The season is in full flow now as we approach the busy Christmas period, and yet Jose Mourinho must be asking himself, 'How do you solve a problem like Chelsea?'. His arrival in the summer was met by Chelsea fans with huge support and joy that their most successful manager was returning to his footballing home. There was a new optimism about what could be achieved this year after the departure of Rafa Benitez, who many fans did not want in charge last year but who's record was pretty solid and many fans seem to forget he led them to Europa League glory last season.
So a special manager, and a strong squad. Surely the bedrock for a successful league campaign which would hopefully end with Premier League glory. But this has been a more difficult return for Mourinho than many fans had anticipated. Inconsistent displays both in the league and also in the Champions League where they suffered defeat twice at the hands of FC Basle. But is this simply a case of too much expectation on the team and the manager? Jose was quick to play down the teams title chances this season when he took over, continually trying to say how much more difficult it is to win now compared to his first spell in charge. He makes a fair point, as there are a number of teams at the top who are highly competitive: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool. Tottenham, and even Everton are having strong seasons. You may notice the absence of Manchester United on this list and I don't believe there are any fans, even the die hard Man Utd fans who could genuinely say they will be a force at the top this season. But the point still stands that Mourinho was making - its a much more competitive league than before,
Mourinho must quickly learn how to develop his team into consistent performers or their chances of league success this season will quickly falter. One main problem is his defence. Already this season they have conceded 18 goals, which is more than they let in during the entire season when Mourinho first arrived at the club and led them to the Premier League title at a canter. It appears to be a combination of an over exposed back line and some individual errors. In the heart of defence, Jose still sees John Terry as a crucial figure and seems to have lost patience with David Luiz and his careless attitude on the pitch. This has meant Gary Cahill comes in and links up with John Terry and this partnership has its limitations. The most obvious problem is a lack of pace between them - Terry is no longer 21 and Cahill's game has never been blessed with great pace. This centre back issue has then been combined with Mourinho's continued absence of Ashley Cole at left-back and playing Cesar Azpilicueta instead. Nobody is sure of the reasons for this, Mourinho has said it is down to Cole not being fully fit however the player himself has made noises to the contrary.
The midfield has the potential to be strong but it could be argued Jose's insistence on playing Frank Lampard is holding them back. This is obviously a controversial statement but having watched Chelsea on a regular basis this season it has become apparent he now has little to offer the team playing week in week out. He is no longer the box to box midfielder he once was and is now asked to play a deeper role along side either Ramires or Mikel to protect the defence. However, Lampard is simply not suited to this position. He is not strong at tackling, nor does he have the ability to follower a runner from deep if the opposition are attacking. He finds himself being in an area of the pitch without ever really affecting the play. I am not for a second forgetting the massive success Frank has brought to the club over his time there, but Mourinho must consider what is best for the team and perhaps leaving Frank on the sidelines more often is just the answer. Mikel's game is naturally to hold and cover his defenders and this combined with Ramires' tough tackling and energetic box to box play could be a powerful mix.
Looking ahead of the defence and the two holding midfielders there is much to be optimistic about. Despite the lack of goals from Torres, Ba or Eto'o the attacking play has been extremely pleasing on the eye and they have torn teams apart at times with the skill and movement of the three playing behind the main striker. Hazard seems to be finding his form again this season, Oscar has been playing well, both scoring and providing assists for the team and Schurrle appears to have quickly found his feet in the Premier League. The only question to be asked is why Mourinho simply doesn't fancy playing Juan Mata. The Chelsea Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons has found game time limited this season, apparently due to his lack of work when Chelsea are not in possession. For the minute, Chelsea fans are not overly happy with this decision but will accept it so long as Mourinho has the club performing relatively well. If they suddenly drop out of the title race or have a poor Champions League campaign, the calls for Mata will surely surface themselves once again.
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