After the defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford one thing puzzled me.
With every man and his dog willing to pour scorn on the formation / players Mourinho chose to pick, the Special One in his post match press conference defended his actions by firstly suggesting Ferriera and Essien were the best Chelsea players on the day. Secondly, he then suggested that his wide players have lost form recently intimating that by playing them possession would be lost far easier.
Strangely, despite this suggestion, Chelsea began to play better football, carving out several chances, after the introduction of three of the wide men, Cole, Robben and Duff who were supposedly off form. With a fourth wide player, Shaun Wright-Phillips, not even selected for the sixteen, pundits could be forgiven for thinking something was amiss.
Cole in particular seems to have fallen from grace in recent weeks. From being hailed as England?s saviour in that troubled left sided position, Cole has since suffered the indignity of being hauled off after just twenty-odd minutes at Fulham and has since struggled to hold down a regular starting place.
When selected, he?s had to try and perform at the head of a midfield diamond instead of out wide where most of his best work has been performed in recent weeks.
With Robben something similar has happened. Returning from the four match suspension he received for his second red card of the season, he too has had limited opportunities to shine in his accustomed position once again being asked to flout his talent at the head of the diamond without much success.
Duff has had, to be honest, an indifferent season not quite reproducing the form that saw him and Robben instrumental in Mourinho opting to play 4-3-3. Indeed, several pundits have cruelly remarked that Duff seems to play better in the green of Ireland than the blue of Chelsea these days. The pace that took him past defenders seems to have been sacrificed in favour of good old-fashioned endeavour allied with a desire not to lose the ball and to track back.
As for Wright-Phillips, I thought he?d made the breakthrough in the FA Cup fixture against Everton. The diminutive winger tormented the Everton defence that night and looked to have cemented his place in the squad. Disappointingly, he now appears further down the pecking order than ever.
Behind the scenes, rumours are already circulating that, despite Shaun proclaiming his happiness at Chelsea, that a second season of the same ilk as this one, according to his step-father, will see Wright-Phillips looking to further his career elsewhere. Indeed, it?s not too long ago that Wright-Phillips was being touted as the natural right sided choice for England rather than David Beckham.
Perhaps more worryingly if Mourinho intimated that his wide men lacked form but still chose Cole, Robben and Duff ahead of Wright-Phillips for the bench at Old Trafford, just how low must Shaun?s confidence be?
Despite achieving three straight wins playing 4-4-2, I?m probably not the only supporter yearning for more excitement and a return to 4-3-3 with Robben and Cole stretching defences. Will it happen this Saturday? You tell me?
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