Chelsea FC: 10 Things That Andre Villas-Boas Must Change to Bring Success

Things are not well at Stamford Bridge. Two straight losses saw them drop to fifth place in the league and in a must-win game against Valencia to progress to the knockout rounds of Champions League. While all is not lost, something must change.

Andre Villas-Boas is the man in charge and the one who will be taking the fall for any poor results from here on out. His high line defense and 4-3-3 attack is just not as effective as it had been at Porto.

But I am not here to argue and drone on about things that have already been beaten to death. We all know the defense has been weak and there seems to not be a center forward on the roster capable of finding the back of the net.

Is it not a little ridiculous for me to sit here and criticize a professional coach by saying “Villas-Boas should be using a 4-4-2 diamond. That way it will give Torres/Drogab some support and also allow the back line to be more sure through midfield support, blah, blah, blah...”

If I were right, then I would not be sitting here at 9:30 in the morning trying to finish an article. I would be actually coaching!

So instead of being a bumbling statistical moron who tries pokes holes in someone who obviously knows both the game and team better than I do, here are 10 things Villas-Boas can change off the pitch that will help bring success to Chelsea.

The Drogba/Torres Relationship

These are the two best strikers on the roster. Between them they have scored over 450 goals in their career. They are strong, fast, good with the ball and quick to react. Drogba is strong in the air and facing away from goal. Torres is quick with his feet and makes excellent runs.

So why has Villas-Boas made them mutually exclusive?

I understand this was tried by Ancelotti when Torres first arrived and again during the preseason, and neither time could you say it was successful. But can you honestly say what is happening now is successful?

I do not get why these two seem to not be able to click on the pitch. It does not make any sense to me. They are not really that egotistical or have a history of problems with teammates. It looks to me as if it is an issue with chemistry—something that could be built up over time.

I am not suggesting that this is the solution to what ails Chelsea, but I think it should be given a chance. Even late in a game they have wrapped up like this past one against Wolves. See how they do when the pressure is off and let them build that knowledge of one another.

With that kind of striking power together on the field, something is bound to find the back of the net.

Team Confidence (or Lack Thereof)

When Villas-Boas first came to Stamford Bridge, I was impressed by the way he spoke. He did it with such an air about him that he knew what he was doing and we could all place our trust in his game plan. The veterans appreciated the respect he showed them and the youngsters were glad at the opportunities he gave them.  All was well in West London.

This is not the case anymore.

Things have fallen apart as Chelsea slips further and further behind in the league and continues to get embarrassing results in Europe.

The past decade has built Chelsea up into a reputation of being a feared club.  You would circle those days on your calendar either knowing you were in for a tough fight or ready to concede points.

Now I am not really sure Chelsea strikes fear in anyone, and why should they? Sitting fifth in the table and needing a victory over Valencia to finish second in their group in Champions League is not the resume of a threatening team.

Villas-Boas needs to put confidence back in his team so they can win, and win convincingly, so they are feared once again.  When another team already believes they cannot win before the ball is kicked off, half of the battle is over. Chelsea need to get back the confidence to impose this kind of intimidation.

The Midfield Rotation

I am not one of these boneheads that likes to do close analysis of stats and arbitrary numbers meant to represent some kind of fact about the play of the game. But by just watching Chelsea, I cannot figure out what is going on in the midfield.

I understand that Villas-Boas wants to play with three, but if you asked me who are the starting three I would have to ask “Who are they playing? When is there next game? Who is that against? What place are they in now and what place are they in in the other competition?” Even then it would still be a guess.

Rotation is a good thing and something that I wrote about months back. But you still want a consistent core that is your go-to group in the biggest and most important games.

Right now this does not exist.

Is it going to be Ramires/Lamps/Meireles or Lamps/Meireles/Mikel or Romeu/Lamps/Meireles or…well, you get the picture.  I challenge anyone to try and argue for a definitive trio.

However, you can’t really blame him for rotating, but you can for the reason why: he is yet to find a group that works.

Sometimes one group will look great and then the very next game they will be terrible. Other times there doesn’t look like any combination will be the solution.

Right now it is better to cut your losses, choose a starting three and stick with it week in and week out.

The Idea That John Terry Is Done

Chelsea has found success with great defense and on the back of their trusted captain John Terry. For half his life Terry has been representing the club and has become the face that garners every representation they have throughout the world.

However, at age 30, his years are starting to show. His game has become slower, his reaction time is not as quick and he is struggling to keep up with an ever-changing style of play.

Though he has not been the singular blame for Chelsea’s poor defensive record, he is not covering others' mistakes the way he has in the past. We as fans took such things for granted and are now starting to see how, when he is not at his best, everything can fall apart.

Forwards use to look at Terry as the most imposing facet of an intimidating wall. His size and strength betters any opposition. Even the way he will play head games with opponents, talking trash and tackling hard.

This is not the case anymore. He has been exposed and that fear is now gone. All the talk is empty and the tackles just look dirty.

Villas-Boas needs to put Terry in positions where he can get that bravado back and become the force he once was. This is the only way to get the defense back to its dominating ways.

Daniel Sturridge’s Decision Making

We have all been pleasantly surprised by the play of Daniel Sturridge this year. Coming off a good finish on loan to Bolton last spring, he has really proven to be one of the better deals Chelsea has made over the past few years and proved that the scouts can do more than just buy stars in their prime.

Second only to Lampard in goals, he has carved out a nice spot for himself on that right wing, cutting definitively inside and making himself available on the far post for easy tap-ins. Right now, in front of the net, he is the most deadly player Chelsea has.

However, he is young, and his youth seems to show up at the worst possible times against the best competition. It is not so much that he is unable to beat better defenders; on the contrary, he has actually held his own against much more experienced competition on a individual level.

The problem is that once he beats his defender, he is consistently making the wrong decision—passing when he should have shot, dribbling when he should pass and just plain missing the obvious play.

It may be harsh to say his actions have cost them any games, but there are times you could go back and say if he had done the right thing, they could have scored and changed the flow.

At best he would have stayed on the pitch rather than being subbed, which has been the case in every single Chelsea loss in which he started (with the exception of Leverkusen, when the Germans scored a very late goal to win).

It is nowhere near time to send him to the gallows, but Villas-Boas is going to need Sturridge to improve if the season is to turn around. The manager will have to pound into his head that instincts are not always right and to think about a play before he reacts.

Priorities

It has been somewhat difficult to figure what Villas-Boas is actually attempting to accomplish this season.

On the one hand he is playing and reacting like every game is the Champions League final, and on the other he uses experimental lineups filled with young players and little chemistry. Mix that in with the fact that all his signings for the summer were based on youth, and you have to wonder is he playing for this season or his future?

I think this is a valid question to ask.

Yes, we all want Chelsea to prevail beyond this season and be great for the next decade, but in this game there is no time to look ahead to the future. Villas-Boas no must realize he is in a “put up or shut up” position where the only thing that matters are results. Right now he is not getting them.

It would be an awful shame for him to build a team of kids in their 20s and only see his head on the chopping block before he gets to use them in their prime. But at this level and with a club with this kind of financial backing, there is no such thing as a rebuilding period.

No coach hired by Abramovich has not won a trophy in their first full season in charge, and all of them suffered his wrath. It is anyone’s guess how he would approach a situation where Villas-Boas won nothing this year. But it is safe to bet that Villas-Boas himself would be best not to find out.

His Attitude Toward Teenagers

What is he doing with young Joshy and Romelu? Why is he just allowing them to waste away on the bench. Not even the bench, the reserve squad! Why has he turned these two highly coveted prospects (and one very expensive one) into the world’s best practice team players?

I know he has been giving plenty of playing time to Romeu (a little bias he has toward Barca may have something to do with it), but this is your team of the future. These are the players who are going to bring you promise and make your name great at Stamford Bridge.

They need to play.

There is a group of youngsters at Chelsea that is going to be a very good team of the future. Eleven of them are getting regular playing time either as a well-used sub on Chelsea or on loan for another first-division side. Only McEachran and Lukaku are being forced into doing nothing.

It is a serious risk to their development as players as well as their confidence. Both are of course very young, but it is absurd to completely alienate them and risk making them obsolete for the future. Not to mention you are also benching a Chelsea product—not the best PR move.

Does Villas-Boas not see the risk in how stunning the growth of your ball-controlling midfielder and center forward can implode a team in the years to come?

Of course they are young and nowhere near ready to be everyday players. I am not suggesting they take the field in the must-win against Valencia. All I am saying is let them go out on loan and stop holding back their growth for both your future and theirs.

The Mind of the Public

As I already alluded to earlier, it is a big perk when an opposing team is already worried about dropping points before the game has even begun, but to do this the feeling needs to be readily out there and available that your team is one to be feared.

Right now the public perception of Chelsea—the one in the tabloids and circulating by word of mouth—is that this a team that has seen their ship sail.

This needs to be changed immediately.

I find it utterly fascinating how perception imitates results. Look at United; whenever they go into a slump, there are few out there that point at them and say they are washed up. Barca is six points behind Madrid, but does anyone suggest that they are out of it? Heck, they are still the favorites in most odds books.

What happens when these circumstances are placed on Chelsea? A downfall of public scrutiny, which leads to confidence issues and pressure—the worst combination for any athlete in any sport.

It is not a simple fix. There is nothing he can do to make this happen without years of unfluctuating dominance. But he can attempt to reconcile the abuse, by being more poised in postgame conferences, in his dealings with his team and on the sideline.

Professional sports are a game of perception. If the public thinks your great than you are.

His Dealings with the Press

One thing we all loved about Villas-Boas when he first came on as coach was his surprising maturity for his age. He seemed to talk and act well beyond his years and not let the effects of a high-pressure position get the best of him.

He quelled speculation about the future of veterans. He established a new attitude in the locker room. He stayed quiet on transfer talk. He made newcomers feel welcomed.

The funny thing about this is that none of us really know if this is true, but we would all agree. We only know that this is what was reported and that’s where we really appreciated Villas-Boas. He was a savvy talker whose charm, smile and good looks all helped him win over the men at the papers.

However, it is easy to show poise when the sun is shining bright.

Once the clouds came over Stamford Bridge, something changed. Writers began to question his approach, and he came back with an indignant tone of defense and not allowing those entitled to question the logic of his decisions.

He has lost favor with the media and that can be a fatal mistake.

His once toothpaste-commercial perfect smile that plastered the cover of every reposting outlet has been replaced by solemn images of his head hung low or stooped over a microphone protecting his beliefs.

It is of the utmost importance for the betterment of the team and the club that he gets back on the favor of the media. Only then will they release their vice grip around their performances and allow them to play the game they want.

His Egoism

What makes great coaches?

Allow me to diverge for a moment to the NFL.

Six weeks ago, Denver Broncos head coach John Fox made the gutsy call to name Tim Tebow the starting quarterback. If you are unfamiliar with his name, just know that he is an unconventional player to play the position, but his whole life has been a winner. This won over the fans, but also put Fox in a position where he had to make a decision—does he try and make Tebow fit his style of play or does he make his style of play fit what Tebow does best?

In Tebow’s first game, Fox chose the latter and won. The next game he chose the former and was blown out. Since then he has decided to concede all NFL logic and create a game plan that best fits what Tebow can and can’t do. Since then the Broncos are 4-0 and gone from being last place in their division to one game out of first and hold their own destiny for the playoffs in their hands.

John Fox is a great coach. Why? Because he set aside his ego and gave his team the best opportunity to win the game.

Good coaches are not made through drafts or free agency or organizing tons of talent. They are made by putting your team—the one that you have currently—in the best position to win the game.

I am sick of hearing that Villas-Boas does not have his players and that he needs another true winger to run his game.

That may be true, but then he is not a very good coach. There is more than enough talent on that squad to win. He just lacks the modesty to put aside his own egoism and put them in the best position to win.

You think Ferguson has had the same team for 12 titles? Mourinho has won championships trophies with four different teams and in four very different leagues. Did he have the same players each time?

It has become evident that this 4-3-3 and high line defense is not going to work with this particular squad. He has a real chance to prove his greatness by adapting to the circumstances and changing things up to put his players in the best position to win the game.

Villas-Boas is not a bad coach, but he ranks far down the list on those coaching now on a level of greatness.  Egoism is the killer of coaches. Once they become bigger than the team and realize it marks the death of them.