Jose Mourinho’s second coming: A gift for the Blues and mere condolences for the rest

Chelsea FC – Favourites for the title?

For starters, Mourinho seems to have played all the right moves on the board. His eye for detail in revamping certain areas of the squad has seen some smart business in the name of Van Ginkel and Andre Schurrle. Moreover, his decision to keep Romelu Lukaku in contention and to keep tabs on the Rooney situation could also go a long way in deciding the domestic battles.

The influx of these new signings and the emergence of Kevin De Bruyne means Mourinho will stick to his preferred 4-3-3 setup that eases out into an on-field 4-2-3-1 ensemble – a style that should traditionally favour swift counter-attacks. By the looks of what we have seen in the pre-season, Mourinho has found a warhorse in Schurrle, who has pulled off attacking and defensive shifts on the wing. Also, Van Ginkel, De Bruyne and the returning Michael Essien should help Chelsea strengthen the central midfield and still have enough options to compete in all competitions.

While Di Matteo, with a similar system, was dependent on a streak of attacking bursts that lost their bearings by October, Mourinho’s improved unit should do enough to sketch a neat balance between flair and his emphasis on end results.

The other top dogs of the league on the other hand are scampering in the market to generate some momentum ahead of the season, as the Mou Camp at Cobham has all but finishing touches to provide ahead of the big kick-off. Mourinho’s Chelsea is not just ruling the betting odds ahead of the new season, but has also wasted no time to remind us of how a manager must prepare a side in pre-season.

As the league veterans like Wenger and Moyes are caught in a dilemma of spending money with not a single realistic target on the radar, Mourinho has done more than enough to outmuscle them in the transfer market. And not through the power of Roman’s unlimited wealth either. This time, it was by the virtue of a single-minded approach in snapping his target with little fuss along the way. It was never a secret that unlike other managers, window-shopping has never been something associated with Jose Mourinho – and again, he made that point evident ahead of the new season.

Mourinho would know that his current squad will not just be the facing the heat of being overwhelming league favourites but will also be compared to the ruthless unit of the ‘Mou 1.0’ stint at Chelsea. And to shield his players, the Portuguese has decided to start on the defensive mode by setting the silverware targets for next season.

However, it is tough to imagine Mourinho not complaining for lost points, bickering with referees or even missing out on a wicked celebration down the touchline. With Mourinho in their corner, Chelsea have every right to be confident.

For the rest in the competition, only condolences and a hope of miracle should suffice as the Premier League title takes its first few steps away from Manchester, on its way to London.