Jose Mourinho's Chelsea jigsaw and the missing piece

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.