Arsene Wenger may have conceded the Premiership title weeks ago but he’s already made his first move in hitting back at Chel$ki and exposing a potential pressure point.
When he made his comments about Chel$ki needing ‘moral leadership from the top’ many shrugged at the time and felt it was going to fall on deaf ears if his target was Roman Abramovich.
But this, as most of what Wenger says when it comes to the opposition, was a carefully worded attack designed to test where the real power lies at Stamford Bridge and force Abramovich out of the comfort zone of playing the ‘excited fan who merely bankrolls his play thing’.
When reports came out of Portugal that Jose Mourinho was considering quitting Chel$ki in the summer it was seen as no more than an April Fool’s Day joke. Little did anyone realize that the source for the story was a media outlet ‘the chosen one’ has used time and time again when he wanted to get a point across, and needed to be taken seriously.
Just a day after the UEFA charge came out, Mourinho, despite being asked to keep a low profile, went to the same Portuguese media outlet and proclaimed he was confident he would be found ‘completely innocent’.
Mourinho is now reportedly unhappy that Chel$ki haven’t (as yet) backed him to the hilt by appealing his two-match touchline ban. If they do appeal, after the British media have suggested they will not, it will be hugely significant.
I’m not taking the threat that he might quit the club seriously, although if it did ever get that far it would be highly amusing. No, the real problem now lies with Abramovich.
Judging by the leniency of the punishment from UEFA Chel$ki chief executive Peter Keyon must have been on the charm offensive with UEFA.
UEFA must also have taken very seriously the threat of legal action, so as to save face they needed to appear to put Chel$ki in line with a punishment that would go uncontested.
It his highly conceivable that Kenyon agreed to accept their verdict so long as it was the minimum punishment for the crime.
Wenger was quick to comment that he felt the punishment was mild and largely ineffective.
It’d all been worked out except that it didn’t account for Mourinho’s huge ego and his demand to be completely exonerated.
Now Abramovich has a dilemma. His chief executive will find it very difficult if not impossible to go back to UEFA and appeal the decision. But if Mourinho is demanding an appeal it means Abramovich has to go over Keyon’s head.
If he was to do this Kenyon’s position at the club is close to untenable, he will merely be a puppet figure beholden to whatever Mourinho’s latest whim might be. Kenyon had obviously seen this potential scenario arising and distanced himself at the 11th hour by sending Chel$ki’s plc chairman in his place to hear the verdict.
Should this lead to Kenyon quitting Chel$ki Abramovich’s hopes that the club would become financially self sufficient would be totally undermined as it is Kenyon who is behind all the big commercial deals being negotiated right now.
These deals are already finely balanced as many of the Blue Chip companies they are talking to are likely to be nervous about associating themselves with a club that seems to be a magnet for controversy and treats the rules of the game with contempt.
But if he doesn’t support Mourinho he must know that other clubs will sense there is a chance to tempt his coach away. Real Madrid, Inter Milan and even Manchester United would all jump at the chance to get someone like Mourinho at their club.
One way or another the first crack in Chel$ki’s money driven dominance has appeared.
Wenger clearly felt that the approach to Ashley Cole was timed to cause as much disruption ahead of the match against Manchester United.
And this is the moment to exact a little pay back.
That issue is about to come to a head with the Premier League set to pass judgment soon. There is little doubt that Mourinho was at that meeting which gives Abramovich another problem because if he has backed his manager over the UEFA charge he will have to again over the ‘tapping up’.
If he does so again all the positive publicity he has generated for himself since buying Chel$ki will start to evaporate as he will leave himself open to accusations of being morally bankrupt - an agenda set by Wenger that the media will greedily snap up.
The documentaries about how Abramovich became so rich in the first place portrayed an image of him as a ruthless business man in eyes of British media, but they couldn’t really do too much more with that because they would have asked themselves ‘How much do the British public care about what he’s done in Russia?’
But if he goes about his business dealings in the same manner in Britain itself… well that is a different ball game altogether. And there is nothing the British media do better than take the moral high ground. Wenger knows this, and more importantly so do Abramovich, Mourinho and Kenyon.
My hope is that the Premier League impose a two-year transfer embargo on Chel$ki for the ‘tapping up’ affair. A fine is pointless, and a points deduction wouldn’t be appropriate as would banning them from the league. But taking away their advantage in the transfer market would be perfect punishment for their crime, especially during a summer in which Arsenal are likely to be very active.
It also means that Chel$ki would be out of the transfer headlines for an entire summer as Abramovich’s largesses is made redundant, something that has been the backbone to all his positive media attention. Chel$ki then becomes a far less effective media toy for him, after all how many peace missions to the Middle East can he go on?
12 Responses to “Wenger prods at Chel$ki’s pressure point”
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April 5th, 2005 at 8:54 am
Excellent post. Gave me the warm fuzzies. Chalk another up for Wenger, who has been drawn into a game that he can play. I prefer he pick his battles like this one, rather than trade prattle with egos. He sees a house of cards, and a light whistle could do the trick under the radar.
Part of me thinks that trophies will heal all wounds and overshadow any hype the media are to lavish. But behind the doors, things will begin to strain. And if the unholy alliance falls, the victories will ring all the more hollow. A shame for some quality talent on the pitch, but in this war over the integrity of the game, some valiant soldiers will have to fall.
Well done.
April 5th, 2005 at 11:13 am
Great post. Whilst at first I viewed Mourinho as a breath of fresh air, even if he does threaten to ruin Arsenal’s once emerging dominance, it appears that the 10% of suspicion I heathily carried is now ever increasing.
Mourinho is now coming across as an egotisical, megalomaniac who thinks he can ride through the Premiership on his horse, bypassing and reinventing the rules whenever he feels like it.
However, I also believe that in tandem with that, Mourinho fully understands the psychology of sport. He knows that a siege mentality will get the best out of his players, so he pushes the right buttons to ensure that everyone is out to get him and his team. Yet he is walking a very fine line - a handful of defeats at the wrong time could make him look a fool, and it will be very hard to build back up the player’s trust after all the bullsh*t he has spouted, if and when the tactics stop working.
At the moment it is ALL mind games that have put Chelsea where they are, without Robben they often look a distinctly average team, profiting from what is clearly one of the worst calibre of opposition in the Premiership. The standard is currently so low, that Everton & Bolton are fighting for a Champions League spot.
At the moment, Mourinho is winning the battle of minds despite being close to pressing the implode button. But unless his self-destructive ego is completely flawed, I still believe he could become one of the best managers in the world within 10 years - at the moment he is overrated.
April 5th, 2005 at 11:26 am
Mourinho will not fall on his sword, as his arrogance surmounts the hubris of Sisyphus, thus some other scapegoat must be found. Remember they?re the Evil Empire and have resorted to lying and cheating for which they have already been found guilty and weakly punished by UEFA. Finding a scapegoat wouldn?t be difficult for this lot of over-achievers. As the FA seems to be so weak kneed when actually going after the big concerns like ?tapping up? I believe very little will be done other than a slap on the wrist.
This whole issue surrounding Mourinho?s possible quitting is just a ploy to keep the attention and subsequent tension off the team running up to the CL matches and EPL end of season games. This is something, which Mourinho has excelled in all year long, deflecting attention from the team/players. With his seemingly narcissistic character, this probably meshes in well with his role as coach, as he loves the limelight anyways.
As for sponsors bailing because of the controversy surrounding the Coach (he has deflected it away from the team remember) I think they?ll look at the silverware and decide. As the punishments Chelsea have received have been so insignificant, well you know where I?m going. Overall, Chelsea seems to be getting away with BLUE murder and they?re juggernaut can?t be stopped.
In my humble view of the whole thing, is that the only way to stuff a sock in Mourinho?s mouth is to beat him at what Arsenal does best on the pitch. When they start loosing some games then things will start to cool down to a Siberian winter down at Stamford Bridge. I for one believe strongly that it can be done and do not for a moment believe that money can buy you everything: look at Real Madrid. When they are handed a few defeats then the real boss behind the team (Abramovich) will act, as this team seems to be an extension of his own maniacal ego, which may very well surpass that of his coaches.
Therefore, in conclusion, the only way to really hand Chelsea a lesson is to beat them on the pitch. Arsenal has beat richer teams in the past and there is no reason we can?t do it with Chelsea. Just now, Chelsea has had an excellent run of form this season and we?ve been plagued with some serious injuries. Once the Chelsea looses some games then you?ll really see the fireworks ignite and that will be the beginning of their downfall. To place our hope on the FA is to assume that justice is blind or even has courage; i.e. Pennant is out, any other drunken sod would still be behind bars and so is Martha Steward and richer for it. I have never liked cheering for German teams but I am now at least for two games. I also know Arsenal can beat them when they see them next if our current form remains in tact.
Simply put through hook or crook they must be dealt with on the pitch. Mourinho already has charge of playing off the field. In terms of disgracing the game, well time will tell what his pernicious actions to date have already cultivated. Suffice it to say, you reap what you sow and from my perspective it is a field of weeds off the pitch. Sadly, I think that their egos are large enough that they won?t give a shite as long as they have the silverware as that is the Chelsea frame of mind ?at any cost?.
April 5th, 2005 at 11:44 am
“At the moment, Mourinho is winning the battle of minds despite being close to pressing the implode button. But unless his self-destructive ego is completely flawed, I still believe he could become one of the best managers in the world within 10 years - at the moment he is overrated.” DannyT
It’s a sad commentary on the state of the world when lying and cheating earn you the title of “best manager”. He may become one of the most remembered coaches but alas for all the wrong reasons. To put him in the same league with a Rinus Michels is a travesty. You are correct in pointing out that he is overrated in terms of coaching, what special skills or tactical strategies has he brought to the modern game? I think he’ll be considered much like a George Steinbrenner of the Yankees.
April 5th, 2005 at 11:53 am
“some valiant soldiers will have to fall.” ScottyUS
Where do I set up the Machine Gun? lol
True enough though, they have some real quality on the pitch and I think it’s beating them there that will cause this house of cards to fall. The ego’s here are so big that almost everything else they are impervious to. Beating them at the game is the only real solution now. The lofty principles of integrity have already been challenged and it seems to me they are getting away with BLUE murder.
April 5th, 2005 at 12:16 pm
It’s hard to give a definitive opinion so early in his career. At this moment in time he looks an as*hole. But this time next year it might have all blown over and he could have 2 European Cups and a Premiership medal in his pocket - with more lined up.
April 5th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
I believe The Arsenal on form are the only team that can really stuff them period…even if they go through to the finals of the CL. Their style of play is useful against some of the teams they could face, but only The AFC has the ability to carve them up like so much turkey. When we’re on we’re the best and I can only sit back and smile about what antics Mourinho would think up if we were to do just that. They’re the ones with fixture congestion now, and our side is getting healthier. Sure would love to be the ones to see make crumple in the home stretch.
April 5th, 2005 at 1:16 pm
Allow me to point out that George Steinbrenner is the OWNER of the Yankees. The Manager is Joe Torre, and the General Manager is Brian Cashman.
In order for the analogy to work in this case, Ambrovich is Steinbrenner.
Joe Torre is too well respected to be lumped in with Moanwhino.
As for Cashman, he’s a good GM, made great because he has all of George’s money. In that aspect, Moanwhino is similar, as he is only as good as the Russian mobster’s money has allowed him to become.
April 5th, 2005 at 6:16 pm
You hit the nail on the head there, but I’d go even further than what you propose.
1) A five year ban from all European club competitions.
2) A five year transfer embargo as oppose to the two years that you recommended.
3) A ten point deduction for “tapping” Ashley Cole.
Fining them is of no use as Abramovich is loaded and any monetary fine is just small change to them in general. What needs to be done is to give them a “short sharp shock”. Bring them down a peg or two as right now they seem to think that they are above the law!
With regards to docking points, I think the FA has to do that. Can you imagine the hulabaloo Moanwhingho and Kenyon would build up had Wenger and Dein done a similar thing by let’s say “tapping up” Frank Lampard or John Terry??? You would’ve never heard the end of it!!!!!
I’ve got to hold my hand up and admit that on the field…..Chelsea have been doing the business, but their behaviour off the field leaves alot to be desired. And I for one think that a team that behaves in this manner should not end the season as Champions. If it needs a heavy penalty as points deduction to stop them in their tracks…..then so be it!!!!
April 6th, 2005 at 10:13 am
I’ll second that - and the sock should be A. Coles because I’m sure it stinks. Wouldn’t that just be a laugh if he got the winning goal. Doing that would also put him back in favour, at least with the fans.
April 6th, 2005 at 10:16 am
No disrespect intended but keep dreaming, it isn’t going to happen as can already be seen by the UEFA descision, a two game touch line ban, hah, hah, that must smart. Not likely!
April 6th, 2005 at 10:25 am
I wonder how Wenger will play the A card? If Ashley does play and does well, I would give money to see a young defender like Glen Johnson try and trade jerseys with him on the pitch afterwards. All that irony would be almost too much to bear.