In a week of sparked controversy and downright craziness surrounding a particular senior management role at the head of our country’s football-ing ambition, it seems the talk about Chelsea gaffer Andre Villas-Boas has died down somewhat in the last few days, as Chelsea and England supporters seek to throw in their ideas about Capello, Redknapp and, well, any other manager that would be brave enough to put their name forward.
Yet with this potential distraction comes more twists and turns, as Capello’s name is now thrown into the hat for the Chelsea role and with a few hopeful fans begging for Mourinho to come back and save the sinking ship, it appears opinions of Villas Boas will be based game after game, with further slip ups duly noted by all scathing Blues supporters. Therefore with talk surrounding his future an ongoing debate on popular radio and television broadcasts, and with his touchy attitude and lack of adequate results, just how long does this pouty Portuguese manager have left in our ever changing English game?
Chelsea paid top dollar, literally, to bring Andre Villas-Boas to Stamford Bridge in June, 2011, spending in the region of £13 million on his services. The board felt this was a worthy investment, for a young Portuguese manager with incredible likeness to a previous ex-Porto success in Jose ‘The One’ Mourinho. Therefore it was not ridiculous to conceive the idea that his impact would be quick, and, with adequate financial backing, the idea that competing with the two Manchester Clubs, as well as keeping the pedestal as top dog in London, was far from unrealistic.
Blues fans shared the same promise come the start of the season, with the Portuguese manager appearing to be a more youthful version of ‘the great one’ himself. Signings were
=[p-0o9ade, both young and experienced and the team looked fresh and balanced, with Drogba and Lampard able to look after Lukaku and Romeu and help develop them as footballers. Unfortunately things did not go quite so according to plan. With Torres still yet to find his shooting boots, the obvious shakiness in the Blues’ defence and the off-the-field scandals that leave the media poking around for stories, the recipe for instant success did not, and still does not, seem on the cards.
Andre Villas-Boas cannot guarantee long term success, as no manager worth their weight in gold would be willing to put guarantee their club winners trophies and risk it blowing up in their face. Unfortunately time is not something that Villas-Boas has, and it is not just the lack of ambition Andre has shown that has caused him to end up in this position; it is the lack of inspiration shown in games that they should be winning as a formality.
Abramovich has been monitoring the progress of the club on the training field as well, considering where his hard earned money is going and attempting to find a reason why his Chelsea side are floundering somewhat. However is this monitoring a matter of formality? Or is Mr. Roman Abramovich looking for any excuse to bring in another, more experienced manager?