Andre Villas-Boas has been named as the new Chelsea manager on a three-year deal and will be expected to deliver immediate success under the watchful eye of owner Roman Abramovich.
Many believed that Guus Hiddink would get the job and was Abramovich’s favoured choice, but this has not stopped him from paying a huge £13million to buy out Villas-Boas contract at FC Porto. It is safe to say that the Russian billionaire lacks a bit of patience, and if Villas-Boas was to start the season in poor fashion, and dare to say fail to steer Chelsea towards a successful Champions League campaign – then his promising managerial career could come to an incredible halt. Although he has signed a three-year contract, this is not a problem in modern football and especially with Abramovich. He will show no remorse in sacking the former Porto manager if things do not go according to plan.
This is why I believe that Villas-Boas is taking a huge risk in taking this job on, as the demands are so huge. He is coming into one of the toughest leagues in the world, which possesses some of the finest managers and players in global football. This will be a lot different to what he is used to in Portugal where the competition is far weaker. This is by no means attempting to undermine his dramatic rise from scout to top-level management – but some caution must be shown.
At just 33-years-old, though, the omens look good. He has only just completed his second year as a full-time manager and has made an immediate impact on Portuguese football. He saved Academica from what looked like certain relegation - With no win and sitting at the bottom of the table - Villas-Boas took over in October and steered the club to mid-table safety. But it was his performances with FC Porto last season that has handed him this so-called ‘golden opportunity’ to succeed Carlo Ancleotti. Porto went the entire season unbeaten and won the league by a huge 21 points, scoring an impressive 73 goals in 30 games. They also won the Europe League beating fellow Portuguese side, FC Braga and Portuguese Cup. He has been praised for his superb man-management skills and his tactical nous plus a desire for attacking football.
Villas-Boas work will start immediately and he will have to improve the creating element of the team. The midfield is the key area in this respect, and it look’s likely that he will attempt to bring some of his star players from Porto in the shape of Freddy Guarin and Joao Moutinho, who were revelations for him last season. In attack also, he would like to bring in Columbian striker Falcao, who scored 41 goals last season. The problem, however, is that Villas-Boas when Porto manager, tied key players such as Guarin, Falaco, Moutinho and other players such as Hulk on long term deals with high release clauses, which would mean stumping up huge transfer fee’s if he wants to bring them to Stamford Bridge. This should not be a problem, however, as Abramovich has started spending again – with the big signings of Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January.
Abramovich must let Villas-Boas do it his way and shape the side how he wants. This is the only way this relationship will work. The Chelsea owner is a fan of ‘sexy football’ and he will hope that his new man, Villas-Boas, can bring this to the club. The former Porto man must and I mean must, bring the Champions League to Stamford Bridge – sooner rather than later.
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Source: DSG
