It has only been a little over three years. Yet the optimism and the enthusiasm that have totally engulfed the United States with the inauguration of Barack Obama into the oval office seem like some distant memories. His speeches have moved us. His promises have made us hopeful. But with the economy in the tank, with U.S. soldiers still on foreign soil, and with Washington still as divided as the Red Sea under Moses’ command, we are forcefully dragged back into the reality that Obama, after all, is a human being, not a deity; a politician, not a philosopher.
With that cautionary experience in mind, I am starting to wonder if we, Chelsea fans, might be falling prey to the same phenomenon with Andre Villas-Boas.
Since the young Portuguese man has been named the new manager of Chelsea Football Club, there has been a generous outflow of excitement and optimism about the prospect of this signing both from the press and the fans.
This, in some parts, is justified. After a trophy-less season and the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti who is like the Italian uncle we all secretly want at the Christmas dinner, this is the first time Chelsea fans can hope again and look forward to the new season with a genuine sense of anticipation. The media also enjoys Villas-Boas’ incredible back story, the potential they see in him and the fact that he has given them something to write about during the silly season. In strictly business term, Villas-Boas is a very marketable material -- photogenic, young, hot and intelligent. Plus, the man is making all the right moves (whether it is assigning Roberto Di Matteo as Assistant Coach or canceling pre-season match that comes too soon) and saying all the right thing (whether it is the promise of attacking football or the focus on the group rather than him as the individual). It is hard not to like him.
While there are some who have adopted a ‘we’ll wait and see’ attitude, others have gone totally overboard. Some say that he is Jose Mourinho 2.0. Others say he will be even better than The Special One. More still predict that he is going to win the Champions League for Chelsea. We have just bought the ticket and some of us (both media and the fans) are acting like we have won the big jackpot.
We all know that football is played on the pitch and at the end of the day, the results of the games are going to determine if this signing was a success or not. Meanwhile, there are real issues and questions surrounding Villas-Boas that we are not pursuing hard enough because we are being swept away by an incredible wave of excitement and optimism. Some of these issues have been briefly addressed but never seriously considered. But I'm sure that if Chelsea season starts to go pear shape, everyone from all corners of the world will come out to make these points.
So, I'm going to state these points briefly here hoping that we can have a better and more informed debate instead of falling head over heel before Villas-Boas has even managed a game for Chelsea.
(1) He has only managed club football for less than 2 seasons. Sure he has been around football all his life but being the manager who has to make all the big decisions is in a different level. Some argue that being a scout for Jose Mourinho has prepared him for the job. However, it does not guarantee that it will translate into managerial success. You may be observing and writing reports on the enemies but it is the general who makes the final call, the battle plan.
(2) Primeira Liga is definitely a quality league but it is by no means as strong as the Barclay's Premier League. Villas-Boas' league success with Porto may or may not replicated with Chelsea in the Premier League.
(3) Kind of along the same line with the second point is that Europa League is inferior to the Champions League in both status and the strength of the competition that you have to face. Last year, FC Porto won the Europa League under Villas-Boas by beating these teams: Sevilla, CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Villarreal, and Braga. These are strong teams but not in the same level as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona or Inter Milan. Some of us have easily accepted that his success in Europa League is going to translate smoothly into success in the Champions League that we have not even looked at what other Europa League winning managers have done. Juande Ramos, Dick Advocaat, Mircea Lucescu, and Quique Sanchez Flores are the managers that won the previous five Europa League titles (Ramos won twice) before Villas-Boas and they have not exactly ruled the world of European football since then. Juande Ramos, for example, has given a great opportunity to shine at Real Madrid, just like Villas-Boas at Chelsea, but he didn't turn out too well either.
(4) Even though we are currently mesmerized by his youth, if he fails to win anything with Chelsea, his age is going to be pointed out by football writers and fans as possible cause of the failure. Some will say that he is not able to establish his leadership role among players who are around his age.
These are some of the points that we should be taking more seriously. However, this does not mean that I do not support our manager or that I do not like him. I, like any fan, LOVE him already and wish him the best but we must be cautious in our optimism. I'm sure he will succeed with Chelsea. Even if he turns out to be a bust, we have a solid team and an owner who is willing to anything for the club. After all, even Avram Grant took us to the Champions League finals, didn't he?
But we must not get so far ahead of ourselves. All I'm saying is that we should wait and see if the man is going to bomb any country or not before we award a Nobel Peace Prize.
We all know that football is played on the pitch and at the end of the day, the results of the games are going to determine if this signing was a success or not. Meanwhile, there are real issues and questions surrounding Villas-Boas that we are not pursuing hard enough because we are being swept away by an incredible wave of excitement and optimism. Some of these issues have been briefly addressed but never seriously considered. But I'm sure that if Chelsea season starts to go pear shape, everyone from all corners of the world will come out to make these points.
So, I'm going to state these points briefly here hoping that we can have a better and more informed debate instead of falling head over heel before Villas-Boas has even managed a game for Chelsea.
(1) He has only managed club football for less than 2 seasons. Sure he has been around football all his life but being the manager who has to make all the big decisions is in a different level. Some argue that being a scout for Jose Mourinho has prepared him for the job. However, it does not guarantee that it will translate into managerial success. You may be observing and writing reports on the enemies but it is the general who makes the final call, the battle plan.
(2) Primeira Liga is definitely a quality league but it is by no means as strong as the Barclay's Premier League. Villas-Boas' league success with Porto may or may not replicated with Chelsea in the Premier League.
(3) Kind of along the same line with the second point is that Europa League is inferior to the Champions League in both status and the strength of the competition that you have to face. Last year, FC Porto won the Europa League under Villas-Boas by beating these teams: Sevilla, CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Villarreal, and Braga. These are strong teams but not in the same level as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona or Inter Milan. Some of us have easily accepted that his success in Europa League is going to translate smoothly into success in the Champions League that we have not even looked at what other Europa League winning managers have done. Juande Ramos, Dick Advocaat, Mircea Lucescu, and Quique Sanchez Flores are the managers that won the previous five Europa League titles (Ramos won twice) before Villas-Boas and they have not exactly ruled the world of European football since then. Juande Ramos, for example, has given a great opportunity to shine at Real Madrid, just like Villas-Boas at Chelsea, but he didn't turn out too well either.
(4) Even though we are currently mesmerized by his youth, if he fails to win anything with Chelsea, his age is going to be pointed out by football writers and fans as possible cause of the failure. Some will say that he is not able to establish his leadership role among players who are around his age.
These are some of the points that we should be taking more seriously. However, this does not mean that I do not support our manager or that I do not like him. I, like any fan, LOVE him already and wish him the best but we must be cautious in our optimism. I'm sure he will succeed with Chelsea. Even if he turns out to be a bust, we have a solid team and an owner who is willing to anything for the club. After all, even Avram Grant took us to the Champions League finals, didn't he?
But we must not get so far ahead of ourselves. All I'm saying is that we should wait and see if the man is going to bomb any country or not before we award a Nobel Peace Prize.
Carefree, wherever you may be...
You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/carefreechronic.
You can also read some of my posts on World Football Daily web page.
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