Thursday, 24 November 2011

AVB - A Victim of Brilliance

Chelsea's relentless pursuit in trying to emulate and overall Manchester United is now getting embarrassing.

Firstly you need to establish a history. Something that entices people around the globe. Something like the Busby Babes or European Cup wins back in the pre Champions League days. Secondly you need those fans to stay loyal through the bad times like United's faithful did during their 26 year wait in between league titles. Thirdly you need to have a decent board in place with leadership and direction. Finally you need a good young coach who needs backing.

Andre Villas-Boas may not be as household a name as Ancelotti or Hiddink but last season his performance spoke for itself. It was on the back of that season that Chelsea were prepared to pay £13m for his services. Some clubs didn't spend that much on players. Newcastle's stadium deal wouldn't even buy AVB's services. But Chelsea got their man. A 33 year old unknown quantity it's fair to say. But when you spend £13m on a manager who is 33 the one thing you can't do is sack him during his first season.

This is where things turn farcical at Stamford Bridge. Or is it the Samsung Arena yet. Villas-Boas is obviously a very decent coach. His transformation of Portuguese club side Académica is proof of that. Without a win and bottom of the table he steered them to 11th place, 10 points clear of relegation. His amazing season at Porto followed which yielded 4 trophies, and made him the youngest manager to win a European trophy. That is what Chelsea bought.

Since he has taken over at Chelsea he has been brave enough to drop Frank Lampard and was right for doing so. He knows that John Terry is becoming a liability and needs to rebuild the entire defence before his plan can truly take shape. I know he is an attack minded coach but even he will admit you can't win things with John Terry, Alex and Jose Bosingwa in defence. Give the man some time. To sack him before his contract is out will be the biggest mistake Chelsea made since releasing Mourinho. They need to give the man a chance to create a dynasty similar to the one Sir Alex Ferguson has created at Old Trafford.

Looking forward to Euro 2012 and you only hope that Fabio Capello realises what the potential brilliant AVB already has. Terry and Lampard are past their best and not even first choice for Chelsea. They have served their clubs and country for a long time but while they continue to collect their over paid wage packets, there performance on the pitch highlights they are not worthy any longer. Jagielka from Everton and a right back have to be on AVB's mind. Don't judge him on the results gained by a poor inherited ageing team though. Give Andre Villas-Boas time or he will become Another Victim of Brilliance.

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