Andre Villas-Boas' arrival as Chelsea manager has signaled the biggest change in Chelsea strategy since Mourinho left in 2007. However, his footballing philosophy which won him a European treble will not work with the current bunch of Chelsea players. I'll look at why it won't and which players Chelsea need to make a great philosophy work.
Villas-Boas likes his defense to play with a high line, for his team to press more intently and for attackers to counter attack quickly. The philosophy works, with the right players, unfortunately for Villas-Boas, the group of players he has don't fit this philosophy.
Problems: The defense- Playing a high line, does encourage the team to press more intently, however the back four isn't blessed with pace. Terry, Cole and Alex are the wrong side of 30 in terms of professional football, Luiz has made far too many mistakes and doesn't look any part a Premier League defender. Ivanovic is a good defender, but again without pace, while Bosingwa's defensive abilities are always questionable.
Solution: Clearly a new central defender is needed, one with both pace and good defensive capability, Gary Cahill has been linked, but his form has dropped for Bolton recently. A new left back as cover and essentially a replacement for Ashley Cole, Alvaro Pereira of Porto knows Villas-Boas' footballing philosophy and played left back in the treble winning side.
Problems: Formation and Attackers countering quickly- Villas-Boas likes to play to a 4-3-3 formation, however, Chelsea do not have any world class wingers in the team. However, play maker Juan Mata has been left on the wings, where he has been ineffective. It also means Fernando Torres doesn't get the service he needs, and he would get that with Mata in behind him, but it doesn't fit with Villas-Boas' philosophy.
Solution: Speedy wingers like Edin Hazard at Lille or a change in formation to a 4-4-2 diamond so Mata can play in the central attacking midfield role. The team also needs a midfielder who can 'pull the strings', Mikel isn't good enough in the passing department and Ramires and Merieles are work horses not play makers. Villas-Boas old player Joao Moutinho would play this role perfectly, like Xabi Alonso did for Liverpool under Benitez.
Sadly, I don't see any of this happening. Abramovich isn't looking to spend more money, he is trying to make the club self sufficient and is looking to move to a new stadium, so will be hoping that the current bunch of players can make Villas-Boas' philosophy work, but it's needs time and patience from the board and the fans.
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