Maurizio Sarri shrugs off first serious setback at Chelsea

[team1]Chelsea[/team1][score1]0[/score1][team2]Everton[/team2][score2]0[/score2][/score]

By Chris Hatherall

Was this the moment Chelsea finally revealed their limitations to the rest of the Premier League after such a promising start to the campaign?

Maurizio Sarri’s side are still unbeaten after a goalless draw against Everton at Stamford Bridge and remain in the top three. But the way the visitors, with a focused and tactical performance, were able to nullify their strengths should be cause for alarm bells ahead of what may be an important January transfer window for the club.

The positives to take from Sarri’s impact since he arrived to replace Antonio Conte still far outweigh the negatives; Chelsea are more enjoyable to watch, more attacking and are getting the best out of their star player Eden Hazard.

The Italian is also officially the most successful ‘new’ manager of a Premier League team ever, having overtaken the 11-match unbeaten run of Nottingham Forest’s Frank Clark in his opening spell at the club in 1994.

However, the drawbacks – or more accurately the limits on how far Chelsea can go with the current system and current personnel – came briefly into focus here, especially in a first half in which Everton snuffed out both Hazard and playmaker Jorginho.

The main consideration as Chelsea hurtle towards a hectic Christmas fixture list (and crucial games against both Tottenham and Manchester City before then) should be how can they maintain the tremendous momentum achieved under a new manager and what can they do in the transfer market to support him?

Marco Silva’s men earned a point by crowding out Hazard and Jorginho, denying Chelsea space in midfield and then defending solidly against Alvaro Morata whose lack of movement and drive remains a concern for a team which still harbours title dreams.

All three of Chelsea’s substitutes – Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Ross Barkley – made little impression on the game, which leaves questions to be asked over the strength of the squad, and N’Golo Kante — a genuinely world class player — has far less impact now he is being asked to play higher up the field to accommodate Jorginho. Increasingly, it looks like his talent is being wasted.

Sarrio acknowledged a lack of ruthlessness in attack but dismissed suggestions that dropping two points could be costly, adding: “In the last three matches we created few goal opportunities in relation to how much we played, so we need to think about this. But will this be an expensive two points dropped? I think during a championship like the Premier League this can happen to any team, a match like this.

“So I don’t think so. In this moment the average of points of City, Liverpool is very high. I think about 100 points, so it’s very difficult to stay close to these teams. But I hope that a match like our match today will happen in future to other teams.”

In a turgid and tetchy first half, Hazard wasn’t in the picture. The winger, recently back from injury, said in the build-up that, at 27, he was starting to feel the effects of taking so many kicks and had to take extra care to cope with the impact on his body.

So, the worry for Chelsea is that if Hazard ultimately cannot last a full season then it will be difficult to maintain a title challenge when he is missing.

Both sides could have been down to 10 men before half-time if referee Kevin Friend had been more ruthless in his decision-making, with Jorginho and Marcos Alonso making poor tackles and Everton’s Bernard putting his head into the face of Antonio Rudiger after a challenge off the ball. But in terms of attacking action there was only really a stunning volley from Alonso, well saved by Jordan Pickford, to consider.

In the second half w Chelsea upped the ante, almost scoring in the first minute when Pickford saved well from Morata.

Alonso then hit the post with a shot from a tight angle, Willian wasted an opportunity when clean through and Pickford made two saves from Hazard to earn a point.

CHELSEA: Arrizabalaga 6, Rudiger 8, Alonso 7, Jorginho 5 (Fabregas 64; 6), Kante 6, Hazard 7, Kovacic 6 (Barkley 81; 6), Willian 5 (Pedro 68; 6), Azpilicueta 6, Morata 6, Luiz 7.

Subs not used: Caballero, Giroud, Zappacosta, Christensen

EVERTON: Pickford 8, Keane 7, Gomes 8, Sigurdsson 7 (Jagielka 76; 6), Walcott 6, Digne 6, Mina 7, Gueye 7, Bernard 6 (Lookman 64; 6), Coleman 6, Richarlison 6 (Calvert-Lewin 89).

Subs not used: Stekelenburg, Baines, Tosun, Davies.

Referee: Kevin Friend.