Working for an owner who goes through managers like the real Ronaldo goes through pies, it was never going to be easy for AVB at Chelsea. This when coupled with the fact that the side have never really gotten over the departure of the special one and the spine of the team that has served the Blues so well in the past is now the wrong side of thirty means that the manager is facing somewhat of a thankless task this season.
With the risk of sounding like Arsene Wenger, Chelsea are certainly at the beginning of a period of transition, yet should the club encounter six trophyless seasons, they would almost certainly at the same time encounter six different managers. In Abramovich, Chelsea have a chairman who has poured a great deal of his personal wealth into the club, and they have to be thankful for that. Yet when he begins to interfere with transfers or team selection, a real problem arises.
As Mourinho once said ‘if Abramovich helped me out in training we would be bottom of the league, if I helped him in his business he would be bankrupt.’ Mourinho was certainly not one to tolerate meddling lightly, and the arrival of Shevchenko spelt the beginning of the end.
After the departure of Jose, managers came and went as quickly as Kim Kardashian’s marriage, yet in AVB Chelsea seemed to have a long term plan and threw all their backing behind the young manager.
AVB meanwhile, had some tough decisions to make with regards to the first team. The age old debate of which striker – Drogba or Torres was dealt with in the first game when AVB nailed his flag to the Torres mast, and made it clear that Drogba and Anelka were no longer automatic first choice starters – the manager has since shown that is not afraid to make big decisions, and is willing to drop anyone who is not performing, including the under fire Spaniard.
To his credit, Torres has looked much sharper this season, and despite missing a chance at Old Trafford which I’m sure had Harry Redknapp thinking his mother could have scored it, AVB and Chelsea can take heart in the semi-revival of Torres, and especially when on the field with Mata and Ramires, the Spaniard does not resemble the one legged donkey of last season quite so much.
Although most Chelsea fans would berate Torres for his ill-advised remarks on the age and pace of the squad, there is some truth to those comments, and his form aside, the Chelsea team as a whole looks lacking in more than one area. It is an unfortunate fact for AVB that the three players who were key to the very height of Chelsea’s success – Terry, Lampard and Drogba, are now the wrong side of thirty, and cannot perform to the level they once did week in, week out.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
It has, unsurprisingly, been Frankie Lampard who has come in for most of the criticism here, and after a couple of less than brilliant games, the media bandwagon was gathering pace quicker than Usain Bolt in its haste to tell the world Lamps was finished at the top level. Shockingly, this was not the case, and even Lampard himself would have to admit that a player may not be able to play every game, and to keep them at the height of their powers for as long as possible a rest is needed from time to time.
With the purchase of both Mireles and Juan Mata, AVB did a shrewd bit of business, bringing in players with the creative spark that Chelsea so desperately need. A major issue for Chelsea is that having gone from possessing one of the strongest midfield’s in Europe, they now not only get torn apart with the opposition going straight through the middle of the park, but can also lack that goal threat they once relied on so heavily. Mata looks to be a brilliant buy, and provides a huge amount of creativity, but he alone cannot revive an aging team.
The style of play instilled in Chelsea since the Mourinho era is something that AVB seems to be looking to change, with an increased fluidity about the team and less reliance on the so called long ball. This is also out of necessity, as the two players that were key to such style of play – Lampard and Drogba much older, and with the likes of Torres and Mata, a more expansive type of play is needed to bring out the best in such players. Again trying to change this is something that will not happen overnight and both Abramovich and the Chelsea fans need to realise that before criticising AVB.
One thing that AVB should be picked up on however, is the shambles that has become Chelsea’s defence. So far this season they have conceded 15 goals in the league – the total amount conceded in Mourinho’s first season at the club. This is about as good as Scholes’ tackling and is something that needs to be improved on and fast – looking at the Chelsea defence and their naivety it is not hard to see why AVB got the nickname Bambi from the Chelsea players.
The notion of player power is something that needs to be addressed at the Bridge, and may well have to be done sooner rather than later in light of the latest scandal engulfing the Chelsea skipper. It will not go down well with certain Chelsea players should JT be found guilty of charges against him and Chelsea take action accordingly.
As it stands, the club and manager are offering full support for the player, and as both Mourinho, Grant and Scolari know, cross Mr Chelsea himself at your peril. To say Terry had more than a hand in the departure of these managers is about as surprising as Robbie Savage admitting he uses fake tan, and it is something AVB cannot afford to let affect how he acts and who he plays.
After Chelsea’s recent losses to QPR and Arsenal, yes there are issues that need to be addresses – discipline and defence for one, but for all of you jumping on the AVB out wagon, remember that it was not so long ago people were questioning Wenger’s job at Arsenal. Look at them now – people judge far too quickly in the modern game, and forget the huge task AVB took on at Chelsea. One season without a trophy is not ideal, but can be dealt with. A place in the top four however is a must, and unless Chelsea miss out on this, they would be stupid to send AVB packing so soon into his time at the club.
[divider] FREE football app that pays you to view ads [ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]
