Andre Villas-Boas: 5 Things the Chelsea Manager Should Do to Save His Job

Chelsea suffered yet another disappointing result this past weekend. Their 2-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park now brings their total to four straight league games without a win and only 12 points out of their last possible 30.

I will no longer talk entertain the idea of “setbacks” or “hiccups” in their hopes for a league title. Those days are long gone. Now it has become all about being in the Champions League next season, which they currently are not.

Pick your poison of who you want to blame:  the old guard, the young kids or Torres. But it really comes down to the man in charge of them all: Andre Villas-Boas.

The manager may not be on the hot seat of his boss, but his inability to make this team competitive is testing the patience of more and more fans as the poor form continues.

However, at this point, turning the team around may not even be enough. There comes a point where the pressures of failure masks any following success (just ask Ancelotti!).

Here are five things Villas-Boas could do to regain the respect of fans and ultimately keep his job at Stamford Bridge.

Make a Statement and Make It Happen!

When Villas-Boas first came into the club, he made many bold statements about the future he envisioned under his guidance. He promised a more exciting brand of the game, play that wears down an opponent with superior possession and a defiant counter-attack. “Flair” was the word he used to describe this mantra.

Instead, Chelsea has become degenerated to the point where there is little confidence left in fans for them to play well against the lowest of sides. The counter is impotent, the defense leaks goals and when possession is had, it is meaningless kicking around in the midfield.

Villas-Boas has praised his 4-3-3 as the means on which the game should be played. By doing this, he is essentially playing all of his defenders in the wrong position and all but the keeper in roles they are not accustomed to playing. It shows, as often times, Chelsea look a disjointed as a group of middle aged adults playing a pick-up game in the park than a well oiled machine.

Developing youth, winning the league, big signings and a steady future. These are just some of the things Villas-Boas has promised us since he arrived, with few, if any, being fulfilled.

Villas-Boas needs to find something to hang his hat on and make it happen.

At this point, a bold declaration is almost in order at this point, as something feeble and small could easily be dismissed by the pessimistic fan.

We don’t want signings or promises made to be fulfilled in some distant unknown time. We want results now!

Put a sign around your neck Villas-Boas that says “Munich or Bust” and wear it at every match. Don’t worry about feeling foolish. You won’t look any worse than you do as a team led by an American on loan cuts up your center-back of the future.

Take the Blame and Own It

I awoke this morning much the same way I imagined the Virgin Mary had 2,000 years earlier, with a sense of optimism and hope that world would be changed for the better. But instead of an angel blessing me, it blessed my Twitter account with this tweet:

“VILLAS-BOAS: REFLECTING HARD: Andre Villas-Boas has taken full responsibility for the Chelsea performance failing to... http://dlvr.it/1BnBJn”

Could it be true? Could the great and righteous Andre Villas-Boas find blame in his own selfish divinity? Yes, Yes it is!

"In defeat I (Villas-Boas) have to take all responsibility and will take it for sure. So I will reflect hard on my preparation of the game and the things that I did to try to win the game.”

A major step for someone who just weeks ago was blaming everything from refs to stats to bad luck.

Is it late coming? Absolutely.

The very first match against Stoke back in August as the Blues failed to score a goal should have been the first instance he took blame upon his shoulders. Since then, he should have taken the blame after another nine draws and an additional eight losses.

But you have to have some hope for the future, and considering the financial implications that hang over any thought of a managerial change, this is a good sign for a coach that will be here for some time.

I encourage fans to get out there and support him saying this. Those that come down hard on him for being so honest are not doing him or the club a favor. Just like a player is commended for learning from his mistakes, a manager must as well.

Him admitting fault and taking blame is not only important for the fans' respect and players confidence, but also his own humbleness. Realizing blame will only move him towards alternative approaches to the game, and ultimately, a winning formula.

Welcome Back the Ivoirians

The one thing that I have always thought about Villas-Boas is that he does an excellent job with the players. It is not often you can have this kind of failure and still be able to hold together a locker room. Just look at what happened to Scolari.

So perhaps this slide may seem a bit trite on the surface, as of course, he will fully welcome the return of both Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou from their African tournament, but look at it from this perspective.

It is no mystery now that Fernando Torres will in all likelihood never live up to his £50 million price tag. It will go down as one of the worst transfers in the history of the game, and certainly the most overpriced.

In the handful of games he was the star, as his only competition was a teenager Villas-Boas does not seem to trust, he had a total of zero goals and one assist and four shots on target.

Drogba and Kalou, on the other hand, played better football than any Chelsea player over that same span albeit at the Africa Cup of Nations.

It would be foolish for Villas-Boas to quell the form they are in immediately. Sure, the EPL is a different level than Burkina Faso, but form is form no matter who it is against.

Villas-Boas should not only welcome them back with hugs and condolences over their heart wrenching loss in the finals, he should do so with a starting spot for Drogba at least and ready to bring on Kalou if some extra attack is needed.

We don’t know what the future holds for either of these players come the summer, but for right now, they are a part of this squad and had more success over the past month than any Chelsea player. They deserve the chance to continue that success, and we the fans deserve the satisfaction of knowing Villas-Boas did all he could to improve the team right now.

Change Things Up

News flash, Villas-Boas: What you are doing is not working!

All season long on this site and many others, Chelsea fans have been voicing their opinions about how Villas-Boas should do this or why he did that or how come he didn’t play him. The opinions have been as diverse as the voiced, but they all echo the same sentiment: What the heck is Villas-Boas thinking?

His tactics have been flabbergasting, as he seems steadfast on jamming square pegs into round holes in his 4-3-3 formation with the players he has. However, it is his in-game moves that have really had people scratching their heads.

Just last week, as Chelsea went down two goals, he thought it best to take off the team’s best player, Juan Mata, the only one making anything happen, and throw on poor Romelu Lukaku.

But the real angst comes the week before, as Chelsea squandered a three-goal lead at home to Manchester United.

Fortune had finally shone down on the Bridge, and Chelsea had gone up three goals all against the run of play. With 30 minutes to go, most managers would move into a defensive formation. Not necessarily five in the back and let United move the ball around freely in your half, but stack the midfield with defense first players like Oriol Romeu and have Essien follow Rooney everywhere.

We all know how that one ended.

This game was a microcosm of him not either knowing what to do or too stubborn to actually do it. His counterpart, Sir Alex Ferguson, made the required adjustments, bringing on Javier Hernandez and dropping Rooney back into the midfield. And wouldn’t you know it, those two moves earned them a tie.

As fans, our biggest complaint about Villas-Boas has been this inability for whatever reason to try something else. All managers have a preferred style and philosophy which does not change, but the way they go about approaching that philosophy depends on the opponents they are playing.

This is not the case for Villas-Boas. He is boxed into one way of thought and almost refuses to try any other.

If he would just try something else, he would at least be appeasing the masses. It does not matter whether it works or not. If it does, then he will benefit from the results. If it does not, then he can work out a sly way to say I told you so.

Just try is all we ask.

Appease the Czar

The only clear-cut way to keep himself safe.

For all the inquest we as fans do. For all the noise we raise and belief we have that we can affect the future of the club, we are still down in the cheap (relatively speaking) seats subject to our lord and emperor, Roman Abramovich.

Were our calls to save Mourinho heard? Our desires to rid the club of Andriy Schevchenko answered quickly enough? Give Avram Grant another chance?

Abramovich acts in his own desires and to his own accord. The fans will always be a secondary thought until the money stops pouring in, and with attendance as high as ever, there is little doubt that will stop.

You can read into this if you like, but it has been reported that Abramovich has been hanging around the Cobham training grounds more than normal recently. The club insists it’s all within normalcy for Roman to be involved in this manner, but that has not stopped the tabloids from speculating.

When it comes down to it, you never want your boss looking over your shoulder. It implies that he does not trust you and will only make every decision you make done with more unrest. It is a lose-lose situation for the employee.

Like a vulture circling his prey, Abramovich lingers around the decaying hopes of Andre Villas-Boas. If Villas-Boas wants to save his job, he needs to let that vulture know that he is not dead. This does not mean change the Abramoich’s approach to owning the team, but rather, his attitude toward Villas-Boas himself.

What for You Would Save Villas-Boas’ Job?

For some, it is as easy as the man figuring a way to win. After all, he still has the opportunity to go home with more trophies than any other English manager this season.

Should Chelsea win the FA Cup, he will regain some face with the fans. And should he guide them to the Champions League, then he will certainly cement his future.

However, the way the team is currently performing, there is little chance of either happening.

I know this may be a contentious piece for some, but as always, I am open to a good debate. Please let me know what it will take for you to back the Chelsea boss.