The new signings of Hazard, Marin and Oscar were acquired to make Chelsea more ‘unpredictable’ but the defensive midfielder is pivotal to their success.
When former Chelsea right-back Mario Melchiot was asked about the best player in Chelsea’s team in the 2003/04 season, the Dutchman was unequivocal in his response. “Claude Makélélé,” he stated and described the holding midfielder as the essential engine to the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of signings the club had made the preceding summer following Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the club.
The French international was instrumental in the club’s ensuing success and was admired for his reading of the game and expertise in taking up the right positions on the pitch when the team were under attack. What went unnoticed however was his ability to collect the ball from defence and spread the ball efficiently to Chelsea’s danger men. Following Fulham’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in 2006, then manager Chris Coleman revealed that the key in stopping Chelsea was in stopping Makelele who was in essence a playmaker in the guise of a defensive midfielder. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the Premier League title won that season would be the last in Mourinho’s reign at the club but Mikel will have to mirror Makélélé if Chelsea are to reclaim that title.
Di Matteo recently projected an exciting season for Chelsea fans with the signings of Hazard, Marin and Oscar. He conceded that last season only Mata had the capacity to create chances and induce an unpredictability in Chelsea’s play, something which he expected more of consequent of the new acquisitions.
Chelsea’s drawback in recent years has been a failure to move the ball quickly to be able to create enough space for goal scoring openings. Mikel’s high-percentage, yet tenuous, passing that slows down the transition from defence to attack has particularly frustrated fans. Last season, he had a pass succession rate of 90% but did not make a single key pass.
As the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City prove, a fundamental trait of successful modern day teams is to allow their best attacking players as much time and as many touches of the ball as possible. For Barcelona this connotes a possession-based style; for Real Madrid and Manchester City the key is in the speed of transition between defence and attack where Xabi Alonso and Gareth Barry can release the ball to their respective potent attacking players in minimal time.
In pre-season thus far, Chelsea have lined up in a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation but have as yet not demonstrated the same cohesion as the aforementioned clubs due to a failure to move the ball quickly enough confining the time and space available for forward players. Chelsea’s – as well as Hazard, Marin and Torres’ – capability to realise their potential this season will hinge on Mikel’s ability to emulate his former mentor Makélélé in not merely his defensive duties, but more importantly an inclination to release the ball proficiently.
images: © Ben Sutherland, © Ben Sutherland
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