The Portuguese has skilfully maneuvered a squad, similar to the one that finished a mammoth 13 points behind the eventual champions last season, to within striking distance of leaders Arsenal ahead of Manchester United’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
As impressive a feat as that might be, it is of more significance that Mourinho appears to have won the battle to cement the short-term futures of Chelsea stalwarts John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashely Cole. Upon his return to the club at which he earned his reputation as the Special One, one of Mourinho's key considerations was how much influence he would have over the football operations at the club.
After all, Roman Abramovich has always called the shots at Stamford Bridge, hiring and firing managers on a whim and signing players - most notably Andrei Shevchenko and Fernando Torres – with little consideration for the coach.
No comments:
Post a Comment