Source: Telegraph
The Debate: Is Ricardo Quaresma the man to save Chelsea's season?
With Chelsea having lost 2-0 to Liverpool on Sunday their title challenge appeared to be fading alarmingly so the arrival of a high-profile signing like Quaresma is a timely lift. Back at the beginning of January Luiz Felipe Scolari said the following: "I will play 4-4-2 when I have a winger who can play on the left and with his left foot. When you don't have players with these characteristics it is difficult to adapt one player to play in 4-4-2.[LNB]Florent Malouda is the only player who can play with his left foot and he is injured. Everyone else is right footed." So, without another winger Scolari cannot play Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in the same team. Enter Quaresma, who while right-footed has regularly played on the left wing and is expert at striking the ball with the outside of his boot, putting the kind of bend on the ball you would expect from a left-footer. He is devilishly quick, gets in behind fullbacks and will give Chelsea the trickery they lost when Joe Cole was ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.[LNB]However, there have also been big questions asked about his mental toughness: why has he failed at both Barcelona and Internazionale if he is such a good players? Surely what Chelsea need is to rediscover their resolve not bring in a flighty, erratic winger. So, is Quaresma the man to save Chelsea's season?[LNB]YES[LNB]Getting a player who can offer width and imagination could revolutionise how this Chelsea team play. Their approach has become increasingly congested as the season has progressed with opponents funnelling them down the middle and crowding them out of games. Bringing in a winger will help widen the pitch and create space for the likes of Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack to operate in.[LNB]Quaresma has real talent and in Scolari he has a coach who knows him well from the Portuguese national team. As Ruud Gullit told Telegraph Sport on Sunday, the difference between Chelsea and the best teams in the world is their lack of a genuine winger: Quaresma is that winger, and with him in the side, Chelsea are back in the title hunt.[LNB]NO[LNB]There is no doubt that Chelsea needed to change something. They are five points behind Manchester United, have played a game more than the champions and are stripped of confidence. Quaresma might well be a good player but he is the type that needs time and nurture.[LNB]Poor performances for Inter got the fans on his back – this is a man who clearly cannot handle pressure. "I am disappointed with him," said Inter coach Jose Mourinho. "He is a player that I wanted in Milan but unfortunately, he has not been able to overcome the criticism directed at him. Without confidence in oneself it becomes more difficult."[LNB]So with confidence low, Chelsea have brought in a player who has lost his sense of self belief. It will require radical surgery in the summer to turn this squad back into title contenders. [LNB]
