Jose Mourinho's Chelsea jigsaw and the missing piece

Jose Mourinho – Man with a mind of his own

There are many things that one admires in a man like Jose Mourinho, things that make him the manager he is. One such characteristic that stands out all too explicitly is his tactical brilliance, and his penchant for strategies that make his sides organized, efficient and intimidating to come up against. The key to this trait is Mourinho’s exhaustive attention to detail, his fearlessness in making changes where he sees fit and an almost stubborn sense of determination in his beliefs. There are incidents that support this almost obsessive eye for minute things, like how he learnt Catalan just so he could convey Bryan Robson’s instructions to the Barcelona squad efficiently, his decision to sell highly rated Arjen Robben to Real Madrid, his refusal to given in to Abrahimovic’s demands to play Andriy Shevchenko and many more.

Long story short, what Jose Mourinho wants, Jose Mourinho does, and all the aforementioned traits are all still visible in his second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge. As has always been the case, Mourinho got down to rebuilding his Chelsea side almost immediately. Mourinho inherited a side that had won the Europa League, and with a number of potential world class players in the ranks. The initial transfer buzz suggested that Mourinho was looking to improve a forward line which had only Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, as both had performed below expected standards in the past season. Andre Schuerrle’s arrival was an indicator that Mourinho was thinking along those very same lines, as the versatile German international could play on either wing or as a centre forward if the need be. Romelu Lukaku was also recalled from his impressive loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, which essentially doubled Chelsea’s forward line in a span of a month.

The second problem area had been Chelsea’s central midfield, where a lack of steel and composure had triggered numerous reactions. Ramires was unable to adapt into a deeper role in a 4-2-3-1, David Luiz was played numerous times in a holding role, Oriol Romeu was out thanks to a long term injury and an ageing Frank Lampard had too many expectations on his shoulders. Hence, Mourinho brought in Dutchman Marco Van Ginkel, a central midfielder known for his ability to keep the ball and pass it around, something Chelsea had been lacking in the past season. Romeu was loaned out to Valencia, signaling that Van Ginkel was now expected to play an important first team role.

Third, the 4-2-3-1 collapsed a number of times not only due to the lack of strength in the middle of the park but also because of the failure of the wingers to drop back to defend. In a 4-2-3-1, there is considerable space between the winger and the corresponding full back on each flank, meaning that unless the wingers drop into midfield, there is space to exploit for opposing wide midfielders or wingers. The perfect example of these weaknesses being exposed was in the Champions League group match against Shakhtar Donetsk. Box to box midfielder Fernandinho dictated play against Chelsea’s clueless centre midfield, while Willian and Mkhitaryan regularly wandered into the gaps left on the wings to torment the defence. Shakhtar had 54% of the ball on the night, this inspite Chelsea starting with Ramires, Mikel and Lampard. Shakhtar won 2-1, but the scoreline could have been much worse had Shakhtar made most of their chances.

Chelsea’s goal was also a consolation scored late on by Oscar, in the 88^th minute. Citing this reason, Mourinho chose to sign wide midfielders instead of wingers, as wide midfielders were more proficient when it came to a balanced style of play. Kevin De Bruyne, who had featured as a wide midfielder for Genk was brought back from a fruitful loan spell at Werder Bremen, Porto’s highly rated youngster Christian Atsu were brought in. Andre Schuerrle, who has a reputation for tracking back to do his defensive duties also fell perfectly into this category of players. Willian, Chelsea’s tormentor in the Champions League match against Shakhtar, was also bought from Russian side Anzi Makhachkala. Naturally, Chelsea’s two other wingers, Victor Moses and Marko Marin were loaned to Liverpool and Sevilla respectively. This move allowed Mourinho the option to experiment with a fluid 4-3-3, now that he had the players to function both as wingers and wide midfielders. The pieces of Mourinho’s tactical jigsaw were now falling into place.

As is said, the final piece of the jigsaw is often the most important. Without it, no matter how good the rest of it looks, the flaw is always all too evident. The last piece that Mourinho wanted for his Chelsea side, was a link to make his 4-3-3 fluid not only in terms of their attacking movement, but also during defensive transitions. Mourinho fought tooth and nail all summer to get his hands on this entity, who goes by the name of Wayne Rooney. And looking at Chelsea’s tactics this season, it isn’t hard to see why Rooney would have been the perfect match for the Blues.

Mourinho started off this season continuing with the familiar 4-2-3-1 against Hull City, utilizing Oscar behind Torres, and Hazard and De Bruyne on the flanks. De Bruyne, as expected slotted easily into the system, providing Oscar with the assist for Chelsea’s first goal of the new season. The Belgian duo pressed Hull into their own half, as Chelsea piled on the pressure, encouraging signs that Mourinho’s tactics were working. In the second game against Aston Villa, Mourinho worked once again with the 4-2-3-1, only this time Juan Mata was deployed instead of Kevin De Bruyne and Ba started in place of Fernando Torres. The Blues were fortunate to win 2-1, but for the second time in a row, Chelsea’s forwards had failed to score. Suddenly Rooney’s pursuit became all the more important, which is why Mourinho hatched a clever ploy to try and turn Rooney’s head.

Chelsea were now up against Manchester United, who had Wayne Rooney fit to start again. Mourinho, expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 with Torres up front, started with a side that came closest to representing the one that Mourinho had been working all summer to emulate. He started with a fluid front line, Andre Schuerrle playing as a deep lying forward, with Hazard, Mata and De Bruyne playing behind him. The formation was essentially a False 9 formation, utilizing Schuerrle’s ability to pick up the ball from deep to create chances for the wingers. This side put out by Mourinho raised many questions- Why start with Schuerrle up front when Torres and Ba were available? Why was Juan Mata benched inspite of being fit? Why the False 9 formation, when Chelsea had won both their previous games with a conventional 4-2-3-1? And why was Torres rested inspite of his excellent record against Nemanja Vidic?

Was Wayne Rooney the catalyst for Chelsea’s title hopes?

All logical answers pointed towards one thing- the formation was a lure for Wayne Rooney, to tell him that the system that awaited him at Stamford Bridge was built exclusively for him, around him. This was almost as direct a message as Mourinho could give Rooney, at Stamford Bridge Rooney would be the main man, and that he would no longer be playing second fiddle to Robin van Persie. The match ended with a dull 0-0, the False 9 did not work as planned because Schuerrle regularly drifted to his preferred wing position, leaving Oscar to do a majority of the work. Wayne Rooney though, put in a fantastic shift, displaying glimpses of his all round game that Mourinho so badly wanted at Stamford Bridge.

Wayne Rooney is Mourinho’s first choice player for multiple reasons. Rooney possesses all the technical qualities required to be a forward as well as an astute central midfielder. He regularly drops deep to collect the ball, distributes it intelligently, has a very good range of passing, is a clinical finisher and can run viciously at the opposition backline. Essentially, he has all the qualities that are prerequisite to be the perfect False 9. An added bonus is that Rooney has played as a central midfielder for Manchester United, and did so excellently in a 2-0 win against Stoke City. Also, Rooney featured prominently in United’s famous 4-3-3/ 4-6-0 along with Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo in a fluid front three that constantly changed positions and dropped deep.

Attacking transitions aside, the 3-5-2 that Mourinho uses while trailing also makes ample use of Rooney’s game. When one of the two defensive midfielders drops in as a third centre back, it allows both full backs to function as wing backs, as the False 9 falls deeper to add the numbers in midfield. Rooney’s relentless work rate and chasing down players becomes invaluable in such a position. In Chelsea’s case, even if Branislav Ivanovic drops into the centre from right back, Willian/Schuerrle offer credible options at right wing back, considering both wing players track back considerably. This will allow a central midfielder to become the second forward, a role which Wayne Rooney knows all too well.

As can be seen, Mourinho built his side to the blueprint in his head, keeping Wayne Rooney as the man who would complete the side. He even tweaked the current side to make the False 9 formation more efficient, by making Ramires function more prominently in the side. Ramires has improved drastically compared to his performances last season, as can be seen in his stats. His average passes made per game have increased to 60, up from 37 in the past season. His chance creation rate has almost tripled to 1.4, up from 0.5, indicating that Mourinho has instilled a new sense of belief in the Brazilian to be able to contribute more in midfield.

Unfortunately for Mourinho, Rooney slipped away. His failed pursuit made Mourinho look towards other options, those familiar with the False 9 ideology and its technical intricacies. Inspite of multiple strikers in the market like Jackson Martinez and Christian Benteke, Mourinho shrewdly chose someone more familiar with the False 9, who would only be a short term replacement. Samuel Eto’o had featured in Barcelona’s dream team, which utilized Messi as a False 9. Eto’o was more than familiar while working in an interchangeable front 3, and liked dropping deep for the ball, something that Mourinho was looking for. At the age of 32, Eto’o definitely wasn’t the most fittest and sharpest forward around, but the short term perks of having him around would allow Mourinho to target Rooney again next year if the United man refuses to sign a new deal.

Eto’o to his credit, has grown sharper with every match, and has got his name on the score sheet recently against Schalke and Cardiff. But Torres’ resurgence has forced Mourinho to stick to a conventional 4-2-3-1, which will in all probability slowly transform into a 4-3-3. As mentioned before, Mourinho stops at little to get the man he wants. The same goes for Roman Abrahimovic. Will the False 9 formation be a reality come next year? Will Wayne Rooney’s pursuit finally pay dividends as Juan Mata’s place in the side grows increasingly uncertain? Trust Jose Mourinho to come up with the answers, as the transfer window comes ever so near.