Since the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season, speculation had been rife over who would take charge at Chelsea with Gus Hiddink, Mark Hughes and Harry Redknapp all strongly linked with the Stamford Bridge managerial vacancy. In the end, there was something of an inevitability about the appointment of André Villas-Boas on a three-year deal as the new Blues boss, with the man described by Jose Mourinho as “my eyes and ears” returning to take the reins as Roman Abramovich’s seventh manager since the Russian acquired the club.
As manager of Porto last season, Villas-Boas has shown he is not afraid to tread the same path as his mentors Mourinho or Sir Bobby Robson, the man who gave him a start in youth coaching at the age of 16. While his triumphs exceeded both expectations and the respective records of his more illustrious predecessors, the spotlight will never have shone so brightly on Villas-Boas as it will this upcoming season and his capabilities shall be tested to the full in the harsh glare of the Premier League.
Tactics
The Christmas tree and the diamond have been confined to the Stamford Bridge dustbin; it’s 4-3-3 all the way for the new boss. Villas-Boas has a tendency to play inverted wingers up front, with left-footed Hulk, stationed on the right, grabbing 16 assists in addition to his 23 goals for Porto last season.
This works well when the team are in the “attacking phase”; both full-backs can push on into the space vacated and the deepest lying midfielder drops alongside the centre-backs, as the shape resembles a 3-4-3. It’s a fundamental difference to Mourinho’s take on the formation and an approach that brought Villas-Boas’ Porto 145 goals in 58 games, along with the Europa League and Portuguese domestic double. Defending, the front wide men pull back as the formation becomes 4-1-4-1.
How might this translate to Fantasy Premier League? Porto full-back Alvaro Pereira picking up 5 assists in 21 games last term, only one less than the two most-used central midfielders, Moutinho and Belluschi; with license to go forward, this bodes well for the attacking returns of Ashley Cole next season.
In terms of goals, Porto’s front three were responsible for 54 of the side’s 73 in the league last season, an indication of both their ruthlessness and direct play. Having splashed out £50m on Fernando Torres, Abramovich will surely be keen for the Spaniard to spearhead the attack next season, with question marks raised against the likelihood of Drogba’s role come August. A move for Porto’s star striker Falcao -given the club will play with a lone forward- would therefore come as something of a surprise.
In midfield, plenty of industry and battle is a must-have as a link between back and front, though Chelsea are lacking a Moutinho, a real midfield schemer and playmaker type, and it’s perhaps understandable why a move for Luka Modric has already been made.
Dressing Room
Unlike most of the last few Chelsea managers, Villas-Boas has the distinct advantage of arriving in a league he is already very familiar with; previously part of the Mourinho regime for three years, his job involved compiling Opponent Observation Department (OOD) reports, preparing meticulously-detailed dossiers on other teams and his attention to detail is legendary; he holds special 30-minute tactical teach-ins the day after each match in addition to sessions after every training session.
Having therefore already been part of the same environment in a far lesser role, it’ll be intriguing to see how Villas-Boas is accepted by the players. Previous bosses such as Phil Scolari have cited dressing room unrest as a disruptive matter and, in the last couple of weeks, Salomon Kalou has admitted certain players’ egos proved debilitating in last season’s run-in.
Similar to Mourinho, though, Villas-Boas is a master in instilling great team spirit amongst his players and will be keen to iron out any dressing room differences. Porto forward Silvestre Varela had this to say regarding team morale at Porto:
“He brought an enormous will to win to our team and fostered a great spirit of sacrifice among all of us. He’s a coach who is close to the players and talks a lot with us. He’s always interested in knowing our opinion about every matter and gives freedom to the players.”
The Porto keeper Beto hailed his manager’s speech on the eve of the Europa Cup Final:
It was so moving it brought tears to my eyes. Every player left that room sure we would beat Braga.
Upon arriving at Porto last season, Villas-Boas showed a ruthless streak in ridding the club of possibly their two most influential players, Raul Meireles and Bruno Alves; he is clearly not afraid of making bold decisions and the Stamford Bridge departures over the next couple of months may well be as intriguing as any new arrivals.
