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On Borrowed Time

Comment: 0 August 8th, 2011 by: admin

Roman Abramovich is not easy to please. Anyone who says otherwise is daft, lying or knows nothing of English football (and should remain silent).

One would remember the fate of Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti brought down upon him literally minutes after the end of their lowest-scoring, silverware-less Premier League season. It seems we are all supposed to forget about how their previous season (Ancelotti’s first with Chelsea, mind you) ended with a Premier League win, and a first FA Cup double.

Ancelotti was only 1 of 6 heads axed off and rolled out of Stamford Bridge since 2003, when the club landed in Abramovich’s now blood-stained hands.

And unless Andre Villas-boas pleases the Russian magnate, he becomes number 7.

LINGERING SHADOWS

When contractual obligations with the Turkish national team put Guus Hiddink out his wringing hands, Abramovich turned to FC Porto manager Andre Villas-boas.

The initial buzz (mostly from the media) regarding the Portuguese was about whether or not he was, indeed, a “mini” version of mentor and former Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho. The comparisons were to be expected, with Mourinho and Villas Boas seemingly inseparable as manager and assistant manager for Inter Milan, FC Porto, even Chelsea.

Going further, spurned detractors accused Villas-boas of being possessed by both pressure and frustration in his supposed attempt to equal and surpass what Mourinho managed to achieve. According to some, the memory and magnitude of Mourinho’s success clung to Villas-boas like a disease, supposedly consuming his being.

‘[Villas Boas] is always thinking about the ghost of Mourinho. How Mourinho won the UEFA Cup and Champions League, he refused to continue here because he was afraid of not doing the same,’ sneered FC Porto president Jorge Pinto da Costa after Villas Boas left for Chelsea.

‘He was scared of the comparison with Mourinho and he left.’

But he is not Mourinho, insisted a confident Villas Boas, who ducked out from under Mourinho’s wing to manage his own teams and afterwards break records set by his mentor.

Now, after a battery of talks and £13.3 million, Villas Boas finds himself back with Chelsea, a team whose spark proved elusive last season in the hands of Ancelotti. And as he attempts to oil up a seemingly rusted-up squad, all eyes are on his every move, surveying every decision with fine-toothed combs in an effort to prove or disprove these allegations.

Is there indeed enough spirit in the Portuguese to revive Stamford Bridge, or will the supposed ghost of Mourinho prove all too real?

A DIFFERENT TUNE?

Villas-boas’ attempts to blaze his own path across Stamford Bridge takes effect beyond the games. That’s how it seemed to anyone recently when, during the initiation ceremony at the Chelsea home ground, Villas-boas stepped up to the microphone and belted out a Portuguese native song.

The entire act, which involved whistling, was surprising and confusing, but definitely made Villas-boas stand out amidst the other new recruits’ rap and RnB songs.

But belting a strange tune is one thing; etching one’s name in the history of an English football club is another story.

Beyond the rhetoric, Villas-boas proving wrong the accusations of Mourinho’s ghost continually haunting him involves bringing in more than a few wins early on, under his own terms and by his own tactics. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson added to the Chelsea manager’s plate, suggesting the Blues were an ageing squad whose chances of silverware were nothing short of hampered.

Quick to retaliate, Villas-boas insisted on the potential of of younger members such as Josh McEachran, and insisting that his inherited squad ‘still have a lot to offer.’

But as if taking Fergie’s jibe into account, Villas-boas’ reshuffling of the Blues has as of late involved the signing of 19-year old Barca midfielder Oriol Remu to fill the gap left by Michael Essien due to a serious knee injury. There is also the acquisition of 19-year old Belgian Thibaut Courtois, and the bid to sign Palermo’s 22-year old Javier Pastore.

SHEDDING (DEAD)WEIGHT

But signing of new players alone – high-profile or otherwise – does not a rejuvenated club make. This is perhaps a lesson best learned by turning sights to Fernando Torres who as of this writing is yet to show the world why he is indeed worth the £50 million splashed out like bug-infested bathwater.

And as if attempting to further detach himself from the Mourinho regime, Villas-boas noted his desire to respect Ancelotti’s accomplishments and ‘continue building from where [he] left.’ It seems part of his strategy, to the chagrin of many, is parroting the Italian’s excuses about Torres’ inactivity, urging everyone to focus instead on the strength of the team as a collective entity.

But Torres’ star player tag price simply does not allow room for justification of anything outside what was expected. Admittedly, his fairly recent goal against Aston Villa in Hong Kong proved impressive and perhaps injected some hope for the Spaniard.

But in retrospect, his lone goal in 18 appearances last season is nowhere near what was expected and, to an extent, what is excusable.

One wonders whether Villas-boas’ visions of grandeur about reviving Chelsea from Ancelotti’s footprints fit well with his apparent lack of understanding of what works and what does not.

Then again, Villas-boas cannot be condemned for running another person’s club after the circling reports that the Portuguese, in an effort to start the club’s Premier League season on a high note, is planning on ditching Torres in their first EPL game of the season, against Stoke City.

Rumours also suggest that Villas-boas is keen on moving Didier Drogba up to main striker position and spearhad the attacking trio in the 4-3-3 formation Villas-boas is set to use.

This move could perhaps be one of many legitimate pieces of evidence that the Portuguese tactician can indeed shuffle the deck and possess the insight to steer Chelsea through the torrential waters of the EPL.

As for Torres, perhaps he may use the upcoming training seasons to prove his worth as starter at the Brittania Stadium. But considering the urgent need for a more formidable force against the physically imposing Stoke team, this might be highly unlikely.

RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Recently accusing the media of their ‘obsession’ over Torres’ performance, Villas-boas insisted on how ‘the most important thing…is to score and win.’

As of recently, the man’s words have proven legitimate and believable, with Chelsea raking in 5 straight wins in the friendly competitions.

Also, should one overlook the unsatisfying 1-0 Chelsea victories – both due to own-goals (read: saving grace) from Portsmouth and Malaysia XI – one may revel in the team’s clinching of the 2011 Barclay’s Asia Trophy.

If not for their eventual victory overseas, Villas-boas’ reality would have involved him drafting a comprehensive list of excuses to lay down at Abramovich’s feet before returning to English soil.

The Blues’ winning streak and their claiming of the Asia Trophy pose no question as to whether or not Villas-boas exhibits and possesses enough skill and tactical instinct to bring Chelsea back to greatness. Then again, Ancelotti’s season-long string of victories did nothing for him in the end.

As for Abramovich: damaging or not, his grip on the Blues extends to his reputed grasp on the necks of every manager that passed through Stamford Bridge. Villas-boas is in no special position to think himself exempt from that reality.

‘You change the manager when you see there is no way to continue,’ surmised Blues keeper Peter Cech, whom Abramovich brought in. ‘I think that’s the philosophy.’

Under these house rules, as of the moment Villas-boas is currently in the crosshairs of a trigger-happy Abramovich ready to fire at the slightest sign of weakness. Will he go down with the rest of the former Blues managers, or will he eventually prove himself worthy to be spared the bullet?

Will Villas-boas manage to steer the Blues towards his direction with Abramovich’s blessings? Or will he crumble beneath the Russian’s iron fist?

Villas-boas must shine; he must do what Ancelotti failed to do: revive a team bereft of silverware, carrying a deadweight superstar drawing in more criticism for the team than necessary. Otherwise, he joins the ranks of Ancelotti and the other managers now seen as collateral damage of crushing defeat and the wrath of an unhappy Russian magnate.

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