europa League group match of no consequence whatsoever for the Blues.

In between, however, Manchester City come a-calling.

If Sarri's Chelsea, third in the league and still only defeated once in all competitions, really are suffering from stage-fright it is in games like Fulham, Wolves and Vidi that confidence could be boosted.

For, on present form, it will take a much more polished effort than displayed in recent weeks for Chelsea to inflict even a flesh would on the team at the other end of the league to Fulham.