IAIN MACINTOSH: Abramovich must learn to play the waiting game
He did nothing. He simply sat and smiled, his grin holding firm in spite of their provocation. All he wanted to talk about was the result, a relatively comfortable 1-0 victory over a resurgent West Bromwich Albion. All they wanted to talk about was Wednesday night, the ‘rant’ at the fans and his future at the club. At one point, he elected to answer questions from an alternative universe.
“Did the chants for Jose Mourinho hurt?” asked one journalist.
“I was pleased with Demba Ba!” Rafa Benitez beamed in response.
There will be no let-up for Benitez at Chelsea. Results don’t really matter now. He has attacked the supporters, he has attacked the club’s hierarchy. There is too much blood in the water.
The question is where do Chelsea go from here? It seems certain that Benitez will be allowed to trudge on to the end of the season regardless of what anyone in the stands or the press box thinks.
The idea of installing John Terry as a specially dispensed stopgap has its merits. He would be the only manager guaranteed not to have a problem with John Terry, but would probably be a gamble too far at such a delicate stage of the season. In the summer, however, it’s anyone’s guess.
The fans have made no secret of their preference. Chants for Mourinho rang out periodically on Saturday, increasing in intensity with every chorus. While the more discerning supporters were painfully aware that the Portuguese’s ego had contributed to the 2007 breakup as much as any other factor, two seasons of upheaval, internal divisions and underachievement in the league have rose tinted the glasses somewhat.
We are told that Mourinho and Abramovich regularly send text messages to each other (U hired Benitez?!1! LOL!) and that their relationship has improved significantly. When Mourinho’s Internazionale knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League in 2010, he told reporters that he thought: “Mr Abramovich knows much more about football than he did before.” The implication, of course, being that he knew nothing at all when Mourinho was there.
But does he know enough? Does he know that Chelsea don’t just need a new manager, they need a complete reboot? It’s not enough simply to install a new coach, thrust a few more €30m players into the squad and hope that it all works out. They’ve tried every genre of manager and undermined them all. Avram Grant, the super-connected corporate man. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the World Cup winner. Carlo Ancelotti, the Champions League specialist. Andre Villas-Boas, the bright young thing. Roberto di Matteo, the fans’ favourite. It’s not a question of identity, it’s a question of time.
Managers must have time to settle and they must be allowed to assert their authority. There has to be a total revolution in the way this club conducts itself.
There are those who believe that Abramovich’s methods are vindicated by the trophy cabinet at Stamford Bridge, but that’s something of a misnomer. Since Mourinho left, Chelsea have won just a single Premier League title in six seasons. They won the Champions League, of course, but very much in spite of Abramovich’s machinations rather than because of them. FA Cups and League Cups have been accumulated as well, but usually as consolation prizes. With the money that has been spent since 2003, Chelsea should be one of the most powerful football teams in Europe. With haphazard policies, a lack of solid leadership and hysterical reactions to poor form, they have squandered their advantage.
The change has to come from the top, or this chaos will only continue. Watching Benitez fending off the sharks yesterday was a profoundly uncomfortable experience, and that’s not to criticise the media. They are only doing their job. But it is not fair on Benitez and it is not fair on the Chelsea fans.
This summer, the speculation has to stop. Whether it’s Jose Mourinho or someone else, the only way that Chelsea will move forward is if Abramovich installs his man and then steps back to allow him to do his job.
