Southampton have had an instant new-manager bounce while Huddersfield and Fulham look as if they must spend
Maurizio Sarri fell short of accusing his players of complacency, but admitted something strange keeps happening when his Chelsea team appear to be in complete control of matches. At Wolves recently their early lead was overhauled and they were beaten. They had more leeway at Brighton with a two-goal cushion established but still ended a contest, in which they had been utterly dominant, heaving to repel Albion’s late flurry of attacks. Every long ball suddenly seemed a threat, every set piece a route to parity. It ensured what had been an impressive display felt rather undermined at the death. “We are a danger to ourselves,” admitted the Italian. It is affecting some more than others in their ranks, with Marcos Alonso’s early-season composure having evaporated of late. He rather personifies this team’s current fragility in periods within games. They escaped real damage at Brighton. “But suddenly the level of application and attention lowered,” added Sarri. That, in truth, does sound like complacency at work. Dominic Fifield
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