New Delhi: It might be absurd for other clubs to have to answer questions about their manager's future after just 19 games, but at a club like Chelsea - who are on their seventh manager in eight years - it seems almost par for the course.
Admittedly, the statistics do not make for good reading. Chelsea's latest defeat - a 2-1 reversal to Bayer Leverkusen - has left their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance after yet another failure to keep a clean sheet. On the domestic front, a similar scoreline against familiar foes Liverpool on Sunday resulted in their fourth loss in 12 games since the start of the Premier League season, which last happened 11 years ago. It is the first time they have lost back-to-back matches at Stamford Bridge since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Worse, a third loss in four games leaves the three-time champions 12 points behind current league leaders Manchester City, and after - Tottenham's Monday night victory - in fifth place, tied on 22 points with Liverpool and Arsenal, out of the Champions League spots.
It is no wonder then, that the pressure is on Andre Villas-Boas, even though it seems ridiculously early to ask whether he is the right man for the job. Especially since the job that he has been entrusted with is a formidable one - to rebuild an ageing Chelsea squad with a focus on youth and the impending UEFA financial fair play regulations; to introduce a more attractive style of play; and yet, to ensure continuing success and win trophies, none more coveted than the Champions League. Very few managers can match these demands, and even fewer who can do it in the short period of time that Abramovich seems to offer.
While every manager at Chelsea has been compared to Jose Mourinho since his departure, Villas-Boas - who was an assistant to Mourinho during the club's most successful years - has always insisted that he is different, in spite of the many similarities in the early career paths of the two Portuguese coaches. At the moment, there is one obvious difference - Mourinho never lost a league match at Stamford Bridge in more than three years in charge; his compatriot has already lost two while conceding 11 goals, with only Bolton and Blackburn - clubs currently in the relegation places - having conceded more at home this season.
In fact, at the moment, Villas-Boas has more in common with another former Chelsea boss - the one who lasted the least - Luiz Felipe Scolari. The Brazilian dropped seven points in his first 12 league games in charge; the Portuguese has lost twice as many in the same time. Scolari went on to be sacked after only seven months, with Guus Hiddink stepping in to rescue the team and guide them to an FA Cup win.
Hiddink is a shadow looming large over Stamford Bridge once again. Now out of work, he is already being linked with a return to London, since Abramovich has faith in the experienced Dutchman, despite his recent failures in qualification with Russia and Turkey.
However, while Hiddink may have done a fine job back in 2009, he is not the solution to Chelsea's plight in the long-term. And that is because the current problem lies more with the players, than with the manager. The fact that seven of the players that started the match against Liverpool belong to the Mourinho era, highlights how much of an overhaul the Chelsea squad requires. Players like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba can no longer form the nucleus of the team, while John Obi Mikel and Florent Malouda are too inconsistent. And then there is the 50-million-Pound problem, Fernando Torres, who continues to confound. Of the new players that have arrived under Villas-Boas, only Juan Mata and Raul Meireles are finished products. Indeed, Chelsea are probably paying the price for not having started the regeneration of their squad sooner, though Villas-Boas has not been helped by having far too many of his players currently hopelessly out of form.
Any manager will require time to bring about the necessary changes, and if indeed Villas-Boas intends to mould the team to suit his attack-minded philosophy, he will need younger and more dynamic players who can adapt to his ideas. The Portuguese has been criticized for his insistence on playing with a defensive high line, and yet, there have been signs - for instance, in the league game against QPR when Chelsea nearly pulled off a win despite being down to nine men - that the man considered one of Europe's most promising young coaches can change tactics and make bold decisions to influence games. It is no wonder then that sane voices are calling for patience. That, however, is the one quality the club's owner has in short supply, in contrast to his vast reserves of money that have funded the hiring - and subsequent firing - of Villas-Boas' predecessors.
The coming weeks will be a severe test of Villas-Boas' credentials, unlike any the 34-year-old will have faced in his fledgling career. Chelsea's next seven opponents include Liverpool (Carling Cup), Valencia (Champions League), Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle United (Premier League). There has been enough in the team's performances to suggest that one positive result could spark off a good run of form. In the short term, getting back to the basics and playing his best team consistently may serve the manager well. As Villas-Boas himself admitted, "confidence is low" and he will need to ensure the players "get the focus and concentration right," especially given their alarming tendency to concede in the final 10 minutes of games.
Should Chelsea fail to stem the "negative spiral" however, Abramovich's future plans for the club will also come under scrutiny. After all, Carlo Ancelotti was sacked the very next season after he won the domestic double, as a 'bad moment' saw Chelsea finish trophy-less and second in the league. "The owner didn't pay €15 million to get me out of Porto, to pay me another fortune to get me out of Chelsea," stated a self-assured Villas-Boas. Unfortunately for him though, his and the club's long-term future depend on more than just the owner's abundant riches.
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