The stars most at risk from the Villas-Boas axe
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He arrived as Mini Mourinho, aware the comparisons are
inevitable and unavoidable. Yet Andre Villas-Boas knows already
that unless he is Mourinho-plus he will not be able to fulfil his
Chelsea ambitions.
Just like the Special One, Villas-Boas proved he can talk
for Portugal as he gave a wide-ranging analysis of his hopes and
dreams for his second coming to Stamford Bridge.
But where Jose Mourinho was able to impose his will on a
dressing room desperate for a charismatic leader who would sate
their hunger for silverware, the new Chelsea manager inherits a
very different squad.
A squad that has won three league titles in the past seven
years, even if European glory has eluded them.
A squad which has aged, no longer young and desperate, but
street-wise and perhaps street-weary, with a cast of heavyweights
who have become used to their own importance and who could see a
host of changes.
A squad at whose heart are the players who will remember him
only as a peripheral part of the Mourinho era, whose image of
Villas-Boas was shaped by the dossiers he brought with him to
Cobham on Thursday mornings.
That is why he represents Roman Abramovich’s biggest gamble, why
he must demonstrate from minute one of day one that he has what it
takes to inspire, cajole, calculate and conduct. Matching
Mourinho’s character will not be enough. He must surpass his former
mentor, win the internal battles all over again, prove, without a
scintilla of doubt, that he is a big fish and not managerial small
fry.
“There is no way I can avoid comparison with Jose,” said
Villas-Boas. “But I didn’t take the Porto job nor the Chelsea job
because Jose made the same steps. They’re two of the most
sought-after clubs in the world and in the end I had the
opportunity and was able to make them find something in me that
they thought would continue their route to success.
“Chelsea appointed me basically for my human qualities and that
is what I want to bring into this club again.
“The most important thing is to motivate the players to get
their ambitions right, to reflect again on what the club has
achieved in the last six years and we need to keep this route to
success.”
Mourinho’s route was to create a squad that proved too powerful
for his successors. Avram Grant, Luis Felipe Scolari and even Carlo
Ancelotti fell prey to the deadly double of dressing room gripes
and an owner who does not accept failure.
Villas-Boas, part of the coterie around Mourinho that bridled
against the boardroom barbs, knows he will have no more leeway than
his predecessors.
“There isn’t going to be more or less tolerance for me if I’m
not successful so this is the challenge I face,” he told Chelsea
TV. “I feel confident we can motivate everybody, not only the
players but also the structure. I feel confident I can respond to
the ambitions of the fans and the ambitions of the owner and the
administration.
“As a technical staff we focus a lot on unlocking potential.
Everyone has a little bit more to give and in day-to-day life
that’s how everyone progresses in their careers.
“We feel the players are the same. You have to stimulate them
and motivate them to look for the things they didn’t try before, to
give them freedom of choice as in the end when the players are on
the pitch, they face different situations they must solve without
the help of their manager.
“That is the kind of stimulus we want the players to have,
responsibility and making decisions, because in the end the game is
decided by those on the pitch.
“It’s a clashing together of two good organisations and in the
end it’s the relationship between all of our players that can lead
us to success, and that’s what I want to work on.”
The reality, as Villas-Boas does not need telling, is there is
one constant bottom line at Stamford Bridge, and that winning alone
is only enough in the short-term.
He added: “This is a club that has been used to being successful
and we have to keep it that way and challenge ourselves to keep the
habit to win and then win again the year after.
“I’ve spoken to a couple of players and it’s good to feel their
expectations.
“It helps to face this new challenge in a more concentrated and
focused way. We need to get the group back together and then go on
from there and face every single game as a game we have to win and
fight for it with our utmost desire.”
Villas-Boas was hailed by the club as “outstanding” but Scolari
was also dubbed “the outstanding choice” in 2008 and Ancelotti “the
outstanding candidate”.
The new man does not need to be told how swiftly things can
change.
Welcome to Chelsea.
***
The Blues most at risk from the new regime - and what
they could fetch on the open market
Frank Lampard (£5m)
Stalwart and dressing
room linchpin but now 33 and cannot be confident of remaining an
automatic starter. Needs to come back firing after last season's
injury problems.
Didier Drogba (£10m)
Wants to stay but
will look vulnerable if Villas-Boas brings Falcao with him from
Porto, especially after Roman Abramovich spent £50million on
Fernando Torres.
Nicolas Anelka (£5m)
Goals dried up last
season with none in his last 11 appearances and at 32 he looks
increasingly vulnerable. Problem in shifting him will be his salary
demands.
Florent Malouda (£10m)
Claims that he has
been told he is wanted but upper echelons at the Bridge felt he let
them down big-time last term after a great start. Went missing at
Old Trafford in Champions League defeat as well.
Michael Essien (£10m)
One of the pillars
of Mourinho's side but never close to his best last term and
appears more expendable than at any time since arrival from Lyons.
Coveted by others but powers may be on the wane.
Salomon Kalou (£15m)
Never popular with
the Stamford Bridge fans despite decent goal return rate and likely
to drop further down the pecking order in the new regime.
John Obi Mikel (£15m)
Struggled to justify the £16m in "hush money" Chelsea paid
Manchester United to secure his services. Hard to see him getting a
game if Villas-Boas can sign Joao Moutinho.