Maurizio Sarri: '1 year' until Chelsea reach Liverpool's level

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted his side is off the pace of Premier League leaders Liverpool but hopes the gap will have closed by next season.

Sarri's men stumbled to a 0-0 draw at fellow London side West Ham on Sunday to fall two points behind the Reds. The Blues had won all five league games in 2018-19 before that stalemate.

Liverpool are now the only English top-flight club with a 100 percent record in the league this term. Sarri, whose side will face Jurgen Klopp's charges twice in the next week, admits his team isn't matching the Merseysiders stride for stride.

"They are a step ahead of us at this moment," Sarri said of Liverpool, as reported by The Guardian's Dominic Fifield. "We have started to work all together only about 40 days ago, less 10 for the international break, so for us, it's a bit early. We have to work, then, maybe, in one year, we will be at the same level as Liverpool.

"We need to move the ball quicker, I think. We need more movement without the ball. We are improving in the defensive phase. In the last two or three matches, we've done very well. But we have to improve in the offensive phase, especially in this kind of match."

Chelsea were the unsurprisingly dominant side against the Hammers, recording 72 percent possession and 17 shots to the host's six, but couldn't find a way through against their lowly rivals.

Sarri's passing-heavy, possession-based style - typified by Jorginho, the effervescent midfielder he brought with him from Napoli- is shining through at Chelsea, but games like Sunday's can always be a risk against teams whose gameplan consists of stymying the Blues' progress. With Liverpool unerringly finding a way to win, next weekend's Premier League showdown will be something of an acid taste for this early iteration of Sarri-ball at the Bridge.