Less than two months into his tenure as head coach, Sarri has introduced a high-pressing 4-3-3 system with summer signing Jorginho setting the tone for fast, expansive passing from the base of midfield.
It is an approach that yielded six goals in two matches, but it has also exposed their defensive vulnerabilities.
“It’s not so easy to change the mind,” Sarri told a news conference.
“If you are used to defending by looking at the man, and I ask you to defend by looking only at the ball, I think if you are 18 it’s maybe easier. If you are 28 and, for 10 years, you’ve played the other way, it’s not so easy. So you have to change completely the mind.
“I think it’s better [to defend looking at the ball]. I think, if you arrive to think in this way, then it’s very easy. It depends only on you. You are not depending on the opponent. I think it’s very easy and, if you defend by looking only at the ball, you can stay very high up the pitch. In the other way, you defend on the movements of the opponent.”
Asked if experienced players find his approach to defending scary, Sarri replied: “For two or three months. But I think, in this case, with this team, there are very intelligent players.”
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