Former Chelsea ace Ashley Cole has insisted that Maurizio Sarri needs time and patience as he has backed him to get his side playing his brand of football.
The Italian tactician earned plenty of praise during his time in Italy with Empoli and Napoli for the attacking style of play that he implemented, based on dominating possession.
SEE MORE: What Gonzalo Higuain said about Maurizio Sarri after bagging first Chelsea goals
After recent setbacks against Arsenal and Bournemouth in particular, Sarri has come under criticism from pundits and the media alike, although Chelsea did bounce back with a 5-0 win over Huddersfield at the weekend as they produced the perfect response.
However, having arrived late in the summer and with the pressure on to deliver immediate results, Cole believes that Sarri needs time but believes that he can successfully get his ideas across and get Chelsea playing great football while also getting results.
“I don’t think he’s under pressure just yet. He’s come into a team and tried to put his philosophy there. I think it is down to the players as well, they’ve got to react and understand how he wants them to play,” he told Sky Sports.
“Sarri needs to get a little bit of time. I think he can bring that exciting, Italian football to England with Chelsea but they have to be on board a little bit as well.”
It remains to be seen if Sarri does get enough time to successfully get his ideas across, as given the recent history of managerial changes at Stamford Bridge, time isn’t something that has been given out in abundance.
Nevertheless, with Chelsea still pushing for a top four finish and in contention for silverware, Sarri will hope that the win at the weekend, with January signing Gonzalo Higuain scoring twice, will be the result to kick-start an improved run of form.
