Fernando Torres

It’s almost one calendar year since we broke the British transfer record and signed Spanish striker Fernando Torres for a reported £50m. Needless to say this was also a club record fee. There were few doubts about the signing a year ago, Torres’s World Cup woes and injuries looked to be behind him and it appeared as though a return to top form was just around the corner. It’s fair to say that that corner has yet to be turned. Although we’ve seen greatly improved performances this season the goal scoring touch still deserts the Chelsea number nine.

At the close of last year’s January transfer window Chelsea fans were buoyant. We had just purchased one of the world’s best goal scorers, one that had yet to reach his footballing peak. One year on and the worrying lack of goals has become an ongoing saga. Yet despite this Torres still holds the affection of the Stamford Bridge crowd. There can be few fans amongst the world’s top clubs who would be so patient and so supportive of a big money forward who has misfired for so long. The difference at Chelsea of course is it’s nothing new to us. Torres would just be one more addition to a long line of striking duds. There seems to be something of a forward’s curse, one that strikes down once strutting goal machines and turns these poachers into weakened, pub team also-rans . So what does Nando’s record look like amongst the graveyard of Chelsea’s failed strikers and is it time we all admitted that it might be time to give up hope? Or do we still believe that Torres will come good?

First of all let’s have a look at how Torres is performing this season.  He has so far scored 4 goals from 14 starts and eight appearances from the bench. He has two league goals to his name and has a shots-to-goals ratio of 0.08, with a more impressive shots-on-target ratio of 0.54. Discounting Lukaku, due to lack of appearances, how has he fared against his two main rivals for the central striking berth, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka? Perhaps a little surprisingly he actually compares quite well. Drogba has netted 6 goals from 13 starts, four as a sub, and has only one more league goal than Torres with three. The Drog’s shots-to-goals ratio is an identical 0.08 but the big man has a worse shots-on-target ratio of 0.36. Before Anelka jetted off to pastures new in the far East he had one league goal to his name in 14 appearances. So compared to the direct rivals in his position this season Torres isn’t actually doing too bad. However a quick comparison with the two wide forwards is perhaps more telling. Daniel Sturridge has a whopping 14 goals from 22 starts, nine of those are league strikes. His shots-to-goals ratio, of 0.19, and shots-on-target ratio, of 0.55, both better the number nine. Danny boy’s been in great goal scoring form this season though so no real shocks there. The more creative Juan Mata however has now bagged 6 goals in 22 starts, four of those are league goals and his shots-to-goals ratio beats both Torres and Drogba with 0.14. Torres is not alone in being under par in the central striker role this season but he does have a strong shots-on-target ratio. This strengthens the argument that a touch of luck has so far deserted him in his Chelsea career – lots of his shots have found the target but still there’s been a lack of goals.

Next let’s have a look at how Torres’s record stands up next to strikers of Chelsea past. I wanted to be fair when making these comparisons. It is as useless as it is depressing to look at the goal scoring feats of legends such as Greaves, Bentley, Dixon, Hasselbaink or Drogba. Instead I wanted to look at high profile strikers we’ve signed, many for big money, over the last twenty years and I wanted to look at players with a similar number of games played. It is still early in Torres’s Chelsea career and it’s an unequal comparison to look at goal-to-game ratios of those who have played over a longer period. Still, I had start with another recent club and British transfer record fee, one Andriy Shevchenko. Sheva signed for a reported £30m and also arrived as one the world’s finest forwards but his Chelsea career didn’t hit the heights of his previous clubs. Even so his record of 22 goals in 53 (23) appearances now looks admirable, especially considering he had signed in his thirties. Another big money forward is Hernan Crespo, signed for £16.8m, and who’s two split seasons at the Bridge resulted in 20 league goals in only 33 starts. Another impressive return especially considering he was rarely afforded a consistent run of starts. Although both players had the weight of a hefty price tag they also had more seasons at Chelsea so I decided to look at those with a shorter Chelsea career.

Although Adrian Mutu was much more a number ten than a number nine (a snake as Ranieri dubbed him) his one season and £15m price offered a good benchmark. Mutu scored 10 goals in 30 (8) appearances, his 6 league goals are double the number Torres has scored in marginally less starts. Some striking ‘flops’ in recent years include Claudio Pizarro, his 2 goals in 10 (22) appearances and two league goals from only 4 starts looks frankly prolific next to Torres’s stats. Equally Mateja Kezman’s 7 goals in 14 (27) appearances, including 4 league goals in six starts, stands up just as favourably. Out of interest I checked on-loan legend George Weah’s record, he managed to reach his three league goals with only nine starts despite being at the tail-end of his footballing career.

There’s some top players amongst the ones I’ve mentioned, genuine world class strikers and undoubted legends in the game (and Mateja Kezman). So what about the real Chelsea forward flops? How does our number nine compare with the real striking stinkers? Personally there can be none more worse in my eyes than £10m lump Chris Sutton. Man, he was rubbish. Somehow he racked up 3 goals in 27 (12) appearances and bagged a solitary league goal from 21 starts. Thankfully Torres has treble that tally, so there’s hope yet. Another big money ( at the time)misfit was wee Robert Fleck who managed 3 league goals from 35 starts, again Torres is not quite at that stage yet. I thought I’d look at a few other forwards from the same era and was surprised to see that Mick Harford scored 9 league goals in 27 starts, treble what Fernando’s managed from 23 starts. Tony Cascarino, who football myth has it was once sold for a sack of football kit, has a better record than Torres at the moment, 8 league goals from 35 starts.

I started to wonder about wide players. If Mata and Sturridge are outscoring our forward so easily this season, what about seasons gone by? A look at the scoring records of Robben, Duff, Malouda, Kalou, Joey Cole – all offer no comparison. Sure they’d all scored a hell of lot more goals but they’d had more seasons to do so – an unfair comparison. So instead I looked for a wide player who hadn’t played many games in their Chelsea career and stumbled on blonde bombshell Bjarne Goldbaek. Staggeringly Goldbaek hit five league goals from wide midfield in 15 starts. Bjarne bloody Goldbaek has a better goal scoring record in a Chelsea shirt than our £50million striker. Incredible. There is hope for Torres though, he still has all the pace and power to frighten defences – it’s not like Shevchenko who’s speed had ebbed with the years. He still has the peak of his career ahead of him, he still has all the ability to turn the corner in his Chelsea career. We’ve seen the skill and finishing he is capable of, he just needs the belief and the luck to hit a level of striking consistency. But it’s also worth pointing out time is running out to prove himself to the coach, to the fans and to the owner. We paid £50m for Torres to put the ball in the back of the net. In 2012 Torres needs to be greedy, put his goals ahead of his build up play and bust a gut to get in the box and make things happen. Maybe then they’ll still be time for him to become a striking legend rather than a blemish on the record books.

Fernando Torres  2011-12 | 14 (8) Goals: 4
2 league goals shots/goals ratio 0.08
Shots on target ratio 0.54
2010-11 – 11 (7) Goals: 1

Didier Drogba 2011-12 | 13 (4) Goals: 6
3 league goals shots/goals ratio 0.08
Shots on target ratio 0.36

Daniel Sturridge 2011-12 | 22 (19) Goals 14
9 league goals shots/goals ratio 0.19
Shots on target ratio 0.55
19 goals in 28 Chelsea starts

Juan Mata  2011-12 | 22 (2) Goals 6
4 league goals shots/goals ratio 0.14

Nicolas Anelka  2011-12 | 1 goal in 14 appearances

Andriy Shevchenko: 22 goals in 53 (23) appearances, 9 league goals in 30 starts

Hernan Crespo: 25 goals in 47 (26) appearances, 20 league goals in 33 starts

Adrian Mutu: 10 goals in 30 (8) appearances, 6 league goals in 21 starts

Claudio Pizarro: 2 goals in 10 (22) appearances, 2 league goals in 4 starts

Mateja Kezman: 7 goals in 14 (27) appearances, 4 league goals in 6 starts

George Weah: 5 goals in 13 (2) appearances, 3 league goals in 9 starts

Chris Sutton: 3 goals in 27 (12) appearances, 1 league goal in 21 starts

Robert Fleck: 4 goals in 43 (5) appearances, 3 league goals in 35 starts

Mick Harford: 11 goals in 33 (1) appearances, 9 league goals in 27 starts

Tony Cascarino: 8 goals in 39 (6) appearances, 8 league goals in 35 starts

Bjarne Goldbaek: 5 goals in 21 (19) appearances, 5 league goals in 15 starts

Fernando Torres: 3 league goals in 23 starts

Fans, West Bromwich Albion

Two homes games lie ahead, across two different competitions and, unusually for so early on in the season, everything rides on getting a positive result in both. If we’re to continue with title aspirations for the rest of the season then nothing but two victories will do. Failure is Channel 5. Failure would mean the league title is all but out of our reach before Christmas. It’d be enough to make you sob into your turkey and sprouts. It’s enough to make you nervous thinking about it, to be apprehensive at the two fixtures bearing ahead. It’s win or bust.

So let’s not think about the failure, let’s think about the winning. What if we win both games? The fans, the players, the club would have a surge of positivity going into the congested December fixtures and, just as importantly, the second round European draw. Chelsea can take a huge step forward in both competitions in little over 180 minutes of football. This is a superb opportunity to get our season right back on track. It’s a chance to get the stadium rocking and send the belief soaring. For us fans it’s the possibility to have an influence, to roar on our team, to make a difference.

We can’t hide from the fact that our big game form so far has been dismal. Zero points against any of our title rivals and comfortable leads given away cheaply in this season’s Champions League travels. But it’s worth noting that in many of these clashes we haven’t had the rub of the green and it might be that our luck is slowly changing. A clumsy tackle from Luiz in front of a passionate ‘SportsDirect Arena’ crowd could have resulted in a straight red on another day. But it didn’t. We went on to control the game and deservedly win. It was a performance filled with some thrilling skills from Sturridge and Mata, classy assured passing from our new number 6 Oriol Romeu, and the return of some dogged defending from the rear guard. Even Torres looked lively again. In summary, there was plenty to be cheerful about and a whole lot less to be concerned with – unlike some of the previous performances last month.

Both of these games are at the Bridge. Let’s make the most of home advantage – we need to be vocal, passionate and positive. The fans can help make both of these nights unforgettable, all we have to do is back our team from the first whistle to the last. As anyone who has enjoyed a brilliant, atmospheric night at the Bridge will testify – there’s nowhere else like it and it’s us, the fans, who can help make that happen again this week.

Andre Villas-Boas

A quarter of the season has now passed. With yet another lull of perpetual boredom and contemplation devoid of any football worth (otherwise billed as the international break), it’s as good a time as any to analyse how we’re doing so far. If you can bare with the analogy, I’d like to compare the season so far to a game of Snakes and Ladders. Now, for the younger ones at the front, Snakes and Ladders isn’t the latest mobile app nor is it a mind-bending, graphical onslaught on your eyes that’s released, just in time for Christmas, on your Playtendo 360. It’s a board painted with squares, ladders and snakes and comes with a die to roll – this is what was known as a ‘board game’. 

Onwards with the crap analogy. I’ve been hugely impressed with Villas-Boas forward thinking so far. From the get-go the team have had a heavy emphasis on forward play, a momentum to commit to attack. This was reflected in a solid winning streak that lodged us high up the board (league table) until we hit a small snake (Man Utd away) that was but a little setback on our progression forwards. After the United game there was, again, another solid winning streak. The dice was rolled and onwards and upwards we went. It was a run that put us within touching distance of the leaders but, just as we were about to overtake a rival, we hit a much bigger snake (QPR, Arsenal, Genk) and have slithered a good way back down the board. Blackburn away was a stuttering one on the die, perhaps fortunately missing another slippery fiend, and, with the leaders stretched ahead of us, the question is – can we start rolling sixes (getting big, consecutive wins)to catch up?

 Publicly Villas-Boas so far has done what a good gaffer should do and tried not to be harsh on the players for the dropped points instead referring to the luck of the die. Some you win, some you lose. To be fair he has made a valid point, we’ve had a lot of bad luck in some of these games. Foy’s incredible (in every sense of the word) refereeing ‘performance’, the numerous dodgy penalty decisions and harsh sendings off, and the flukey ricochet that gifted Rooney Man United’s third goal. There have also been a catalogue of glaring misses we’ve witnessed and, come to think of it, simple passes wasted – if Sturridge had found Torres (and he managed to hit the target) it might have been game, set and match by half time against Arsenal. Still the post match comments have tended to put these episodes down to the rub of the green, lady luck – much like a game of Snakes and Ladders. The boss has also eloquently discussed a lack of efficiency in front of goal and it is right to expect more from our finishing and attacking positions. I think if we’re going to go on a winning streak over the busy winter schedule Villas-Boas must address one thing as a priority – concentration.

 Although some of the above mentioned slips were down to ill fortune – the luck of a decision, the width of a post – others must be attributed to individual mistakes. Luiz was too clumsy, Drogba far too rash against QPR. Terry and Ivanovic were caught dozing, waiting for the whistle, as Walcott raced through, whereas Bosingwa was caught too far up the pitch against Wright-Phillips, Sandros and De Bruyne. Malouda gift-wrapped Van Persie a blinding through ball, Cech culpable with three near post goals and no saves to note in the same match. Midfield have been guilty of easily squandering possession with misplaced passes and not tracking back, Mikel in particular needs a reminder of his anchor role duties. Upfront has been just as error prone – surely the inexplicable miss from Torres at Old Trafford must have been down to him switching off and not concentrating on striking the ball? We’ve endured more sitters – missed by Lampard and Meireles against Genk, Anelka against QPR, Mata had a glorious chance to win it against Arsenal and, as mentioned, the bad decision-making what was a day to forget for Sturridge.

You can train a team all week long but cutting out these individual errors is a much trickier task. Is it confidence, psychology, fatigue? Or are long drills out on the practice pitches something that will iron out the errors? Who knows but, for a manager with such an eye for detail, I’m optimistic Villas-Boas will be working on finding a solution. The squad undoubtedly has the talent. The manager has got the team working some slick, attacking and often gung-ho football this season that has been thoroughly entertaining to watch – just occasionally not with a happy ending. He’s managed the squad extremely well, created a squad ethos and rested players at the right times. He’s shown excellent tactical acumen and nous to make brave changes to try and win each game. The next task must be to get the team to be switched on for the full ninety and cut out the sloppy and costly lapses of concentration. After such a bright start Torres looked more like £5m worth of  footballer against Arsenal and Genk away – we’ve seen the talent is plainly there but the confidence often isn’t – we need a striker playing without fear, preferably bagging twenty a season to win the league title. Confidence and concentration need to be instilled into the mindset of each player. This is where Villas-Boas can earn his money, it’s time to use the international break for a little man management and to rabble-rouse the troops for a winter offensive. The first game back is a huge opportunity against one of the title rivals, it’s a potential six pointer (big ladder), let’s get the win and kick-on up the table (board)!

Our north London neighbours, stung by the humiliating trouncings dished out last weekend, were predictably heavily involved. Arsenal’s panic buying resulting in them paying over the odds for the poor man’s Fabregas, aka Mikel Arteta, to replace the real deal and deciding the best plan for a leaky defence was a Brazilian left back for whom the art of defending has been omitted from the instruction manual. Meanwhile the professor’s principles on youth have been quickly jettisoned now the natives are restless as they loan out the promising Henri Lansbury and replace him with 31 year-old Benayoun. More on which later. Time will tell if loaning Bendtner to Sunderland as the clock ticked down and signing the Korean Park Chu-Young was a Wenger masterstroke.  Out of interest for future reference may I present the current form of messrs Rosicky, Chamakh, Djourou and Arshavin and let you be the judge. Meanwhile Spuds sign old boy Parker, who to me was slow in his twenties so he must be going backwards by now, but is a no nonsense pro who can put a tackle in and play a bit. This would have been a decent purchase, with a reasonable transfer value for once, if it wasn’t for the rest of the Premiership biding their time on deadline day to shaft them. It’s been well documented that Spuds needed to shift some players to draft in another striker. However, the other clubs simply waited to call their bluff and seven first team squad members were pillaged at the death with little funds (what’s with all these loans?!) and even less time in the window to reinvest. They did manage to keep a disgruntled Luca Modric (who’s ‘head has been turned’ like something out of the Exorcist) and lost out on a reported £40 million for their troubles. Great work from Levy, please keep it up.

At Chelsea we had our own bit of last minute excitement with the solid purchase of Raul Meireles, a nice addition to the centre of the pitch. I already like the fact that he’s picked up Robbie’s number 16 shirt, they are similarities with Di Matteo and the Portuguese. A good eye for goal, an all action approach and a slick passer, he should fit in very well. Whether he’s the answer to our creativity problems doesn’t ‘Mata’ as for the key signing in that department has already been made. Personally I can’t wait for the pun filled, poor quality fleet street headlines our new number ten will generate– ‘Juan nil’, ‘Mata Goal!’ ‘No Mata’ etc. There was some slightly disappointing loan deals from our end, Van Aanholt looks a terrific footballer to me and it’s a shame he’s been farmed out to Wigan when he’s shown enough quality to push Cole at left back. I can see the logic in it though as Bertrand will now contest that place and it’s a position we’re somewhat oversubscribed in. I was also looking forward to seeing Kakuta’s pace in the side this year so the loan was a surprise. Hopefully he can progress as much as Sturridge did and can push for a first team place in 2012.  On the plus side we did, thankfully, keep Studge, McEachran and Bertrand, who I think, alongside the boy Hulk Lukaku, will get a good number of games this season. Benayoun is a strange one, maybe it’s a wage bill that dictates or Mata’s arrival, but I can’t see the value in loaning him to Arsenal and improving their waning side. Yossi has guile on the wings and in the centre, he’s good option to have, and he would have done us another season as we wait for the inevitable Modric saga to resurface.

Much of the summer dealings appeared nonsensical, mainly why do so many clubs leave it so late to try and pick up a bargain? It’s like a crazed department store on Christmas Eve, with Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce wrestling over a knocked down tie and cufflinks set. As we’ve seen already AVB talks a lot of sense and if he’s a strong advocator to reform the window, so that it closes before the matches actually begin, I’m inclined to believe him that it’d be a worthwhile change. As long we can keep the excitement of deadline day, completely with the shouty Jim White, flashing tickertape of regurgitated hype, and endless interviews through Harry Redknapp’s car window. I’ll be happy. 

It was a strong start to the season at the Britainnia Stadium but it wasn’t quite enough to secure the three points, despite our play in the second half warranting a win. Of course it is far too early to judge whether Villas-Boas’ philosophy is bearing fruit but there was enough encouraging signs to whet the appetite for the season ahead. Firstly the defence were excellent, Alex, Terry and Cech superbly fought off Stoke’s aerial bombardment. Although we had an excellent record our backline did look wobbly throughout last season. The players were sharper in the tackle, pressed earlier and were much quicker to commit to a tackle. The difference was we won the ball back higher up the pitch in the second half whereas in the first we cut out the threats out wide before crosses could be delivered.

As noted in the friendly games we are moving the ball sharper, movement was good and the players are trying not to dwell on the ball so the tempo was kept high. The standout performer who was constantly looking to stretch the defence was of course Mr Torres. It looked like our number nine has remembered how to play the game – he showed nimble skills, a great turn of pace and an excellent first touch that we could start attacks from – a hugely encouraging display. If Fernando can maintain that level of performance he’s going to get a lot of goals in the coming months.

I mentioned in my last blog you don’t have to look too far to see how the management have been quick to improve players. Whether this is an attitude thing or the coach backing the player I’m not sure. I thought Malouda looked back to his best and he was unlucky to be subbed when he was, he battled and offered great width and trickery on the left flank. Bosingwa’s confidence has returned, he was assured on the ball as he was in the tackle and it was noticeable performance from the right back. Especially given the worrying personal circumstances that have since came to light it was also a wonderful ninety minutes from Mikel. He looked much more dangerous on the ball, sprayed some sublime long passes out wide and was unlucky not to be rewarded with a rare goal. Much kudos to the man for playing so well given the news about his father, fans thoughts are with him.

Whereas many players have upped their game I think Kalou didn’t grab his opening opportunity quite so well. He was caught in possession too easily, drifted consistently into the congested centre and choose the wrong pass so often I had to check he wasn’t wearing blinkers. He’s a capable footballer but it looks as though Soloman needs to rebuild his confidence as much as others have already done. We have to expect Benayoun or Anelka to be given the right wide position in the next match.

It’s still all quiet on the transfer front but I hope we don’t fall foul to any panic buying as the deadline looms closer. We all know that we’re crying out for a creative midfielder and a winger but if they don’t arrive I think we still have enough quality in the squad. Why not give McEachran and Kakuta more minutes from the bench this season and see what they can do? Before we spend big let’s continue to invest in our young players and make sure the opportunities are there for them to make an impact.

One of the big bugbears for me last season was the lack of intensity in our play. We guilty of being too slow in the build ups and a worrying lack of movement off the ball made us look stale at times. Without the ball too often we failed to press high up the pitch, winning the ball back earlier in play, à la Barcelona. What a difference a coach makes then. In the preseason games the silky passages of play and movement have slowly begun to return as if the team have been waking out of a slumber. There is a sharpness in the passing that was missing for big chunks last term. More impressive has been the collective hounding of the ball and taking back possession quicker and in more dangerous positions. Big tick there then.

Listening to the players it’s clear that they’re all on board with the management philosophy. The first hurdle for the manager has already been cleared. We’ve heard a lot about the collective, the importance of the team, and also the individual’s licence to entertain. Different systems have been trialled, from the favoured 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1. The likes of Malouda, Benayoun, Anelka and Lampard has shifted comfortably into a number of roles. (Lampard as a Beckham-like deep lying quarter back was an interesting idea given his range of passing.) Villas-Boas seems to share Mourinho’s attention to detail and at the top level it is so often the details that make the difference. Of course it was Villa-Boas who helped to compile the dossier’s on forthcoming opposition back in the Mourinho era. The night before the game each player would be given a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of their opposite number. It would be no surprise to learn that same level of detail is being used by the coaching staff this time around. The training sessions so far have been completely centred on ball work and high intensity passing and pressing movements. The players have now seen that these methods are working and working well. The licence to entertain mean that the players aren’t shackled and can express themselves – we can expect to see tactical switches and attacking football at the Bridge. Another big tick.

In May the squad looked as though it needed trimming of deadwood but, to Villas-Boas credit, he has started with a blank page and given everyone a chance to impress. And some have taken that chance well. Last season Mikel, Bosingwa, Anelka, Malouda, Drogba and Kalou all had question marks over their Chelsea future, whether through age or stagnant performances. What has been refreshing is how these players have responded. Malouda has looked full of energy and regained that attacking buzz, Drogba’s been at his bullying best and Bosingwa has looked confident and classy flying down the right flank. Mikel, who started last season so well then faded in tandem with our midseason slump, has also been excellent. We all know that he can break up play in the anchor role and do a job but we want more from his game. Most fans really want to see Mikel’s game develop with a wider range, with penetrative passes and maybe even a goal or two. If Villas-Boas can get more attacking threat from Jon Obi then we’ll have a better player. Likewise building on Torres’ confidence and getting the side to understand his movement could unlock a glut of goals from the striker. Getting the best out of players has to be an encouraging tick for the new boss.

Whereas on the one hand the decision to review the squad has to be applauded by the same measure we have lost out on signings that could have potentially boosted the side. Last season we were crying out for more creativity in midfield and in particular most fans would point to a pacy winger as a transfer must. We’ve seen Downing, Young and N’Zogbia make big money moves to league rivals. What these signings might lack in panache they make up with premiership experience and would have been a good addition to our squad. More high profile moves we’ve missed out on are Aguero, Sanchez and Pastore, any of which would have excelled in a forward three. There aren’t too many top class wingers available to do business with, perhaps Eden Hazard and Juan Mata the stand outs remaining. It looks as though Zhirkov is on his way back to Russia, which is a shame, as he never quite lived up to his potential at Chelsea but this is an astute decision. It would allow us to add another foreign national to the squad and also gives further opportunity for the promising Van Aanholt and Bertrand to claim games at left back. The Modric saga is dragging on and Spurs look unlikely to sell, it will be fascinating to see if Villas-Boas can pull off a transfer coup to cement his growing reputation.

Last season we had the power of Essien and Ramires, a superb engine room, but there was a lack of creativity in the centre at times. Of course Mikel is more than capable of stepping into the midfield anchor position without missing a beat but the loss of Essien gives us an opportunity to put a more creative force into the centre. Villas-Boas has been very astute to size up the options in the current squad before splashing out in the market for any new additions. We might already have the perfect replacement in our ranks. Firstly Yossi Benayoun has recovered sufficiently from his injury-plagued first season to be a real contender as a forward thinking midfielder, aka the Luka Modric role. Just like the Croatian playmaker he has tight control, technical skills, the drop of a shoulder to glide pass players and also the eye for a threaded pass. For quite a few games towards the back end of the 2009-20010 season Ancellotti played Malouda in a deeper position at the left, or the point, of a midfield three. I always liked him in this position as Flo’s first thought is often to turn and run at the opposition. As Giggs demonstrated so well last season (no, not that) dribbling from a central position can cause problems. It was a shame that Malouda was not played there more often as ball carrying could be an effective way to change the pace of the game, drag defenders out of position and create space.

The final option open to Villas-Boas is to utilise the promising talent of McEachran further up the pitch. Ancellotti saw the youngster as a Pirlo in waiting, a deep-lying playmaker who could take the ball from the back, spray the ball about and dictate the game. I think this is a role that McEachran may well develop into in time but at this early stage of his career he might be better getting on the ball higher up the pitch. Firstly the midfield anchor role is often targeted and pressurised by the opposition to break up play at an early phase of play. With other midfielders committed further forward there is a lot of pressure not to lose the ball in these areas as well as pivotal defensive responsibilities. A player with more experience, Mikel, Ramires or perhaps even Luiz, would be a safer pair of hands. As an attacking midfielder Josh would be encouraged to use the ball much more creatively and, with less defensive burdens, some minutes in this position would surely boost his development as a playmaker.

Interviews have suggested that Villas-Boas is seriously considering these options and looking at how we can tweak the dynamics of our midfield to open up more creativity. A player such as Luka Modric would of course fit perfectly into the preferred 4-3-3 system but we do already have the cover and talent in our ranks to cope with the loss of Essien. It looks as though transfer dealings, other than the addition of promising  young keeper Thibaut Courtois, might just go down to the wire again. In the meantime let’s see what Benayoun, Malouda, Obi Mikel and McEachran can make of that available midfield position.

No sooner had the ink dried on the contract though than the naysayers were out in force to dampen the party. The Mourinho comparisons were as inevitable and as there were tiresome. The press have questioned if Vilas-Boas is too young to handle the infamous Stamford Bridge dressing room. You’d have thought the players were in there with rifles or something, what will they think of next eh? The continuity of the appointment has widely been attributed as a potential hurdle, Paul Hayward’s article in The Guardian believed the players needed to ‘shed their memory of him (Villas-Boas) as Mourinho’s dossier man.’ These dressing room bullies presumably would see André as Mourniho’s gopher boy, a kind of substitute teacher to ridicule, rather than a world-renowned, academic coach who is collecting league titles and Europe trophies as fast as his former mentor. The voice of experience came from former Chelsea boss and Walking Dead extra Avram Grant, who told Radio 5 Live about the demands of the owner and the club. “Roman is a guy who says he wants results, and he gives you everything to achieve the results,” said Grant. “He wants it as quick as you can, and you can expect it because he has put a lot of money in.”

So there we have the huge expectations of the club to deliver success, there is the added pressure of the managerial ‘fee’, there are new group dynamics which means the manager must quickly stamp his authority on the club and the difficult task of turning around the trajectory of last season. Welcome to Chelsea, it’s sink or swim. I think last season we had the talent to win the league but lacked the application. A top coach can make the difference. Villas-Boas seems like a manager who can get the best out of his players. In his first interview he emphasised the need of the group to work together, how the players were the only ones who can change things out on the pitch. Judging by Porto’s attacking instincts he empowered the players to go out and entertain first, if we can keep the steel of our defence then the season ahead already looks very promising. A splash of attacking panache and creativity in midfield is crucial. The full backroom team has yet to be announced and I’m hoping we retain a defence-minded coach somewhere in the set up as Porto were often too open on the counter. As intelligent and studious as Villas-Boas seems off the pitch, on the sidelines he can rant and rave with the best of them and this is also what the side needs. Far too often last season the desire and passion was missing out on the pitch and a kick up the arse from the coach rather than an impassive raising of the eyebrow might just be what has been missing.  Time will tell how the impending season will end but for now Chelsea fans just cannot wait for the games to begin.

As Manchester United fans look forward to a dream European Cup final at Wembley we’re without a manager and without a clue what next season will bring. I was firmly in the Keep Carlo camp because despite the mistakes this season he is an intelligent coach and I think he could improve on where things went wrong, if he had been given the chance. Continuity is the key word. Carlo not only knows the strengths and weaknesses of our first team squad and where to put them right, but also knows all about the youth and loan players coming through. If we are to genuinely embed these young players over the coming seasons it’s important that coaches don’t rely on established players that offer a short term fix. If the coach is under pressure to produce results or they are dealing with scrutiny from the board it’s a brave choice to take chances on younger players still learning the nuances of the top flight game. With the new financial rules on the horizon we need to utilise some of the talent the academy has developed. Quick fix solutions won’t give us a long term vision for success.

With a new coach coming in we don’t know what system they’ll prefer, the style of play, which players they’ll favour – it’s a completely unknown quantity. The coaching staff will have to work quickly to know the ins and outs of the playing staff and also the tactical styles of all our Premier League opponents. It’s a big ask to have them completely clued up to speed for the season kick off. Our main rivals for next year’s title have no such concerns and will be spending the summer thinking about nothing else but recruiting and preparing their players. It’s important that the club acts quickly in appointing a coach as we don’t want to be a disadvantage before the season even begins.

Despite Carlo’s success and how he dealt with the season’s ups and downs with dignity and humour we can’t deny that the team looked flat far too often this season. Compared to last season we were less dynamic in attack and the work rate and pressing were, far too often, sluggish.  Changes were needed, no doubt. Rather than sack the coach it might have been better to change a few faces in the backroom team. Getting in a former player as a number two would add new ideas, tactical freshness and also offer the perfect opportunity to groom a managerial successor. It’s an idea that has already brought success north of the border with our preseason opponents Rangers.

Given all of these factors the new appointment won’t be easy but it is also why Gus Hiddink is the resounding favourite candidate. He is a world class coach, he can offer continuity and he can show the ropes to a younger coach if we get the right set up in place. But just like Carlo, Gus is a man of integrity and the odds are stacked from us being able to prise him from the Turkish FA. We know we need to see comings and goings in the squad this summer so it’s important that the board act quickly and strategically to appoint a coach who can deliver, not just for next season, but for the many more to come.

It was disappointing. It was again frustrating. After a fantastic run of results to get us back in with a chance the team were unusually caught out by the occasion, like a rabbit in the headlights, from United’s juggernaut opening. We needed a real team performance if we were to engineer a win and it sadly failed to materialise when we needed it the most. By contrast Man U looked determined not to make the same mistake twice and pass up on a title defining opportunity –they were far sharper than their abject display at the Emirates. By contrast we were lethargic. Slow starts might just be the story of our season – they’ve certainly cost us a few points.

So where did it all go wrong? If you’ve had a chance to read Tim’s excellent tactical blog on these pages he gives a great insight. As I said before this game I thought the key battle was at full back, we had to get ours involved high up the pitch but, we were not only nullified, the players in question also had an afternoon to forget. Cole and Brana allowed players to turn infield far too easily and it’s hard to recall a game when Ashley was outmuscled and beaten so frequently. Ivanovic was too slow to venture forward, Cole was too slow to make a challenge. In addition some of our other star performers in recent weeks also looked like the form had visibly drained out of them. Rather than terrific David Luiz looked erratic. Mikel and Kalou have been superb lately but were left completely on the margins, chasing shadows rather than bossing the game. These are still young players and hopefully can take the lessons learnt into next season.

For the paper talk of an exodus of aging players it was again the old guard who were contesting every ball. Drogba, Terry, Lampard and Malouda all battled on in vain. I think that this type of quality, too often absent at Arsenal, is why these players still have a future at the club. I think Carlo played the right team to get a result but was let down by a slack mentality in the first half. There’s not a lot you can do when so many players fail to perform to their usual standard. Collectively we needed to press much tighter and higher up the pitch to break up play and case damage on the counter. Instead we ran out of ideas and were left open to counter attacks. Again, let’s hope notes are been made for next season.

With a Champions League spot assured in the last two league games I’d like to see Carlo experiment a bit with the side. Let’s work on a Drogba and Torres partnership, on a system that suits their play. Let’s try Benayoun’s creativity in midfield, like United have successfully tried with Giggs. Let’s give our young players some game time, Ryan Bertrand at left back and Josh McEachran in central midfield. It’s important that the groundwork for next season starts here.