The importance of Diego Costa
You have only to watch how protective José Mourinho is of Diego Costa to realise the importance of the Brazil-born Spain forward to Chelsea’s hopes. His rampaging style, which came to the fore against Paris Saint-Germain in Charlotte on Saturday, gives Chelsea a real bite in the final third and a feeling of intimidation which can have defences on the back foot. The hamstring problemwhich worried the 26-year-old in the final game against Barcelona will concern Mourinho, especially as a similar injury hampered him last season. The Chelsea manager has hinted over the past two weeks that he could operate with two forwards instead of using Costa as the sole battering ram, meaning there will be ample opportunities for Radamel Falcao and Loïc Rémy. Costa, however, remains Mourinho’s go-to man. If his injury problems refuse to recede, the pressure on Falcao will intensify. It was impossible to tell in the Colombian’s two displays whether he will deliver. As with Costa, much depends on his fitness.
Behind the barbs Mourinho is calm
Mourinho, as is his wont, has been bullish yet appears relatively calm and composed. He is certainly unperturbed about the lack of spending this summer and steadfastly believes the squad at his disposal possesses enough quality to retain the Premier League title and make stronger inroads in the Champions League after last season’s disappointing exit in the first knockout round. Age mellows most, yet Mourinho cannot help himself at times. His slight at Arsène Wenger’s spending would have angered the Frenchman before Sunday’s Community Shield and the attack on Rafael Benítez was a prime example of a manager unable to bite his tongue. Mourinho is box office and continues to prove it with his snappy barbs and smiles for the camera. Yet performances on the pitch against domestic rivals who have spent heavily are what matter. Failure to deliver at home and abroad will delight those caught in his crossfire.
Chelsea have US pulling power
The attraction of Manchester United and Liverpool in north America has been known for some time and Chelsea fall into place behind them in terms of popularity here. Yet, and Mourinho has remarked on it constantly here, the football scene in this part of the world is changing rapidly. The advent of NBC broadcasting every Premier League match on free-to-air television has made the game accessible for the masses and the result is interest as never before. The crowds and attention Mourinho’s side have generated here have been vast. All three games have been virtual sell-outs and the following the club had, especially in Charlotte, North Carolina was quite something.
Chelsea, who were based in Montreal, have not actively courted huge publicity and this tour was not centred on a string of PR events and opportunities to spread the word. Apart from a kit launch in Harlem last week the club have just trained and played matches. With high-profile players and an A-list manager, self-promotion does not need to involve glitzy events and a barrage of press releases.
Defenders are needed
From the moment Mourinho touched down in Montreal the name John Stones followed him around. Chelsea’s pursuit of the 21-year-old Everton defender has been played out in the public domain, much to the increasing anger of their manager, Roberto Martínez, who is aggressively sticking his heels in while swatting bids away with relish. Yet Mourinho’s pursuit is a stark indication of where a perceived weakness lies. John Terry, 34, is not getting any younger and, although Kurt Zouma has all the attributes to become a top defender, he remains young and inexperienced. Stones, with four England caps, is similar to Zouma in that respect, though the prospect of both working and studying under Terry and Gary Cahill will accelerate his development. The sale of the Brazil full-back Filipe Luís has also opened up a vacancy at full-back. Zouma operated there for a spell against Barcelona here but a replacement is needed. Augsburg’s highly rated Ghanaian, Baba Rahman, remains a target and now that Roman Abramovich has recouped the £16m paid for Filipe Luís last year, there should be movement soon enough. There will have to be.
Hazard needs to keep up his form
Man-management is a key component of Mourinho’s skill set and the way he has talked up Eden Hazard here indicates there is a lot of love between the two. Suggesting the Belgian deserved to be elevated above Cristiano Ronaldo last season because the Real Madrid forward failed to win any titles was a moot point. You could understand where Mourinho was coming from, yet ask anyone whom they would rather have in their team and the answer would almost certainly be the Portuguese. That said, Hazard has looked on his mettle here from the start. Some roughhouse treatment in the defeat by New York Red Bulls in the first match gave the 24-year-old a crunching reintroduction into the kind of treatment which was dished out in the Premier League with bruising regularity last season. Yet his goal against Barcelona in Washington DC – he elegantly glided past a series of challenges before delivering an unerring, confident finish – spoke of his burgeoning confidence and class. His improvement and ability to cope with his elevation in the world game will be vital for Mourinho in the next few month
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