Sarri to Juventus: How will chain-smoking Italian get on with fitness freak Ronaldo?

Chelsea have agreed to let Maurizio Sarri return to Italy to take over at Juventus, ending a stay of one year in London and meaning the chain-smoking eccentric will inherit a team including Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Blues will allow the 60-year-old Italian to leave the club with Juve said to be paying a compensation fee of around £5 million (US$6.3 million). 

Sarri leaves Stamford Bridge after an eventful season during which Chelsea fans never really took to the Italian or his own-brand ‘Sarriball’ style of play.

He did, however, guide the team to the UEFA Europa League title as well as a third-place finish in the Premier League - alongside the memorable scenes of his touchline meltdown when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted during the League Cup final against Manchester City in February.

That incident as well as a string of disastrous results in the league saw Sarri teeter on the edge of being sacked before the end of the season, before results picked up.

Ultimately, however, it was a loveless marriage at Chelsea that has ended with a mutually agreeable parting of ways that appears best for both sides.

But as Chelsea step up their search for a successor to the Italian – with club legend Frank Lampard reportedly the front-runner – there are also questions as to how Sarri will settle in at Juventus.

The former Empoli and Napoli boss inherits a team from Massimiliano Allegri who sealed an eighth straight Serie A title at a canter this season, and which contains the prodigious talents of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.  

But for a club so accustomed to domestic glory, the bar is set much higher and extends to the Champions League, where they bowed out at the quarterfinal stage against Ajax.

That led to a parting of ways with Allegri, and the primary task for Sarri – a former banker – will be to bring European glory back to Turin after an absence of 23 long years (and five losing finals during that time).

To achieve that, Ronaldo will be fundamental to Sarri and Juve’s plans.

READ MORE: Juventus trio heading for exit over 'preferential treatment' towards star man Ronaldo - report

The 34-year-old Potuguese arrived from Real Madrid to huge fanfare last summer in a deal worth in excess of $100 million, and was a statement signing to show Juve meant business in returning to the European elite.

Ronaldo hit 21 Serie A goals in his debut season, as well as that memorable Champions League hat-trick to rescue his team against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 second leg.

Allegri mostly managed his prize asset and his playing time well, given the inevitable demands that time has taken on a body even as well-maintained as that of Ronaldo.

Sarri will need to continue to get the best from Ronaldo on the pitch, coaxing goals and performances from him while ensuring the star forward remains a happy presence in the squad.

The Italian’s fabled style of play – known as Sarriball or Sarrisimo – is possession-based and fast-paced, and would seem to be conducive to getting the most from Ronaldo. 

While Chelsea players failed to grasp it (or he failed to implement it, depending on how you look at it), Sarri deployed it to great effect during his time at Napoli.

His team’s style of play was lauded as being the most attacking and eye-catching in Europe, particularly as Napoli ran Juventus close for the Scudetto in 2017-18.

Sarri typically likes a 4-3-3 formation, in a nutshell focusing attacking via overloads on the flanks to create and exploit space in the box.        

That would seem ideal for a man like Ronaldo, who has evolved from a marauding winger to more of an in-the-box predator as he has got older.

It’s also hard to imagine the decision to bring Sarri in being made without the Juve hierarchy consulting Ronaldo on the move, such is his star status.

It seems that Ronaldo has no issue with Sarri or his style, and sees it as something conducive to getting the best out of his own talents.

But what might be more of a challenge is man-management; at Chelsea, Sarri came across far too often as stubborn, grumpy old man, rather than a kindly father figure.

He stands in stark contrast to Allegri, who was a smooth, suave operator – both in sartorial style and the way he conducted himself as a manager.

At a surface level at least, Allegri seemed to suit Ronaldo’s own image and style down to the ground.

Sarri has a much more down-to-earth, workmanlike persona, and Chelsea even reportedly asked the suit-shy Italian to scrub up for his presentation last summer (although he was soon back in his familiar attire of a tracksuit for most of the season).

And then there’s Sarri's famous cigarette habit, which is said to extend to 80 a day. He was frequently seen chewing on cigarette filters to deal with his cravings while on the touchline at Chelsea.

Sarri is not the one playing, of course, but the clash of styles is a stark one when compared to Ronaldo’s famous dedication to fitness and maintaining his well-chiseled physique at all time.    

Ulitmately what will matter most is what happens on the pitch, but it will make for intriguing viewing to see how the Ronaldo-Sarri relationship plays out amid Juve's broader fortunes.