The Special Ones

Jose Mourinho has firmly earned his place in footballing folklore as The Special One. 

But many a Chelsea fan who had been following the topsy-turvy fortunes of the team in recent times would gladly correct you that quite apart from Jose, there exists a select group of battle-hardened veterans within the squad that deserve the moniker The Special Ones. 

Enter JT, Lamps, Cashley, Cech and The Drog.

Or better known as The Famous Five.

   

 

Ever since Roman Abramovich announced his arrival into English football with the intention to create a Chelsea era of domination in Europe, the above quintet have been the spine, heartbeat and spirit of the team. Many other players have come and gone with varying degrees of effectiveness for the Blue Machine, but it was this core who gave shape to the team which took 9 years in the making. 

For 9 long years since his arrival, the one elusive trophy which the Russian oligarch wanted more than anything in the world stayed just out of his reach. The list of managers who have come to much fanfare and gone amidst an unceremonious boot-up-the-arse when the big boss man's patience ran out reads like a list of who's who in the world of football gaffers. The list of players he had assembled reads like a football trading card game premier gold pack. Yet the Champions League seemed destined to evade him...

And so it would seem, at the beginning of this year, that the quest for the Holy Grail would once more turn out to be an unsuccessful outing in Europe. The supposed heir-apparent to the Special One lost the plot (and dressing room) and the team was in shambles. Their 50 million quid striker still could not find his scoring boots on most weekends. Points were being dropped at lesser opponents and they were getting their asses whooped by their contemporaries.  

As for the Famous Five, they were no spring chickens. Each had come under increasing criticisms for the creaking bones and waning influnece and one of them was once again, for the umpteenth year running, a leading contender for most vilified English player in the country. Or at least in the Ferdinand household. 

No fan (including yours truly) would have wagered a bet on this dysfunctional unit even stepping into the Allianz Arena on May 19, much less win the goddamn thing.

But not many fans (including yours truly again) would have predicted the sort of impact the caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo (or RDM, for ease of reference) would have. He would probably be classified as a special one back in his day as a cool, cultured and deadly midfield general.

  

The Special One of 1997 and now 2012

How ironic then that it would take the The Special One of the pre-Roman era to rejuvenate the Special Ones of today, and by implication lifted the game of the rest of the team, into ending this season with a bang. A big bang it was alright. 

Speed seems to be a recurrent motif in RDM's Chelsea life. He scored the fastest goal in FA Cup history to land Chelsea the biggest Cup in England back in '97. Today, his 3 months plus tenure in charge of Chelsea is arguably the fastest time any manager in history (I stand corrected) took to land the FA Cup and the Champions League. 

Some say it was down to his motivational abilities. Some say it was his quiet, yet efficient way of getting things done. Some say he got his tactics right. Yet many say it was all down to pure dumb luck. Whatever, man. We do not care. He has landed the European Cup. 

The landing of the Cup has many advantages besides the obvious financial (and reputation) related reasons. With the Cup firmly in his grasp, Roman's obsession has been satiated. He can now stop with all the constant hiring-and-firing of managers just to land the Cup and instead, concentrate on building a sustainable, well-developed team for a long-haul dominance. It is hoped that a period of stability will now permeate SW6. 

More importantly, the landing of the Cup represents an opportunity for the Famous Five to make their graceful exits at the top. Already one of them has waved his goodbye to much tears from the Stamford Bridge faithful. Didier has, in scoring the decisive leveller and then burying the last spot kick, etched his name firmly as a living Chelsea giant and legend. Whatever he does in future (which probably involves Shanghai at some point), he can go with the satisfaction of knowing that his name will forever echo in the hallowed halls of the Bridge.

It is time too, for the remaining 4 to slowly ease away. Terry seems to be destined for a role in the club at some point in future, be it coach, manager or even ambassador. With the Cup won, there is nothing more to prove and he can perhaps concentrate on being the wise, guiding presence in the dressing room and on the field (sporadically) to groom the next generation of the backline. Ashley Cole has laid to rest any doubts that he is probably the best leftback of this generation. Perhaps when his pace deserts him, he can adopt a less active role and assist Terry in being the experienced head in the squad.

As for Lamps, it is not hard to picture him going down the Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes route. Playing perhaps once a fortnight, he can be the calm, assured presence in the middle of the park when games require such a player to be picked, whilst guiding and teaching the younger crop of midfielders what it takes to don the famous Blue shirt. Cech, being a keeper, has arguably a longer shelf life at the top of the game. With probably 1 or 2 more seasons left max, he can concentrate on being the master to the upcoming protege Thibaut Courtois, whom many are predicting to be the man between the sticks for years to come. 

The landing of the Cup has provided a much needed relief for the Famous Five (now Four) to take a more backseat and advisorial role for the club.  Perhaps, the greatest thing about winning the Cup is that ironically the rebuilding can begin now under RDM, with full participation from the Special Ones playing the all-important role of mentors helping to imbue newcomers with a sense of what it means to play for the club.

There would be no better time than now to commence the careful dismantling of the current squad to make way for Chelsea Generation 2. There is much potential in the current crop of youngsters and players in their prime. Ramires, Ivanovic, Obi Mikel, Cahill, David Luiz, Torres and Mata represents a solid core which bridges the outgoing Special Ones to the future. It is time to rehabilitate the man-beast that is Lukaku (he is a player whom I have faith can one day grow to become Drogba version 2), develop Ryan Bertrand, Lucas Piazon (a player whom I tip to achieve greatness at the Bridge), Josh McEachran and Oriol Romeu and acquire a couple of exciting, dynamic and ambitious players into the fold. I'm thinking Eden Hazard, Keisuke Honda, Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik, Loic Remy or Mathieu Valbuena for starters. 

Whatever it is, the future can begin today thanks to the efforts of the Special Ones which will soon become part of a glorious past.

Thank you for the blood, sweat and tears that you have shed over the years, boys. You will all be remembered as legends. Now, go forth into the sunset. You deserve the rest. But please take a slow stroll and, along the way, guide the next generation of Chelsea players to one day become special ones ... like you once had.

Kings of Europe 2011-2012

Well done boys.

I had been restraining from writing anything in the build up to tonight's game for fear of jinxing them.

But the final whistle has blown, the last penalty kick was taken and Chelsea's name has finally been engraved on the most prestigious prize in Europe. 

I am speechless. And still overwhelmed by the moment. And actually still watching the prize-giving ceremony.

So the adulatory, gushing post about the heroics of the legends of tonight will have to wait for now.

All I can say is well done boys. Well fucking done.

Time to Face Zee Germans

Yup, just as predicted, the FA Cup was won by a black swan event. In fact, the blackest of swans, in the form of a refereeing call which was milimetres (literally) in favour of Chelsea. And with that single call of "no goal" even as Andy Carroll reeled off to celebrate what he thought was a deserved equaliser, the Boys in Blue were able to hang on to their 1 goal lead for much of the 2nd half which saw Liverpool's onslaught gaining strength with each passing minute.

But held on we did and the team with the caretaker manager emerged triumphant to claim England's biggest prize in Cup competitions. 

Nice one, boys.

3 days later in a league match which clearly didn't matter for either teams, Liverpool got their revenge as they thumped Chelsea 4-1. The consolation to that defeat, if any could be inferred, was that the FA Cup was won immediately after a defeat to Newcastle in the league. Let's hope this setback is the catalyst to us winning the other Cup competition. You know, the one that will be fought at the Allianz Arena on May 19th.

Yeah, all Blues fans are holding their collective breaths in anticipation of the biggest game of the season for them. With their incredible fightback to dump Napoli out of the competition, their ruthless overcoming of Benfica and the remarkable ability to mastermind a knockout of Barcelona, it would appear written in the stars that this was to be their year. 

Yet the final obstacle that stands between them and fulfilling the call of destiny is none other than the hosts of the Allianz Arena, the indomitable, industrious and highly organised Bayern Munich. Make no bones about it, the Germans would, in my humble opinion, be a tougher proposition than the Catalans. For whilst Barcelona are the best team on the planet, they are quite a 1-dimensional team whose gameplan is as open as a book. Chelsea merely avoided playing to their strengths and instead chinked at their weakest link until the lucky breaks came.  

Bayern, on the other hand, are a more rounded team. They are solid at the back, have experienced players, hardworking, have strength playing wide and have a striker who is arguably the most feared in Europe at the moment. Bayern are the form team and with the backing of a home crowd, present the toughest opponent Chelsea could come up against. 

Well, Di Matteo has about 1 more week to come up with yet one last miracle. 1 week to come up with a masterplan to stifle zee Germans and 1 week to come up with a way to land the Holy Grail which Roman, together with countless big name managers before him, have tried and failed to obtain.

Come next Saturday, Chelsea will go a-hunting for Germans. 

Black Swan

No, the title above doesn't refer to that Natalie Portman-Mila Kunis lesbian romp posing as a ballet movie. It also doesn't refer to the actual waterbird as this isn't a blog on natural wildlife. 

The Black Swan here refers to a philosophical theory or a study on probabilities which seeks to explain the occurrence of sudden, unexpected events of large magnitude which brings major consequence and their dominant role in history.  

The Black Swan theory was one which was popularised by the brilliant philosopher, empiric scientist, economics observer and award-winning author, Nicholas Nassim Taleb. I could write an entire dissertation lauding the depth of this man's thinking and impact of his Black Swan theory, but I'd only  be scratching the surface. So to do him justice, I'd propose that you go read his book, titled, quite obviously, "Black Swan". 

Described in a review by Sunday Times as one of the twelve most influential books since World War II 

If I was forced to sum up the Black Swan theory in a single paragraph (which I'm forced to do here): It is that mankind's entire history, civilisation and indeed evolution has been shaped for the most parts through Black Swan events, and not your everyday normal activities. Men did not come to master the elements, nature and each other through slow, predictable growth that can be charted out or predicted step-by-step of the way. No, almost all huge events, from scientific discoveries to the birth of religions to wars to formation of countries to breakthroughs in medicine to the explosion of social trends or fashion or fads or Facebook or Twilight were all results of random unexpected events which no one had, at the time of the event, anticipated or expected.

At this point, it is understandable that some of you may be wondering how such philosophical thinking might have anything to do with Chelsea, or even football in general. Everything, in fact. 

Compared to the more single or double player oriented sports, a team game like football is shaped in large ways through Black Swan events. Think about it: how many games throughout history have been won through a single stroke of genius artistry or a stunner of a goal which came from nowhere? How many games have changed entirely through one single moment of rashness that leads to a straight red card? How many competitions would have been so radically different had the ball not taken that unexpected bump on the turf, if that player chasing after the through pass had not accidentally trip over his own legs or if the angle of that deflection from the post had just been a teensy-bit more towards inside the goal?

Think of Maradona's Hand of God, Van Basten's volley, Roberto Carlos' physics defying freekick, Zidane's red-mist headbutt, Ryan Giggs' mazy run through the entire Arsenal defence, Rob Green's fumble at the World Cup, Rooney's bicycle kick that stunned their 'noisy neighbours' and most recently, that magical volley from Pappis Demba Cisse which stunned even the most ardent Chelsea fan to applaud. 

Those were Black Swan moments.

The Black Swan is a reason why most managers may give that additional inch to put up with a wayward genius of a player. A reason why clubs pay through their nose for a player who could "produce magic when it mattered".

In football lingo, Black Swan-type players, see George Best, Eric Cantona, Maradona, and more recently Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or even Ballotelli, are those who could turn the game in a single moment of brilliance. Unfortunately, a lot of these players come with their own excess baggage in the form of indiscipline, a tendency to court controversy, egoistic, childish, prone to throwing of tantrums or sometimes going through lengthy spells of playing with bad form.

Yet, a lot of managers put up with them (for ease of reference we'll refer to them as Black Swans). Some managers understand, without necessarily knowing the term for it, the Black Swan theory. They instinctively realise that if they can build a team efficient enough to be competitive or stay solid during the Black Swan's off days, they will be rewarded when the Black Swans do hit their stride and produce the moments of magic. 

Sir Alex has been the epitome of a modern manager who builds a team of solid but dependable players as the core but embellished with that sprinkling of Black Swans. Arsene Wenger is another who loves Black Swans, indeed his problem is the over-reliance on Black Swans only (to the detriment of stability when his Black Swans don't perform). 

But this season, the manager who must take all the plaudits for correctly applying and embracing the Black Swan theory has been Alan Pardew. He has brought a fairly average Newcastle team to the brink of Champions League next season all through the perfect alchemy between solid dependency and Black Swans. He has the no-frills but solid Tim Krul, steady warhorse Coloccini, midfield enforcer Cheik Tiote, reliable Danny Simpson, Danny Guthrie and energetic Jonas Guttirez making those tireless runs. But the Black Swans in the form of the mercurial Yohann Cabaye, unpredictable dribble-wizard Ben Arfa, goal poacher Demba Ba and most recent of all, the beast of a goal-machine Papiss Demba Cisse, is what separates Newcastle's performances from most other teams. In Pappis, they arguably found their ultimate Black Swan.

Pardew understood that when you provide a solid enough platform for the Black Swans to roost, you sometimes reap the golden eggs. 

And that is what Chelsea has been lacking in recent times: a genuine Black Swan. We now have Mata, Ramires, arguably David Luiz and to a limited extent (due to age), Drogba. Maybe Torres, if he keeps on the road to recovery of confidence. But other than those few, there are none  who you could rely on to create that spur of the moment magic that can turn games. 

Also, the Black Swan theory works best when you create as many opportunities for the possibility of it to happen as possible. In football terms: have as many shots on goal as you can, put the ball into the opponents' last third of the pitch as often as you can and try all sorts of variations of attack from the short pass, to dribbling, to one-touch to long ball to delicate chips. You try everything in the hopes that some of it will hit. Forget perfection, forget carefully planned strategies. The Black Swan thrives in randomness and mass chaos. This probably explained Barca's exit at the hands of Chelsea. When chasing a lead against a team of 10-man who are resolutely sitting in their own box, you don't keep trying to play square passes in the hopes of your tiki-taka suddenly finding a gap in the wall. They should have tried other methods, i.e. start shooting from long range, start dribbling or even attempt an old out physical frontal attack on 1 or 2 of the tired Chelsea defenders. But they didn't and no Black Swan happened. 

Back to Chelsea. To prepare for next season, they simply need to recruit more Black Swan players. They don't have to be expensive: see Gylfi Sigurdsson of Swansea. They just need to be able to produce that brilliant moment of magic. Regularly. 

And for the present purposes, i.e. the FA Cup final tonight, the game will be decided by a Black Swan event. Chelsea needs to ensure that the Black Swan belongs to them rather than Liverpool.