Jose Mourinho Goes Back to Basics, Which Is Only Bad News for Eden Hazard
STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — It's taken them a quarter of the season, but Chelsea have finally got things right.
Does their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday mean we can expect them to charge back into the title race? Far from it, yet we did witness the moment Jose Mourinho recaptured a semblance of the qualities that delivered the title to Stamford Bridge last season.
The manner of their early loss to Manchester City sent panic through the Chelsea dressing room, and it's only now we're seeing actual signs of recovery.
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Beaten so comprehensively at the Etihad Stadium, Chelsea started chasing things. They reacted in the transfer market by signing Baba Rahman and Pedro Rodriguez; when it came to games, they were chasing them early and getting caught out as a result.
They've already conceded half the number of goals they did in the whole of last season.
Against an equally struggling Villa outfit, Mourinho went into complete lockdown, his line-up demanding Chelsea put defensive stability ahead of attacking ambition.
In truth, both those things have been missing all season; Chelsea have been a train wreck at the back, and they've lacked invention in attack.
Before Chelsea can get back to anything resembling a dazzling display, however, they need to get the fundamentals right, which starts from the back four and goes right through to Diego Costa in attack.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek got his first Premier League start of the season against Villa—Mourinho staying true to his word that he would give him his opportunity—but normally deployed in the pivot, the 19-year-old played as the No. 10 as the manager sought a solid defensive base.
"I see him playing in the pivot when he has the defensive ability to do that," Mourinho commented when asked by Bleacher Report why Loftus-Cheek had played so far forward.
If Loftus-Cheek benefited from Chelsea's recent woes by getting a chance to play, Eden Hazard has become the biggest victim.
The Belgian was used as a late substitute against Aston Villa—and only then when Pedro hobbled off injured.
With a midweek trip to Kiev for the Champions League on the horizon, the initial thought was that Mourinho was rotating his players for what is a crunch game given their loss to Porto last time out.
It was purely tactical, though, as he explained: "I left out Hazard because we are conceding lots of goals. We need to defend better. We need our midfield players to be just worried with the central area of the pitch, not to be worried with compensation on the left side and the right side.
"Playing with Pedro and Willian, the midfield players didn’t have to look to the left or to the right and so they control very well.
"[...] It was just a tactical decision, leaving super quality on the bench but bringing tactical discipline and hoping that the team would be solid.
"I continue that way or [Hazard] comes in our direction and he tries to replicate the same work that Willian and Pedro did."
Taking that statement at face value rather than looking at it as a sign of dressing-room unrest, Mourinho does have a point.
His team hasn't struggled this season because of poor attacking play. Nor has it been just a defensive problem. It's been everything combined to create the perfect storm of a crisis.
The only way to arrest it is by not proving as charitable as they have, which means dropping the luxuries and going for necessity.
The end result is rather dull football. It was far from exciting at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and the game was a true reflection of where both teams find themselves right now.
The untrained observer wouldn't have imagined the reigning Premier League champions were on display in west London.
While Villa remain in the bottom three, Chelsea's regressive approach is just what they have needed. They may have taken a step back in terms of their attacking evolution, but the result has been a level of control that's been missing.
There are going to be much bigger tests of their resolve than Villa, but it's a start. Right now, that's all Chelsea can be demanding.
That is why Hazard is facing an altogether different battle.
"I told the players that this is not the moment to think about themselves," Mourinho added. "This is not the moment to think about their personal situation; this is not a moment to moan; this is not a moment to try to be selfish in the approach. This is a moment for the team, just the team and nothing else.
"I ask them exactly that: to look at the picture in a different way than in a normal situation where I have to make decisions to try to bring results back."
It's a brave move from Mourinho, as it's the likes of Hazard who create the opportunities to score goals, and it's goals that win matches.
It's a simple science.
When you're conceding more than you score, however, things must be reined in, which is exactly what Mourinho has done.
Whether it's Aston Villa, Arsenal or Manchester City is irrelevant. Chelsea have panicked already this season, and it's sucked them deeper into a black hole, so now is the time to revise the plan.
High defensive lines and chopping and changing his centre-backs and attackers just hasn't worked. It's fed the sense of unease among the players, severely damaging confidence.
Mourinho is trying to restore it the best way possible: by winning games and climbing up the table.
Villa was the start of that. If it means Hazard remains on the sidelines to ensure that continues, he can have little complaint.
After all, the Belgian hasn't shown any signs he is capable of leading a one-man recovery this season, so Mourinho's had to take control of the situation himself.
Hazard has a simple choice: He can either fall in line and win his place back or sulk.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
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