Chelsea: the future is not so bright...
Mourinho may be loved by the Chelsea fans but he didn't leave them much to cheer about over the long term
When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was recently made, it yielded a fixture list that excited every football fan. Probably the most intriguing tie of the round was the showdown between Seria A and the Premiership. Two of world footballs superpowers, Inter Milan and Manchester United, two teams who have dominated their respective leagues in recent years would go head to head over two matches. The winner of this game would probably emerge as strong favourites to make the final at least, perhaps go all the way and lift the trophy.
What made this tie even more interesting was the sub-plot of two of the great managers of the modern game behind these two clubs. Once again Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson would be pitting their talented squads and tactical brains against each other. The relationship between the two seems to be one of admiration and respect, for such rivals they are surprisingly civil and complementary to each other. So far it has been the Portuguese who has had more success when the two men have competed. Mourinho, lost only once to Man United in 10 previous meetings while in charge of Chelsea and of course Mourinho really came to prominence in England when he raced down the touchline under the steely glare of Ferguson as Porto knocked the Red Devils out of the Champions League at Old Trafford in 2004.
However despite Mourinho having the upper hand in the head to head contests so far Ferguson has undoubtedly shown that he has a greater vision for long term sustainable success. Mourinho left West London a Chelsea legend and always will be regarded in the highest esteem at the club as will Sir Alex at United, but if Ferguson had flown the coup on the same day Mourinho did, it would seem that the Scot left his club with better future prospects than the Portugeezer left his. With United’s current squad you can see a number of players coming through the ranks and proving to be up to the challenge.
This season alone we’ve seen Jonny Evans and Raphael Da Silva look incredibly assured in the United first team. Fabio Da Silva, Ben Foster and Danny Welbeck have also impressed when given a run out while although I don’t currently see too much to merit in Darron Gibson, Ferguson holds the Irish international in high regard and will hopefully mould him into a top player. On top of these new comers to the squad there are many other valued members of United's first team under the age of 25 including Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez with Nani and Anderson proving strong players to have in reserve. Even the more experienced members of the squad like Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra aren’t exactly over the hill; all are either 26 or 27. To complement this youth there are the experienced heads of Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van de Sar and Paul Scholes to keep their younger colleagues grounded.
In contrast Chelsea’s first team features very few spring chickens. Key figures like Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Deco and Didier Drogba are all already beyond their 30th birthdays. Solomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel are the only first team regulars aged 23 or younger and while this may be a team for the here and now it doesn’t bode too well for the future of the blues. While Alex Ferguson was signing Rooney and Ronaldo to build a team around for years to come, Mourinho was acquiring the services of Ballack and Shevchenko, players who were undoubtedly world beaters in their day but also players whose football careers were nearing their twilight.
The second leg of the Champions League showdown promises to be a fascinating game. Fergusons men are much fancied but it is also likely that Mourinho will sting the Scotsman on his own turf again by nicking a crucial away goal. Whatever the result, Ferguson can feel assured that he has a squad and indeed a club that will continue to challenge for every trophy in the years to come, while Mourinho has left a very tricky task for the managers who have so far replaced him. In five years time the vast majority of Man Uniteds current squad could still be with the club, it’s very unlikely that the same can be said for Chelsea. When Ramon Abramovich does find a long term replacement for Big Phil Scholari it’s going to be a huge task for the new man to rebuild a team that are not only capable of winning in the present season but who will continue to challenge for trophies year after year.
When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was recently made, it yielded a fixture list that excited every football fan. Probably the most intriguing tie of the round was the showdown between Seria A and the Premiership. Two of world footballs superpowers, Inter Milan and Manchester United, two teams who have dominated their respective leagues in recent years would go head to head over two matches. The winner of this game would probably emerge as strong favourites to make the final at least, perhaps go all the way and lift the trophy.
What made this tie even more interesting was the sub-plot of two of the great managers of the modern game behind these two clubs. Once again Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson would be pitting their talented squads and tactical brains against each other. The relationship between the two seems to be one of admiration and respect, for such rivals they are surprisingly civil and complementary to each other. So far it has been the Portuguese who has had more success when the two men have competed. Mourinho, lost only once to Man United in 10 previous meetings while in charge of Chelsea and of course Mourinho really came to prominence in England when he raced down the touchline under the steely glare of Ferguson as Porto knocked the Red Devils out of the Champions League at Old Trafford in 2004.
However despite Mourinho having the upper hand in the head to head contests so far Ferguson has undoubtedly shown that he has a greater vision for long term sustainable success. Mourinho left West London a Chelsea legend and always will be regarded in the highest esteem at the club as will Sir Alex at United, but if Ferguson had flown the coup on the same day Mourinho did, it would seem that the Scot left his club with better future prospects than the Portugeezer left his. With United’s current squad you can see a number of players coming through the ranks and proving to be up to the challenge.
This season alone we’ve seen Jonny Evans and Raphael Da Silva look incredibly assured in the United first team. Fabio Da Silva, Ben Foster and Danny Welbeck have also impressed when given a run out while although I don’t currently see too much to merit in Darron Gibson, Ferguson holds the Irish international in high regard and will hopefully mould him into a top player. On top of these new comers to the squad there are many other valued members of United's first team under the age of 25 including Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez with Nani and Anderson proving strong players to have in reserve. Even the more experienced members of the squad like Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra aren’t exactly over the hill; all are either 26 or 27. To complement this youth there are the experienced heads of Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van de Sar and Paul Scholes to keep their younger colleagues grounded.
In contrast Chelsea’s first team features very few spring chickens. Key figures like Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Deco and Didier Drogba are all already beyond their 30th birthdays. Solomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel are the only first team regulars aged 23 or younger and while this may be a team for the here and now it doesn’t bode too well for the future of the blues. While Alex Ferguson was signing Rooney and Ronaldo to build a team around for years to come, Mourinho was acquiring the services of Ballack and Shevchenko, players who were undoubtedly world beaters in their day but also players whose football careers were nearing their twilight.
The second leg of the Champions League showdown promises to be a fascinating game. Fergusons men are much fancied but it is also likely that Mourinho will sting the Scotsman on his own turf again by nicking a crucial away goal. Whatever the result, Ferguson can feel assured that he has a squad and indeed a club that will continue to challenge for every trophy in the years to come, while Mourinho has left a very tricky task for the managers who have so far replaced him. In five years time the vast majority of Man Uniteds current squad could still be with the club, it’s very unlikely that the same can be said for Chelsea. When Ramon Abramovich does find a long term replacement for Big Phil Scholari it’s going to be a huge task for the new man to rebuild a team that are not only capable of winning in the present season but who will continue to challenge for trophies year after year.
posted by Shane @ 12:45 PM
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