Jose Mourinho : Reviewing the second homecoming at Chelsea

June 3, 2013 marked the return of the Special One to his old stomping ground for a second spell, after his predecessor, Rafa Benitez left the club having lead the Blues to Europa League glory. The outspoken Portuguese re-joined Chelsea after a turbulent season at Madrid, which saw the La Liga giants succumbing to the might of their arch-rivals Barcelona, failing to win any silverware in the 2012-13 season.

Mourinho was keen to put the Madrid debacle behind him and wasted no time to settle into the thick of things at Chelsea by snapping up Van Ginkel, Willian, Eto’o and Andre Schurrle, as he looked to freshen things up and provide an “identity” to a squad that he felt was in its transitional phase.

The pre-season went pretty much as per plan as Chelsea showed their solidity at the back and grittiness in the middle of the park, which was a highlight of Mourinho’s men in his first season in charge. For the Chelsea faithful, happy days were here again.

The season kicked off in trademark Mourinho style as the Blues beat the Tigers 2-0 at home without breaking a sweat. Following the win on opening day, the Blues managed to scrape through with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa and a goal-less stalemate at Old Trafford, as Jose looked to stamp his authority over a young and inexperienced squad. However, his decision to bench Juan Mata baffled the majority of the supporters, who voiced their displeasure following the Spaniard’s exile from the starting 11.

Mourinho, on the other hand, had bigger problems on his mind, One, was to resurrect the faltering career of Fernando Torres, who with every passing day was looking like a liability for the club. Two, was handling the rapid rise of Romelu Lukaku.

In all fairness, Jose seems to have pulled the cat out of the bag yet again, as he eased both Mata and Torres into the line-up, with the Spaniards repaying their manager’s faith with some scintillating performances in crunch situations.

However, impressive performances of the re-born Torres and the signing of Samuel Eto’o meant Lukaku had to spend one more season on loan having failed to create an impression on Mourinho, who believed Lukaku “wasn’t prepared to fight” for a starting berth at Chelsea. Mourinho’s decision to loan out Lukaku seemed to be a naive one, but judging by the way things are going, it seems to be a masterstroke. Lukaku, out to prove a point to the gaffer, has been tormenting defences in the premier league, having snapped up 8 goals in the league, and more importantly, growing and maturing as a player.

As a unit, however, Chelsea have failed to showcase their consistency, having struggled to close out games on a regular basis. The defence has been leaking goals and the team has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four league encounters, a stat, Mourinho wouldn’t be too proud of. The defensive frailties from set-pieces and crosses have been exposed by Everton and Stoke City, and the Blues will have to change that, if they want to challenge for Premier League glory this season.

All in all, Jose’s second homecoming hasn’t been overly spectacular and eye-catching as yet, but has certainly brought about more stability and instilled a ‘never say die’ attitude in this young squad. Half way into the season, a three star rating for Mourinho’s ‘beautiful young eggs’.