Former Chelsea star Michael Essien has revealed that he is impressed by the work that Maurizio Sarri has been doing as manager of the club. Sarri was appointed as manager of the Blues last summer following the sacking of Antonio Conte.
Sarri was appointed at a time when Blues looked demotivated on the field. In addition to this, they also faced off the field troubles. Many did not give them much hope of doing well this season. While the Stamford Bridge outfit do not look like they will be Premier League contenders this season, they do look much more fluid in terms of their football. They also look like they are more than capable of challenging for a place in the top four as well as mounting sustained runs in the cup tournaments, which would be a step in the right direction following the frustration of last season.
Chelsea bounced back from their shock defeat against Leicester City in the league last weekend by recording a hard-fought 2-1 away win against Watford on Wednesday. The goals for the West Londoners came through a brace from Eden Hazard, who also happened to score his 100th goal for the club during the game.
At the half-way point of the league season, the Blues are in fourth position on the standings, with 40 points from their 19 games. They are, however, just two points ahead of an impressive Arsenal side and still have plenty of hard work to do if they want to secure a top-four finish this season.
Essien believes that the 59-year-old Sarri has the club moving in the right direction.
“Sarri came in and didn’t really have much time,” explained Essien to the Daily Express. “He had to go straight into pre-season but he came in and bought some good players. They’ve been doing very well and everyone is buying into his system and how he wants his players to play.
“So yes, he’s been very good so far and hopefully they can continue like that until the end of the season.”
