Monday, April 16, 2007

t has become a tradition for Chelsea managers to coin their own nicknames. Claudio Ranieri christened himself 'the Tinkerman' and it seemed to suit the endearingly experimental Italian. With typical bravado, Jose Mourinho announced himself as 'the Special One'. Few disagreed, yet it is when tinkering that the Portuguese has often shown himself to be special.

In particular, when making substitutions. It was apparent most recently when Michael Essien's rasping drive provided the 90th-minute winner in Valencia and it was no coincidence that the Ghanaian appeared on the right; Mourinho had moved him there in the half-time reshuffle that saw the introduction of Joe Cole. Nor was it the first match changed by Essien as an auxiliary, but overlapping, right-back. Marauding forward, he scored a majestic goal against Arsenal in December after his manager had brought on Shaun Wright-Phillips in a more attack-minded midfield.
Champions League progress is attributable, too, to Mourinho. Away in Porto, when John Terry's injury compelled his early removal, Chelsea conceded to Raul Meireles. With a rapid change of thought, Mourinho responded by making Arjen Robben the replacement for his captain and the attacking intent was justified by the immediacy of Andriy Shevchenko's equaliser. In the return leg, meanwhile, the half-time addition of John Obi Mikel, at the expense of Claude Makelele, added authority to the midfield.
Few of his counterparts countenance as many early substitutions as Mourinho. Robben came on after 45 minutes in the Carling Cup final, and both the change of personnel and formation were factors in the eventual overcoming of Arsenal.
Should he win the FA Cup, Mourinho's medal will be merited for the calm he displayed in another high-pressure situation - when Tottenham took a 3-1 lead at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea appeared to be in greater disarray than at any other part in his tenure. A first-half change appeared the consequence of injuries sustained by Terry and Didier Drogba; instead, the unhurt Paulo Ferreira was withdrawn for Wright-Phillips. Then, when Ashley Cole was replaced with half an hour remaining, Chelsea were reduced to two specialist defenders. Essien, whose flexibility makes him invaluable in rapid reshuffles, became a particularly progressive left-sided defender, and Chelsea recovered to draw 3-3.
Such displays of decisiveness could yet determine the Premiership title race. The substitute Salomon Kalou's winner at Watford may have been the product of desperation as Mourinho overloaded his side with attackers with victory an imperative (their final configuration at Vicarage Road has been described as a novel 3-0-7 formation), but it showed the benefits of proactive management nonetheless.
Making substitutions with such spectacular effect is, of course, simpler when players of the ability of Robben, Wright-Phillips, Kalou and Mikel (with a combined cost approaching £60million) are among the options. There are examples, too, of times when Mourinho's impatience and willingness to make wholescale alterations have proved ill-advised. He was rash, for instance, in making a triple change at half-time in the FA Cup at Newcastle two years ago. When Wayne Bridge was injured shortly afterwards, it left no replacements. The removal of Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole after 26 minutes in the loss at Fulham last year seemed premature, to say the least, and brought no improvement.
Yet Mourinho is unrivalled in his ability to change a game from the bench. Rafael Benitez may have made perhaps the finest substitution during their time in England - the introduction of Dietmar Hamann in Istanbul, leading to a remarkable comeback - while Sir Alex Ferguson still possesses one of the great replacements, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, merely appears increasingly flustered on the touchline, rather summoning a saviour from the dugout.
None have changed the course of so many matches, but it has been required. Chelsea's habit of conceding first in significant games, whether to Arsenal, Tottenham, Porto or Valencia, has meant that their manager has needed to act.

He has displayed an authority as well as the ability to communicate quickly to players about their new brief. That, in turn, requires footballers adaptable enough to respond to very different demands. Essien, in particular, has shown that, while Robben and Cole provide innumerable options in the final third.
For Mourinho, it also necessitates complete faith in his own judgment, not that the Portuguese ever appears to question that. Instead, each change is a microcosm of him: bold, brash and normally successful, applying original thinking to a tactical dilemma and displaying that, while his own playing career was insignificant, his understanding of the game has not suffered.
It also shows a gambler's instinct and a willingness to raise the stakes with an unorthodox move. Much of Chelsea's success in their first two seasons under Mourinho came from the control they exerted, an impenetrable defence making them the masters of the 1-0 win. In a more demanding environment, Mourinho has found himself challenged more, and has flourished.
It has brought recognition, too: witness the glowing tributes paid by Terry and Frank Lampard.
Theirs is a manager who relishes the mental battle as well as the verbal one. The Champions League semi-final pits him against Benitez, a tactician of the highest calibre in Europe. When Chelsea visited Anfield at the equivalent stage two years ago, they ended up with Robert Huth in attack.
Given his recent replacements, Mourinho may be a better manager now. And yet he may not be Chelsea's manager for much longer, hugs with Roman Abramovich notwithstanding. It is easy to level the accusation that success has been bought. But, though money can procure players, it cannot produce the spirit Mourinho has forged or display the ability to transform defeat into victory from the bench.
Should Abramovich substitute Jose Mourinho in the summer, Chelsea could lose that capacity. And whoever he gets, they surely won't be a like-for-like replacement.

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