Antonio Rudiger says he prefers Maurizio Sarri's style to Antonio Conte's

Sarri replaced his fellow Italian at the Chelsea helm earlier this summer

Sarri's free-flowing football has made an immediate impact on Rudiger

The Blues have made a 100 per cent start to the new season under Sarri

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has said he prefers the positive football of new manager Maurizio Sarri to predecessor Antonio Conte but is still surprised at the team's 100 per cent start to the season.

Sarri has won four matches out of four with Rudiger playing every game in a reshuffled back-four alongside David Luiz.

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'I played for Roma in Italy so I knew the way the manager liked to play and it was something I favoured. He wants us to press high compared to last season when everyone knows we sat back,' explained Rudiger.

Antonio Rudiger (pictured) says he prefers Maurizio Sarri's style to Antonio Conte's

Sarri replaced fellow Italian Conte (pictured) at the Chelsea helm earlier this summer

Chelsea have made a 100 per cent start to the new season under Sarri (pictured)

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'Now it is different. We create a lot of chances and for me that's very good. Mostly he likes the defenders to play the ball short and keep possession. I have shown so far I can do it but I want to improve every day. He is a coach who is not happy, he is always saying you can do better, and that keeps you alive.

'To be honest, I'm surprised how well we've done because players like Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante had big World Cups and came back late for training. They are in good shape and that's impressive.'

Chelsea will expected to win their fifth game in a row against Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Rudiger, 25, came up against club-mate Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe in Germany's goalless draw against France in Munich on Thursday night.

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Former Napoli boss Sarri's free-flowing football has made an immediate impact on Rudiger

Rudiger also believes Olivier Giroud (front-left) has a big part to play at Chelsea this season

He believes Giroud, used a substitute by Sarri so far, has a big part to play at Stamford Bridge this season.

'I like him as a striker, he is tough and loves to use his body. Alvaro (Morata) trained the whole pre-season when Giroud was late after the World Cup. But Olivier can be very important for us like he was at the end of last season. If he starts scoring, it will be a good competition for them.'

As for Chelsea's star man Hazard, Rudiger paid him the ultimate compliment by claiming he is better than the brilliant Mbappe.

'Mbappe is unbelievably fast, really good. To stop him, you have to do it as a team because alone, good luck! But for me the best in the world is Messi, then Hazard.

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Rudiger was asked to play at left-back by Germany coach Joachim Low in midweek. 'I will never say "No" and I think I did well there but everyone knows I am a central defender,' said the 25-year-old.