Ross Barkley watched videos of Napoli in pre-season in order to understand Maurizio Sarri’s style of play.
The Chelsea midfielder, who initially struggled following his January move from Everton, has enjoyed a positive start to this season.
The 24-year-old swapped Goodison Park for Stamford Bridge in a £15million transfer but only featured four times for his new side last term.
Barkley has already played in 12 games for Chelsea this season and has scored twice in his past two games – including that 96th minute equaliser against Manchester United.
But his resurgence in form has nothing to do with luck, and more to do with the work the midfielder put in during the summer.
"I wanted to know who the manager was when he was coming in. I had an interest in the style of play that the managed used at Napoli," Barkley explained to BBC Sport.
"So, during pre-season I would watch clips to see the patterns of play the manager would like and even the movement.
"You play football to enjoy the game and the manager wants to be happy on the sidelines watching unbelievable football."
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