Valencia vs Chelsea: 5 Things We Learned About Villas-Boas' Team

So Fat Frank and El Niño still have a future with Chelsea.

And despite their club's late miscues Wednesday night, so does Chelsea under first-year manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Frank Lampard shook off the controversy of last weekend, played well and scored in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Valencia on Wednesday in a Champions League clash at the Mestalla. Fernando Torres didn't score, but he did turn in another strong performance for the team that now has to be considered the favorite to win Group E.

No doubt, the headlines will focus on Chelsea's late capitulation.

Salomon Kalou, who replaced Lampard in the 83rd minute, gave away a foolish penalty with a handball in the box. Juan Mata and Ashley Cole got themselves booked at the final whistle for their antics with the referee. And most importantly, Chelsea settled for a draw when it probably should have won.

But regardless of all that, the Blues played well.

They came into the Mestalla, a difficult place for any visiting club to get a result, and for the most part outplayed their hosts. Andre Villas-Boas, again for the most part, made good decisions, picked a good squad and employed strong tactics.

Most importantly, Chelsea kept Valencia—which will most likely be its main competition for the group—winless in Group E.

There were missteps, for sure. The final 10 minutes played out poorly for Chelsea, which must be wondering how it didn't come away with the full three points.

But for a club that's trying to find its identity with a new manager and a squad full of controversy, Wednesday has to be considered a success.

With that in mind, here are five things we learned from Villas-Boas' team Wednesday night,

1. Chelsea Is Becoming a Reflection of Its Manager

Andre Villas-Boas came to Chelsea in June after winning the Europa League with Portugal's FC Porto. During that run, Villas-Boas, 33, established himself as one of Europe's most intriguing and exciting young managers.

That hasn't changed at Chelsea.

On Wednesday, Villas-Boas selected an attacking squad with a 4-3-3 formation. It was a brave thing to do in a tough environment like Valencia's Estadio Mestalla, widely considered one of Spain's toughest venues in which to earn a result.

Villas-Boas' tactics worked well. Chelsea lapped up Valencia's early pressure and slowly imposed itself of the match. The Blues played three forwards, but the forwards tracked back well to help with the midfield while the defense held its own enough to keep Valencia out of the net until the final minutes.

That style might not always work, but Chelsea under Villas-Boas has shown that it will try to play a positive form of football.

2. Frank Lampard Still Has Something to Offer

It's no coincidence that Chelsea's worst moments Wednesday came after Frank Lampard left the match.

Salomon Kalou replaced Lampard in the 83rd minute. Almost immediately, Chelsea suffered.

While he was on the pitch, Lampard was one of Chelsea's best players. He showed leadership, experience, confidence and took his goalscoring chance expertly. He helped organize Chelsea's midfield, moving well from box to box.

When Lampard was not on the pitch, Chelsea's midfield was disorganized. Valencia gained confidence and started attacking relentlessly. A goal seemed certain even before Kalou lost his head and gave away a penalty with a foolish handball in the box.

Put simply, Chelsea needed Lampard on Wednesday, and the most impressive part of all this is how he responded to the weekend's controversy.

Lampard left the bench late in Chelsea's 4-1 win over Swansea City. He let down his teammates that day, and afterwards it looked like he might not have a future at the club.

But Wednesday suggested otherwise.

3. So Do Fernando Torres and John Terry

Fernando Torres did everything but score Wednesday.

John Terry was Chelsea's best defender.

Both showed they have plenty to offer their club.

Torres, whose future at the club seemed so clouded as recently as last month, has turned everything around. He has been a new player in Chelsea's last few matches, and Wednesday continued his turnaround.

El Niño looked comfortable from the start, running at Valencia's defense and creating chance after chance. In the second half, he was desperately unlucky not to score, first from a powerful header in the 51st minute, then from an impressive volley after an expert turn in the 54th.

Terry, who turns 31 in December, looked his age at times. He struggled to keep up with the pace and skills of Pablo Hernandez in the first half. Late in the second half, he was beaten by Soldado only to see the Valencia man let down by his touch.

In between, Terry underlined his importance to Chelsea.

He expertly kept his defense organized. He showed his aerial prowess with a number of important headed clearances. He read passes well. He stayed calm when distributing the ball to the midfield.

Put together, Torres and Terry provided Chelsea with a strong axis at each end of the pitch. The Blues' success or failure this season might depend on how well they continue to do so.

4. Mental Toughness Might Be an Issue

Let's be honest. Chelsea lost its composure at the end of the match.

And now, the Blues are wondering how they dropped two points.

With a 1-0 lead heading into the final 10 minutes, Chelsea should have killed off the game. A combination of poor managerial decisions and inexplicable player actions led to Valencia's equalizer.

Villas-Boas should have left Lampard in the game. Lampard was one of Chelsea's best players and had kept the midfield well organized.

Instead of taking out Lampard, Villas-Boas should have added a player to the midfield to slow Valencia's attacks. At that point, there's no need for three players up top.

But then there was Kalou.

Kalou's manic moment was no one's fault but his own. He's the only one who can answer why he thought it was a good idea to lead with his hand when challenging for a ball in his own box.

And then there were Mata and Cole.

Both earned yellow cards at the final whistle for silly reasons. Both seemed frustrated with the Italian referee, and while they might or might not have had a point, they let their team down by getting booked.

It didn't matter Wednesday, but with the accumulation of bookings in this competition, it might matter later.

If it wants to advance far into this season's competition, Chelsea will have to work on keeping its composure late in matches.

5. But the Group Is Still There for the Taking

OK, so Chelsea should have won.

If not for a string of late miscues, Chelsea would have six points and complete control of Group E right now. That's not the case, but Chelsea still is in a strong position.

Chelsea has four points from two matches, one more than Bayer Leverkusen and two ahead of Valencia. That's not a large cushion, but Chelsea has already beaten Bayer at home and drawn with Valencia in Spain.

With two games coming up against Racing Genk, Chelsea has an opportunity to distance itself from the pack.

Expect it to happen.