The new boss feels that a lack of preparation will hurt the club in the short term, but expects to hit top gear in the second half of the season
Maurizio Sarri is concerned that Chelsea might struggle in their first few games as he implements his ideology on the team, having had less than a month to work with his new players.
The head coach's problems have been compounded by late arrivals coming back from the World Cup, with senior players such as Eden Hazard, Olivier Giroud, N'Golo Kante and Gary Cahill having only returned this week.