WINDOW WINNERS (After watching Chelseas 3-0 win over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on) (Saturday, Adam Bate believes Jose Mourinhos transfer dealings in) (January have reshaped the Blues into a team that can be justifiably) (regarded as Premier League title favourites.) Everything I say is mind games. Everything I do is mind games. Everything is mind games. Jose Mourinhos midweek admission regarding the reasons for his public proclamations confirmed the suspicions recently aired by Gary Neville - dont believe a word that the Chelsea manager says. Styling Chelsea as the Little Horse of the Premier League title race is an overt&calculated attempt to downplay expectations. So absurd are Mourinhos claims,or should that be so successful in finding their intended target,that they have even prompted a response from that usually reluctant quote-provider Manuel Pellegrini. The Man City coach has been so reserved in his press briefings that 1 can only pity the hardy souls who trudge to Carrington with newspaper inches to fill. But even the Chilean with the relaxed demeanour of a man unfazed by such matters could not ignore Mourinhos latest divergence from reality. Little but very rich, Pellegrini told reporters in reference to Mourinhos horse analogy. This is the team that has spent the most money in the last 10yrs,the team that has spent most money this year&the team that spent the most money in the transfer window. The mere notion of 2 clubs such as Man City&Chelsea arguing over spending is so difficult to swallow that its enough to have you reaching for the lozenges. It feels a bit like David Cameron&Ed Miliband engaging in a verbal slanging match over which of the Oxford graduates has the better rags-to-riches story. But Pellegrini has a point. Most notably regarding the most recent transfer window. For while Arsenal elected to loan only a 31yrs-old Swede with a bad back&City baulked at the prospect of paying big for 2 Porto players,Chelsea significantly bolstered their squad in January. As well as long-term prospect Kurt Zouma,Chelsea brought in Nemanja Matic&Mohamed Salah at a combined cost for the trio that exceeded the £43M mark. The money was recouped&then some thanks to the sales of Juan Mata&Kevin de Bruyne,adding to the sense that the emphasis was on the future. But Mourinhos canny piece of business could prove critical in deciding the destiny of the Premier League title this season too. Matic had already shown his worth vs Man City with a man of the match performance&continued where he left off with another assured display in the Eden Hazard-inspired 3-0 win vs Newcastle on Saturday - his 1st Premier League start at Stamford Bridge. John Obi Mikel has done a reliable job for Chelsea over the past 8 seasons in the holding midfield role. But in Matic,the Blues now possess a player of similar physical presence - 2 inches taller,in fact - &with his crisp use of the ball,considerably more ambition in his passing. The protection he offered the Chelsea defence on Saturday was evident to the eye&the statistics support that view. Matic made 10 tackles,more than anyone on the field with his combative style also highlighted by the 17 duels he won. Of the other players on the pitch,only Azpilicueta (11) won more than 7. This activity was indicative of the ground he covered in those central zones for Chelsea,making life easy for veteran midfield partner Frank Lampard. The Opta tracking data revealed that Matic was the only player on either side to cover more than 12 kilometres during the course of the game. This was the energy Mourinho has wanted to see in his midfield. I watched him play dozens&dozens of times because he plays in Portugal - a league I watch every weekend - &I knew he was ready to come to the Premier League, explained the Portuguese coach earlier this week. Thats why we signed him now,because we didnt want to lose him. The club did very well to sign him now. In discussing both Matic&Salah, he added: They are young players,hungry for success. Nemanja is 25&Mohamed is 21,so I think you can see we are trying to build a team for the future. Matic has grown as a player during his time in Portugal&he has come back to this club as a fantastic all-round midfielder. Salah was given his 1st run-out in a Chelsea shirt as he replaced Willian late on vs Newcastle. In truth,it was a nervy debut from the Egypt intnl. Crowded out on his 1st driving run forwards,he then miscontrolled a simple pass before dragging a left-footed shot wide&squandering a 1-v-1 opportunity by hitting a bobbling effort straight at Tim Krul. It was evidence of the rawness of a player who was used as an impact substitute for FC Basel for much of last season. But Mourinhos ambitions for Salah are clear. I like the fact that he can play the same way our attacking players do,which is players with adaptability,to play right,left or behind the striker, he said in 1 interview last week,before adding: Hes young,hes fast,hes creative,hes enthusiastic. In further comments,he made similar points. He is a young,enthusiastic player with great pace&we have seen that he can score goals&create chances for his team-mates. We also looked at how hard he works for the team&decided that he would be a good player for Chelsea&for this league. He has the character&the ambition to make this move&to be a successful player for us. The thrust of his remarks is obvious. This is a quick player suited to the demands of Mourinhos style of play. So while the slickness of touch was absent in this brief outing,the manager is unlikely to be too perturbed. The Opta tracking data revealed that Salah had the highest average speed of any Chelsea player. All hail the anti-Mata. The plan is clear,&for Mourinho,the plan is everything. The only thing that is not mind games are the results. Right now the results are looking rather impressive. With Man City being held at Norwich,Chelsea are top of the Premier League&title favourites for the 1st time since August. The January tweaks look set to prove pivotal.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 21:04:54 +0000
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