Originally published on the Montreal Gazette's Goal Posts blog on Saturday morning, 28th September.
Much of the press surrounding this weekend's matchup
between Tottenham and
Chelsea has been about the fractured friendship of the managers, Andre
Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho.
While it is true that
Villas-Boas followed Mourinho around like a puppy heeling
to his master, the comparisons are - as usual - overstated. Mourinho's
teams are usually best on the counter-attack, while Villas-Boas tends to favour
a little more ball control. The Elder's squads are made up of uncompromising
types who start out wanting to kill for their boss, and end up wanting just to
kill him; his padawan is far milder and prefers fewer histrionics.
But the clubs' rivalry,
based as much around Villas-Boas' ill-fated stint at Chelsea as their personal relationship, isn't
the most important battle of wills on display at White Hart Lane today.
Far more integral to the
Blues' season is the effect of Jose Mourinho's display of primal chest-puffing
affects fallen superstar Juan Mata. More precisely, Chelsea's season
doesn't rest on one clash with Villas-Boas and his new men, but with how well Mata is able to integrate into this newest
edition of Chelsea.
Why the new/old boss left such gifted
player sidelined comes down to one of only three reasons: either Mourinho felt
Mata would not be benefit the side; his playing would unhelpful to the player
himself (and, by extension, Chelsea) or - most headline-grabbingly - it's personal.
Whilie Mourinho has form
for playing the man, it's almost inconceivable he'd choose the even-tempered
Mata as a sitting target for this kind of vitriol, connections with Rafael Benitez, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos
notwithstanding. Thus, it's fair to assume that his reasoning
is probably tactical.
This is concerning, as
Mourinho has suggested that Mata's game didn't suit his plans. Even to
the most appreciative eye, Jose's clubs tend towards brutally effective
football rather than aesthetics, meaning he envisions a future for Chelsea
which doesn't exploit the strengths of a willo'-the-wisp like Mata. While
it's true that Mourinho has encouraged great performances from players like Cristiano
Ronaldo and Diego Milito, employing his unusual brand of discipline to an utter professional like Mata seems reductive and somewhat
counterproductive. Finding someone who can fault Juan Mata for the failed title
challenges of 2011-12 and 2012-13 is like trying to find a introvert in the Big
Brother house.
Minimalising Juan Mata's
football might be the easiest way for Jose Mourinho to get results, but it also
counts as a (admittedly petty) crime against the sport. Managers
are paid to get results; this particular manager chooses to do so in the
simplest and most straightforward method possible. With the force of
personality Mourinho wields - and the utter professionalism displayed by his
player - it appears likely that the requisite changes will be made and Mata
will adapt to play Jose-ball.
Chelsea will be richer
for it, but the Premiership may be immeasurably worse.
