Maurizio Sarri generally welcomes the footballing common ground shared by himself and Pep Guardiola, although he was jolted by an uncomfortable parallel two weekends ago.
Taking an undefeated record to Wembley, Sarri s Chelsea were ransacked by Tottenham as they went down to a resounding 3-1 London derby defeat.
Guardiola s maiden loss as Manchester City manager occurred in similar circumstances in October 2016. Having started life in the Premier League with six wins out of six, Mauricio Pochettino s Spurs beat City 2-0 at White Hart Lane – a scoreline that flattered the visitors – and Guardiola s first bid for the English title never truly recovered.
The picture is, of course, very different now. City head to Stamford Bridge on Saturday with 41 points from 15 unbeaten matches, defending a Premier League crown they secured in record-breaking fashion.
Meanwhile, Wednesday s 2-1 defeat at Wolves means Chelsea have won only one of their previous four league games, suggesting Sarri is in the midst of the first-season slump his friend endured. But Guardiola s achievements in England probably bode well for a kindred tactical spirit.
That 2016 loss at Spurs was the second of six consecutive winless games in all competitions for the Catalan and began a torrid three-and-a-half month spell, which remains the closest his gilded coaching career has come to a crisis.
It took in a 4-2 humbling at Leicester City – a game that preceded Guardiola s infamous I am not a coach for the tackles remark that only fanned the flames for detractors gleefully pouring petrol on his reputation.
beat Manchester City 4-2 at King Power Stadium one year ago today!
See all the goals here for free f
— Leicester City (@LCFC)
The argument that Guardiola s method, in all its unflinching, attacking boldness, could not work in England was obviously blown out of the water last season to the tune of 100 points.
Jurgen Klopp s Liverpool are also unbeaten in the top flight this term, meaning two sides who press with a maniacal relentlessness in the opposition half are doing so week after week and reaping rewards. It turns out you can do that in England, too.
Guardiola s Juego de Posicion and Klopp s Gegenpressing meant the arrival of Sarriball in the Premier League did not meet the scepticism it would have done only a couple of years ago.
Sarri famously shared dinner with Guardiola and Italian coaching great Arrigo Sacchi over the close season, with both citing the ex-AC Milan boss as an inspiration.
Sacchi s guiding influence can be seen in both men s commitment to a high defensive line and forward players being bound by a non-negotiable pressing pact.
As such, Sarri s flying start in the Premier League meant eyebrows raised no higher than the Italian s own often-peaked expression. We d seen this before, so why wouldn t it work for the celebrated former Napoli coach?
