WHY DOES MOURINHO WANT TO KEEP NATHAN #AKE? Much has been made of Chelsea’s loan system over the 18 months or so and already the club have sent ten players out on loan this summer and more could yet follow. One player who probably won’t be leaving Stamford Bridge is Dutch defender Nathan Ake , with reports in the Netherlands suggesting that the club have been rejecting loan offers for their starlet. It is interesting to speculate why Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wants to keep Ake this season and the most obvious answer to that question is to help comply with home grown rules. Champions League regulations mean that Chelsea need at least eight players who were trained in England and four trained at Chelsea. Because he’s been with the club for so long Ake counts as home grown player and Mourinho will be well aware of the added benefits that comes with that. However, from a playing perspective it is perhaps a little trickier to see why Ake is being retained. Defensively Chelsea have John Terry and Gary Cahill as the first choice central defenders with Branislav Ivanovic able to operate as cover. Kurt Zouma will play as the fourth choice centre back while Cesar Azpilicueta and Filipe Luis will be the first choice centre backs. It is hard to imagine where Ake fits in apart from being the fifth choice centre back but when you break it down Mourinho’s thinking becomes clearer. Most clubs want four centre backs and four full backs in order to cover all their bases throughout the season. Luis, Cahill, Zouma and Terry can only play in one position but Azpilicueta and Ivanovic can play two. Ake can also play two positions, he can play at left back or centre back so he becomes the seventh defender and with three players who can play more than one role Mourinho has no need for an eighth defender. Ake will likely only be used in cup competitions and in the case of an injury crisis but it will help Mourinho that the Dutchman can play in two different defensive positions. Furthermore if required he is more than capable of playing a more defensive role in midfield and it is a position he has occupied a lot with the club’s youth teams. He is happier at centre back but at the moment Ake will be keen just to try and get as many minutes on the pitch as possible so it won’t matter where he plays. Of course there is also the reality that training with the first team players every day will help Ake no end. Going up against the likes of Diego Costa, Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba will give Ake invaluable experience and will prepare him for coming up against Premier League strikers when he does play. Ake is still just 19 and he has time on his side, another year with the first team will do him no harm. It also gives Mourinho another year to analyse him and decide whether he will go out on loan or play an even bigger role in the first team the following season.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 18:24:47 +0000
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