The second coming is upon us. The king is back. Long live the king.
Jose Mourinho is back in the hot-seat at our beloved Chelsea and I, for one, could not be happier about it. After several months of genuine dislike for football, I’m back in love with the game again. The interim one has packed his bags and headed for Naples, while we can look forward to a bright future under the stewardship of the greatest manager in the world.
There are certain similarities between his arrival in 2004 and his return this year. A group of players with tons of potential are waiting in the wings, ready to be taken to the next level. Whereas last time it was Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, this time it’s Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, along with many others. That glorious night in Munich felt like the end of one era and the beginning of a new one.
As well as similarities, there are differences. This time around, he’s not just a manager. As he said in his first interview since re-signing with the club “I’m one of you”. For the first time in his career, he’s taking over at a club who he considers close to his heart. I can only see this making him even more determined to make it a success. There’s not going to be any complacency, resting on laurels of past successes or anything of the sort.
The bitterness amongst other groups of fans and in the media make his return all the more satisfying. Street long queues are forming to have their say on why it’s going to go wrong, when in reality, they’re bricking it at the thought of Chelsea dominating again. Despite a pretty torrid last year at Real Madrid, there’s no better manager out there right now. It’s amazing that when he was briefly linked with the United job after Ferguson announced his retirement, he was spoken about as some sort of messiah. But now, he’s doomed to failure. Welcome to the anti-Chelsea world.
There’s no doubting that a few squad issues need to be addressed before things get underway. We’re not lacking in talent, but the squad is too small and too imbalanced. We all know that a top striker is needed, along with an upgrade in central midfield and a young, athletic centre back. I’ll leave the speculation on who these players might be for another post.
With a few more acquisitions in the summer, the three year transition since Carlo Ancelotti’s double winners in 2010 should be complete. A lot of players have been shipped out, with a new initiative to bring in talent at a younger age and develop them into world class players, rather than buy them ready made for extortionate prices (with the exception of a certain £50m striker).
Providing these matters are sorted during the transfer window, Mourinho will have a squad at his disposal that has the potential to dominate domestically and in Europe. There’s so much talent at all levels of the club, and it’s a great time to be a Chelsea fan.
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