Eden Hazard, centre, Cesar Azpilicueta, left, and Jorginho are all integral parts of Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea side. AP Photo
Eden Hazard, centre, Cesar Azpilicueta, left, and Jorginho are all integral parts of Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea side. AP Photo
Eden Hazard, centre, Cesar Azpilicueta, left, and Jorginho are all integral parts of Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea side. AP Photo
Eden Hazard, centre, Cesar Azpilicueta, left, and Jorginho are all integral parts of Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea side. AP Photo

Chelsea's Jorginho represents shift in philosophy Maurizio Sarri has brought to Stamford Bridge


Richard Jolly
  • English
  • Arabic

Perhaps Nemanja Matic was 12 months ahead of his time. The Serb’s move to Manchester United last summer was a cause of some irritation to Antonio Conte.

“A great loss for us,” the Chelsea manager said at the time, suggesting the Serb was sold against his wishes.

If a robust, experienced defensive midfielder feels both a personification of Jose Mourinho’s ethos and the manager’s closest ally in a dressing room that scarcely seems packed with believers, the possibility he may miss Saturday’s reunion with a back injury feels another blow for the beleaguered Portuguese.

But it looks rather different from a Chelsea perspective.

Matic would have been integral for Conte last year. He could have been superfluous for Maurizio Sarri this season. His replacement Tiemoue Bakayoko is gone, loaned out to AC Milan, and largely forgotten.

Chelsea have less need for a hulking bulwark in front of their defence. A team with a tradition of winning the league in a manager’s debut season have been revived, but also reinvented. “The biggest change I ever saw in such a short space of time. Wow,” Jurgen Klopp said last month.

Chelsea were a couple of minutes from beating the German’s Liverpool then.

If Eden Hazard, another remnant of Mourinho’s reign and one who said this week that he would happily play for the Portuguese again, is the face of a side relishing a more attacking remit, the brain is a successor of Matic’s.

Jorginho feels the anti-Matic. He is 14 centimetres shorter and 18 kilograms lighter.

It may be a simplification to brand them a constructive and destructive midfielder respectively – the Serb’s passing skills helped him register seven assists in his last season at Stamford Bridge – but only one dictates play. Matic is no regista, no modern-day equivalent of Andrea Pirlo.

Jorginho is Chelsea's fulcrum, their classy constant. But as Sarri said when he unveiled his first signing: "Jorginho is not a physical player, he is a technical player."

Tellingly, given the criticisms that Matic can be too slow to pass forwards, Sarri said of Jorginho: “The most important quality is that he is very quick in the mind. So he has the ability to move the ball very quickly.”

He moves it very often. Jorginho set a Premier League record by attempting 180 passes against West Ham United.

It is not merely that he has had played more passes than anyone else in the division; he is already 111 clear of Aymeric Laporte in second and 224 ahead of Antonio Rudiger in third. Four of the top seven are Chelsea players whereas last year Cesar Azpilicueta was their lone representative in the 12 most prolific passers.

Chelsea played the fifth most passes last season, ahead of only Mourinho’s United among the top six. Now they have had even more of the ball than Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

It shows the scale of the makeover. Sarri previewed the campaign by saying: “I expect in the first part of the season some problems.”

Few have materialised. Perhaps he was simply downplaying expectations but it is understandable if he is surprised.

A 3-4-2-1 formation has been jettisoned for Sarri’s 4-3-3, a cautious counter-attacking side reimagined as a possession team.

Matic’s old sidekick N’Golo Kante forged a reputation as the premier defensive midfielder in the world, but now spends more time in the final third. He is averaging more shots and fewer tackles and interceptions than before.

“I try to find the striker, to be more offensive, to cause problems for the opponents,” Kante said in August. “I need to adapt in this role.”

But his industrial reserves of energy have equipped him for box-to-box duties.

___________

Read more:

Marcos Alonso: Chelsea offer full-back new contract but Christensen is running out of patience

Ross Barkley: England's Chelsea midfielder ready to 'kick on' and says his best is yet to come

___________

Manchester United's Nemanja Matic, formerly with Chelsea, would not have fit in with the kind of football Maurizio Sarri wants played at Stamford Bridge. Getty Images
Manchester United's Nemanja Matic, formerly with Chelsea, would not have fit in with the kind of football Maurizio Sarri wants played at Stamford Bridge. Getty Images

And the other position Matic perhaps could have filled, on the left of a midfield trio, was Marek Hamsik’s in Sarri’s Napoli and the Serb is scarcely a duplicate of the goalscoring, playmaking Slovakian. Perhaps Mateo Kovacic, a slight passer, and Ross Barkley are not either.

But the rejuvenated Merseysider, a player Conte either ignored or criticised, showed his quality as he served as one of the architects of England's victory over Spain.

Each has the mobility of a Sarri-esque No 8 in a way Matic does not. Mourinho’s fondness for supersized midfields, for picking more than one defensive midfielder, distinguish him as Sarri feels more in touch with the times.

For all the animosity between them, Conte was more of a tactical soulmate. They both wanted Matic. Sarri perhaps would not have done.

It is a reason why he represents a break from Chelsea’s past as the Italian orchestrates a revolution in the midfield.

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Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

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Barings Bank

 Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal. 

Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
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Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking,  remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

 

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By Marion Rankine
Melville House

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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

WISH
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How to volunteer

The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The%20Afghan%20connection
%3Cp%3EThe%20influx%20of%20talented%20young%20Afghan%20players%20to%20UAE%20cricket%20could%20have%20a%20big%20impact%20on%20the%20fortunes%20of%20both%20countries.%20Here%20are%20three%20Emirates-based%20players%20to%20watch%20out%20for.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHassan%20Khan%20Eisakhil%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Nabi%20is%20still%20proving%20his%20worth%20at%20the%20top%20level%20but%20there%20is%20another%20reason%20he%20is%20raging%20against%20the%20idea%20of%20retirement.%20If%20the%20allrounder%20hangs%20on%20a%20little%20bit%20longer%2C%20he%20might%20be%20able%20to%20play%20in%20the%20same%20team%20as%20his%20son%2C%20Hassan%20Khan.%20The%20family%20live%20in%20Ajman%20and%20train%20in%20Sharjah.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMasood%20Gurbaz%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20opening%20batter%2C%20who%20trains%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Academy%2C%20is%20another%20player%20who%20is%20a%20part%20of%20a%20famous%20family.%20His%20brother%2C%20Rahmanullah%2C%20was%20an%20IPL%20winner%20with%20Kolkata%20Knight%20Riders%2C%20and%20opens%20the%20batting%20with%20distinction%20for%20Afghanistan.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOmid%20Rahman%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20fast%20bowler%20became%20a%20pioneer%20earlier%20this%20year%20when%20he%20became%20the%20first%20Afghan%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE.%20He%20showed%20great%20promise%20in%20doing%20so%2C%20too%2C%20playing%20a%20key%20role%20in%20the%20senior%20team%E2%80%99s%20qualification%20for%20the%20Asia%20Cup%20in%20Muscat%20recently.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Fixtures:

Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final

Table:

1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10

2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8

3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6

4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4

5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ

Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700

Engine 3.0L V6

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 340hp @ 6,000pm

Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km

Stan%20Lee
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips for avoiding trouble online
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if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets