Chelsea’s two biggest hires this season can transform the way the club has looked at their own football identity. Jorginho and Maurizio Sarri promise an era filled with sunshine at a place which is, not always rightly, infamous for its gloomy football.

Much was made of the role of marginal gains in British Cycling’s phenomenal success over the last decade. Even Big Sam got carried away with it while at Crystal Palace, trying to eke out a small improvements from his squad. “If you put two per cent on every player,” he wrote in a match’s programme notes, “that’s an overall 22% increase in how you play.” I’m not totally sure you get to aggregate the gains like that, but far be it from me to argue with Big Sam.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have been far too interested in financial marginal gains to the detriment of their players’ performance on the pitch. It was an awkward summer in West London. Antonio Conte’s impending exit from the club was the biggest open secret in football as Chelsea, unwilling to pay his severance, hoped someone would rid them of this troublesome manager. No one did. So, replacing him with Maurizio Sarri meant dealing with Napoli’s president/madman Aurelio de Laurentiis. Negotiations dragged on throughout the summer. Supposed deadlines came and went. Players did not know when to report back to training. Chelsea may have saved a few quid by delaying negotiations, but its dithering will cost millions if they miss out on the Champions League, Thibaut Courtois leaves the club in the lurch, and Conte wins a court case for constructive dismissal. Director of football Michael Emenalo left in November, and there is no discernable long term plan coming from Stamford Bridge. It is a textbook demonstration of the old adage, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
The Community Shield was a clear illustration of the difference between a team with a plan and a team that only recently learned its new purpose. Manchester City’s lineup was unexpectedly strong considering so many players were only just returning from the World Cup. These were motivated athletes hungry to begin the season and defend their title. Compare that attitude with Willian reporting to training five days late because of a “strange” passport issue, Eden Hazard taking an extra travel day, and Courtois going AWOL. One team was ready for this match, and one team was still very much trying to figure out where they even were in preseason.