Chelsea vs. Sunderland: The Calm Before the Storm

Two weeks ago the entire Eastern seaboard of the United States was under threat from a hurricane of biblical proportions. Irene, as it was named, had set a course that would affect some 65 million people as it passed over major metropolis such as Washington D.C., New York City and Boston. It was predicted to be the worst natural disaster since Katrina ravaged the Gulf in 2005.

Millions were forced to evacuate their houses, told only to bring their most prized possessions and essential documents, and left to wonder if they would ever see their homes again. Even more flocked to grocery and hardware stores to stock up on canned foods, batteries, glow sticks, etc. to see them through should the worse occur. It was a frenzy unlike any other.

Then came the weekend when the storm was set to make landfall. The streets of New York had an eerie quality to them. Everyone had been ordered to stay indoors, and with subway service halted the warm rain hitting the pavement sounded like it never had before, artificial in its naturalness.

Sixty-five million sat inside playing board games, watching TV (hoping it didn’t go out), and attempting to make a good time out of the situation. But everyone, for at least that first moment when the air became thick with anticipation and the thought of the unknown entered their minds, felt the calm before the storm.

Andre Villas-Boas is in a similar situation. With Sunderland away this coming Saturday, the first match of Champions League in the middle of the following week against a solid Bayern Leverkusen side and finally the enormously important trip to Old Trafford the following Sunday, Villas-Boas is about to enter his own storm.

With the transfer window closed and his players returning into camp following their international duties, for the first time Villas-Boas can look at his team. It is a much deeper side than it was two weeks ago and with the improvement of play from game to game, he should be encouraged. But managing a team at this level, involved in these kinds of competitions, and heeding huge expectations, his skills really come into play.

The juggling act managers must do to stay competitive in all competitions is something that separates the best from the rest. It takes into account so many things: form, injuries, opponent, etc.

Villas-Boas had incredibly good fortune while at Porto. He had little in the way of major injuries that depleted his side. This had a great deal to do with their historic season. But at Chelsea he has already seen some of his very best go down for extended periods.

Michael Essien was ruled out until January within days of opening camp. David Luiz is yet to feature. Petr Cech has been out for three weeks now. And Didier Drogba’s horrific collision with the Norwich keeper makes his status unsure.

Villas-Boas will benefit with the return of Luiz and Cech set for this Saturday, but he also cannot be expected to throw them both out there without proper time to get their footing back, especially considering their positions.

Another matter complicating the situation is the international break.

Players like Ashley Cole, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic racked up 180 minutes of play over the past week. Youngster Romelu Lukaku, Raul Meireles and Frank Lampard would also see their fair share of playing time. With Drogba out, Salomon Kalou got the start for the Ivory Coast against Rwanda and played a full 90 as well. For all the others involved in international fixtures (Torres, Mata, Malouda, Mikel), the little playing time they got, plus the trip to wherever they were playing, is draining enough in itself. These players will return to Stamford Bridge more spent than when they left.

The issue with having such a talented squad is you are always at the will of their national side. Of the 10 Chelsea players who were away on international duty, eight of them have been or are expected to be consistent starters, with three of those being defenders.

Furthermore, the summer transfers, particularly Mata and Meireles who are expected to be regulars in the starting lineup, have gotten to spend little time with their teammates. Mata has a few weeks of work and has seemed to integrate himself into the squad well in his first game. But that should be taken with a grain of salt as it was the last 30 minutes against a weak, man down side. As for Meireles, within hours of signing in London he was back on his way to the Portugal camp.

So the question becomes how will Villas-Boas approach this adversity? What will he do to both rest his players and get positive results in his first true tests?

The answer lies in how he values his competition and what he looks toward for the future.

The game against Sunderland holds enormous weight that may not seem obvious at first. It is essentially the final game for Villas-Boas to figure out his lineup before he enters a very important week. Chelsea do not want to get off to a poor start in Champions League and dropping points to United could prove the difference come May.

However, with all things above considered, it is not as easy as throwing out who he believes is his best 11 and the squad that gives them the best chance of winning. Should he do that by the time United come around some of those players would have four games in less than two weeks under their belt, making his selection against Old Trafford even more difficult.

But at the same time he has to get Meireles and Mata into the starting lineup as soon as possible to build chemistry with the others, should he expect them to be integral parts of the remainder of the campaign. Mata is absolutely necessary for Villas-Boas’ wing play and will help counter United’s talented wingers. Meireles will probably feature off the bench for the start of his Chelsea career, but may be called to action early as players are rested.

However, Villas-Boas needs to heed caution as he approaches this matter. Chelsea is not Porto. His team last year, the one that seemed immune to injury and played with an unfathomable energy, were able to do so on the legs of youth. Chelsea is a veteran squad. To push them is to risk losing them for more than just one game. Rest is essential in the English Premier League and should be doled out appropriately.

The test against Sunderland is a very important one. It will subtly be the benchmark for Villas-Boas appreciation of his players’ talent and his belief in the depth of the squad. But perhaps more importantly it will set the stage for his two most important games of his young Chelsea career.

The frenzy of figuring out what to do and how to prepare is well underway, but come Saturday, when Chelsea take the pitch at the Stadium of Light, the air will stand still in the dugout and Villas-Boas will experience that calm before the storm.