Pressure is on the Chelsea manager Andrés Villas-Boas as the club has had the worst set of results for more than 10 years and is in danger of not playing in Champions League for the first time since the 2002-2003 season. Rafael Benitez stands by to take over according to the media - But should AVB have more time?
Roman Abramovich bought Andrés Villas-Boas for the amount of £13.3 million last summer, making him not only the most expensive manager in the PL but also the youngest (34). Being compared to José Mourinho, the manager has been under pressure almost since his first match.
Villas-Boas has presented a three year plan to change the team and the club structure; however, a club like Chelsea demands results right from the start. To understand what Villas-Boas is up against, we should take a look at the former managers during the Abramovich ownership.
Claudio Ranieri 2000-2004
Win ratio:53.3 per cent
Notable signings: Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole,
Claude Makelele
Silverware: No Silverware, but guided Chelsea to
second in the league (highest in 49
seasons)
José Mourinho 2004-2007
Win ratio: 67.6 per cent
Notable signings: Didier Drogba, Paulo Ferreria,
Ricardo Carvalho, Arjen Robben,
Michael Essien
Silverware: 2 x Premier League, 2 x FA Cup,
2 x Carling Cup, Community Shield
Avram Grant 2007-2008
Win ratio: 66.7 per cent
Notable signings: Nicholas Anelka, Branislav
Ivanovic
Silverware: No silverware, but the first manager
to bring Chelsea to a Champions
League final
Luiz Felipe Scolari 2008-2009
Win ratio: 55.6 per cent
Notable signings: Jose Bosingwa, Deco
Silverware: No Silverware
Guus Hiddink 2009
Win ratio: 72.7 per cent
Notable signings: None
Silverware: FA Cup
Carlo Ancelotti 2009-2011
Win ratio: 62.2 per cent
Notable signings: Ramires, Ross Turnbull,
Yuri Zhirkov, David Luiz,
Daniel Sturridge, Fernando
Torres
Silverware: Community Shield, FA Cup, Premier League
The Chelsea-fans, as well as, club owner Roman Abramovich have been used to winning or at least being in the top since he bought the club. However, it seems as the team has lost its “magic” since Mourinho left Chelsea, and the hiring of AVB could be seen on as an attempt to bring it back. As mentioned before, Villas-Boas has come up with a three year plan to change not only the team but also the structure of the club.This takes time and the manager insists that he has Abramovich’s back up. Let us take a closer look at one of the most important but also hardest parts the plan.
First of all AVB is trying to revolutionise an ageing team. Many of the players have been in Chelsea for a couple of years now and are “over the hill” – the team simply needs new and younger players. This is something the manager has tried to bring to the club by the signings of Juan Mata, Oriel Romeu and Romelo Lukaku. The hard part is to clear out in the squad – to get rid of some of the old boys – as Drogba, Florent Malauda, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard. Villas-Boas have more than once put the older, more experienced players on the bench, given place to the young talents in the starting eleven. This has given him problems as the players who have been in the club for several years have stood up against him. At the same time are the fans furious when a club icon as Frank Lampard is being held on the bench. To make things worse for the manager have he often trusted in his Portuguese players as Meireles, Bosingwa and David Luiz who more than often has failed. AVB himself said on the 16th of February that he do not need the support of his players as long as he has the support from Abramovich.
Personally, I do not believe it is enough for Chelsea to get rid of the “old boys”. They need to sell the players that do not have an impact on the team – players as the harmless attacker Fernando Torres or Michael Essien – in order to bring some new faces to the squad. Porto’s attacker Hulk has already been mentioned as a new striker for the blues.
Time might be running out for Andrés Villas-Boas. If he does not get the results needed for keeping Chelsea in - or just outside - the top of Premier League in this season. However, Chelsea fans and Abramovich should open their eyes and see that AVB is not the “special one”. Perhaps not even the “next special one”. As long as the “Ghost of Mourinho “ is haunting at Stamford Bridge, Villas-Boas will not have the time and space to rebuild a new and younger Chelsea team. The question is can Rafael Benitez do it better?
