Love it or hate it, football is a business. Not the usual sort, but a business nonetheless. Of course there are moments of magic which make the sport what it is, but it has become increasingly clear since the information revolution that the analysis of football through a management and economic lense yields huge and usually objective insights.
Sitting in front of a former marketing executive from the hugely successful Cirque du Soleil, I listened as he spoke of the dynamic created when young and energetic ‘new guard’ are introduced into a management system consisting of a predominantly established ‘old guard’.
What results is a creative tension. The old guard are now under pressure so as not to fall into a trap of complacency, whilst the bounding new guard – whilst hugely talented – need to grow into their roles and prove their worth.
The resulting environment has become highly desirable in the modern business world. He emphasised the importance of striking a balance to achieve the best results, with each guard driving and motivating the other. The constant motivation and learning between the two would eventually elevate the ‘new guard’ into a position to replace the old. What results is positive growth and forward movement.
It’s exactly the same in football.
For years, Chelsea’s old guard dominated the Premier League. A solid spine through the middle of the pitch was absolutely integral to the success we’ve witnessed since the start of Roman’s reign, and even before that. Before Terry, Lampard, Essien, Drogba it was Desailly, Di Matteo, Zola etc.
Much is made of the “revolving door policy” (a phrase I use reluctantly) due to the lack of stability that so many pundits and commentators claim it causes.
True. But only to an extent.
Managers have come and gone through the years, but the spine of the team remained solid. That was Chelsea’s stability. Regardless of who gave the training sessions, who gave the half time team talks and who the players had to impress – the one constant at Chelsea was that the leaders on the pitch remained the same for almost a decade.
But all empires come to an end. Ask Manchester United how difficult it is to transition. Just because it’s difficult however, doesn’t mean Chelsea should fall even more foul to exactly the same problem.
This is the root cause of Chelsea’s disastrous season. In just a few years, only Terry remains from the original spine. Think back under four years to the Champions League final . Only Cahill and Mikel remain from that night in Munich. A flooding of the ‘new guard’ left a huge imbalance in the winning dynamic. Players weren’t ready to step up to the shoes that had been vacated. Whatever ‘future planning’ the board at Chelsea had laid out either had huge design flaws or a calamitous implementation.
When did it last happen at Chelsea? When Abramovich first arrived. Even then, for the players we lost, we had big mentalities ready to step up. Lampard and Terry had started to become integral whilst Cudicini and Hasselbaink were leaders in their own right. But what was the key in the quick transition amongst the flood of new players in 2003?
Mourinho. A sleep deprived maniacal motivator with an ingrained need to win at all costs. He was the leader, the focal point of all attention. He compensated for the imbalance caused with the influx of new purchases and imprinted his DNA from the off.
Every Chelsea side that appeared for the next decade was just a spin-off from what Mourinho left in 2007.
Compare that to now. Players entrusted with stepping up the plate have crumbled under pressure, whilst the man first elected to recreate that transition is now on the job hunt.
The man charged with redefining the Chelsea DNA is Antonio Conte. Supposedly more maniacal and drill sergeant-like than Mourinho and arriving on his reputation for a superb repair job at Juventus with a similar job description to the one he’s just accepted. But Conte, Champions and Cirque du Soleil? Where does it all fit?
The challenge for Conte isn’t just about getting Chelsea’s top players on form once more. It’s not even just about picking up points each week. He will be the one to rule over this latest transition in Chelsea’s history – perhaps the most risky yet – and ultimately handle the opportunity to redefine the club we know and love. The potential is there; our academy and loan network is overflowing with talent, and if this season’s additions of Traore, Kenedy and Loftus-Cheek are anything to go by, they’re ready to be trusted with an important role in the squad. Not just that, but if you take a look at the likes of Baker, Aina, Solanke and co – they are players who have been attached to the Blues since they were just kids. They already have the understanding of the club which no multi-million pound player can simply learn.
If we believe the rumours, anyone who has more than 10 caps for a side in Serie A will be following the italian too, which makes the role of the experienced players essential. The balance has to be right if we want to see this season written off and to pick up where we left off last season in September. It’s down to the board to trust in the decision they have made in Conte and start nurturing the new guard that are just waiting to come into the picture and challenge the old guard who, for the most part, let all of us in blue down this year.
You don’t get many second chances in business. Chelsea have been lucky enough to get a second go at transitioning – but you can be sure it’s the last one they’ll have.
Let’s see if Conte will add a record of his consistent success in his new role as Chelsea’s first team head coach.
Will Chelsea make it to final 4 for this year’s Premier League? What do you think?
Over to you, Mr Conte.
