16Feb

Perhaps Abramovich should sack Villas-Boas after all

by Luke Moore

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If the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, Roman Abramovich is mad. As mad as a March hare. As mad as a crate load of monkeys. As mad as a nail. He goes through managers like hot dinners, greedily scoffing them down, fully sated until the next turn of the calendar and he’s hungry again. Hungry for more management talent to fire and hire.

There are rumblings among the press pack that his latest charge André Villas-Boas will be given a portrait of a Spitfire come the summer if he doesn’t deliver a minimum requirement of fourth place in the Premier League and a place in next season’s premier European competition. On the whole this is seen as yet more insanity from the enigmatic Russian, and to some extent one can only have sympathy for the Chelsea players as they lurch from one manager to the next without finding any real consistency. The team is in transition; players are getting older and slower, and additions are needed to keep up a minimum level of performance. Sacking another manager merely serves to put them back to square one.

But, would Abramovich be correct to give the young Portuguese the boot? Was he too hasty in hiring him in the first place? It’s possible to make an argument that the Chelsea job was too much too early for the obviously talented yet inexperienced Villas-Boas – a 34-year-old that never played the game professionally, and had never managed outside his homeland. It’s tempting to respond with a list of names that have managed successfully at the highest level without having played the game; José Mourinho, Arrigo Sacchi, et al, but just because some have succeeded long-term doesn’t automatically mean Villas-Boas will.

Arguably, Villas-Boas has been underwhelming from the start. At first he was looking to play the way his team played at Porto: quick, transitional movement of the ball from defence to attack, aided by fast players throughout the side, and accompanied by a high line of defence. This was folly; Chelsea’s players were ill-suited to such a tactic. Results were underwhelming and punctuated by errors and conceded goals as Chelsea’s ageing and slowing defence struggled, especially when turning to face their own goal. This, coupled with a bizarre decision to not strengthen with personnel more suited to that style of play (Juan Mata aside) meant a change of tactic was needed.

In fact, Villas-Boas has now failed to strengthen through two transfer windows with players that suit the tactic that brought him such success at Porto. The young Belgian Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly a prospect; he was the only Genk player that looked worth a damn during their visit to Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, but he is considered too young to feature at the moment, and was immediately sent back to Belgium on loan. The other signing made in January, Gary Cahill, seems like a bizarre acquisition. Part of a woeful Bolton defence for the first half of the season, he is talented but inexperienced in the upper echelons of the Premier League, let alone the Champions League, as well as being slow on the turn against the very quickest marksmen. Why hasn’t Villas-Boas moved for any more dynamic midfield players that lend themselves to his style of quick, transitional play?

Another criticism that can be levelled at Chelsea’s manager is his reluctance to rely on youth players to fill gaps when needed. The decision to overlook the talented young Ryan Bertrand for the game against Manchester United was a poor one, as José Bosingwa continued his downward spiral, which was only accentuated by playing him out of position at left back. It is hard to believe that this is a man who’s won the Champions League, his fall from grace has been so great.

Another young player, Daniel Sturridge, the west Londoners’ joint top scorer this season, has been consistently farmed out to wider positions to accommodate Fernando Torres when he would be better employed through the middle. Villas-Boas’ decision to stick with the out-of-sorts Spaniard is admirable, but how are Chelsea to ease more cleverly through a transition period if young players are not given their chance to shine in their preferred positions?

But when all’s said and done, it could in fact be the spectre at the feast that tips Abramovich over the edge. Relations between him and Mourinho are said to be cordial, and since the ‘Special One’ announced he’ll not be at Real Madrid beyond this summer, and is looking for a return to England, a new dimension has been added to the debate. The Russian knows how popular Mourinho remains at Stamford Bridge among fans and players (reports that he’s been in constant contact with senior members of Chelsea’s squad have only served to undermine Villas-Boas further), and bringing him back would be a PR masterstroke for an owner whose fans are getting increasingly impatient with all the chopping and changing. A move for Mourinho could prove too tough to resist.

After all, sacking your manager after less than a year is foolish, but replacing him with the best coach in the world is quite the opposite.

Related articles:

Video: Chelsea urged to stick with under-pressure Villas-Boas

Mike Calvin: Abramovich weighs up ditching beleaguered Villas-Boas

Jonathan Wilson: Why Chelsea must keep faith in Villas-Boas’ methods

Iain Macintosh: What Villas-Boas needs more than anything is time

Fanzone: Lack of wing depth stopping Chelsea taking flight

Video: Van Persie to Real, Chelsea want Falcao, Gaitain to Man Utd?

Ethan Dean-Richards: Why Real Madrid will win this season’s Champions League

Read and listen to more of Luke’s opinions on The Football Ramble podcast and website. Plus, follow Luke on Twitter @lukeymoore

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