Mourinho Off To A Good Start In Second Stint As Chelsea Boss

Jose Mourinho and his wards were rewarded for their weeks of hard work and energy-sapping drills as they narrowly beat the Singha All-stars by a lone goal in a pre-season match that was played out in the latter's backyard, Bangkok, Thailand. It was a great way for Mourinho to begin his second stint at the helm of footballing affairs at the Stamford Bridge club, but this victory was far from a dominating performance, because the game could have, in all fairness, gone either way (though Chelsea was the side that was most likely to come out with a victory) with both sides being guilty of laxity in front of goal when it mattered most.


But it was Romelu Lukaku, who was brought in from Belgian side, Anderlecht, in 2011 and spent the whole of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, that calmed the nerves of the apprehensive Blues supporters and players alike who must have been harboring feelings of of deja vu after the Thai 11's exploits on Sunday. Lukaku was responsible for gifting Chelsea the victory when he stepped up and coolly converted from the spot in a penalty that was won by another of Chelsea's exciting youngster, defender Wallace (he was all over the place in the first half). Newcomers Andre Schurrle and Kevin De Bruyne also put in good performances and lived up to their billing, while Marco van Ginkel was thrown into the match in the second half to good effect.

The starring performances of these youngsters, especially Kevin De Bruyne - a former loanee at - who put in a virtuoso  performance in both halves, coupled with the discipline and exemplary leadership of veterans like Frank Lampard and long-standing skipper, John Terry, is something that would definitely gladden the hearts of Chelsea supporters all over the world. Add this to the magic of the trio of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata (the last two played no part in this game due to the extended break given to them as a result of their engagements in the just-concluded Confederations Cup in Brazil) you would see that the sky is indeed all blue. It is a great time to be optimistic as a Blue blood.

Though some would argue in certain quarters that a narrow win over an ensemble cast of the best of the best ball jugglers plying their trade in an Asian country that is not typically known for its exploits in football is nothing to gloat over, the result of this game is a much needed positive start that will boost the morale of the whole squad and give lads more reasons to put their trust in Jose Mourinho's tactics. However, let's not forget that though this 1-0 victory over a side that was responsible for handing David Moyes his debut Manchester United loss is commendable, it's not an outstanding feat either. It was far from it. There is nothing outstanding about beating a little-known team (with all due respect) by a lone goal in a friendly match, but that does not take away anything from the victory, especially one that was as significant as this one.

Apart from this being a match  aimed at increasing the Blues' fanbase in the Southeast Asian nation, it also gives Jose Mourinho the opportunity to evaluate the lads and how they function together as a team for the first time since he returned to Cobhams. It would now be clearer to him the departments that are not functioning properly and the players who are not doing what they ought to do. All he now has to do is to identify those areas (especially the attack) and ring in the changes. And I am very confident that Mourinho, being the manager that he is, would have started planning on how to make adjustments to the little faults here and there he must have noticed in the team as he continues to fine-tune the club in preparation for the English Premier League season which kicks off in less than a month's time. So I can confidently say that from proceedings in this match, it is clear that the sky is not only BLUE at the moment, but it promises to remain that way for a long time.

Chelsea's next match is against Malaysia XI on the 21st of July.