THIS Sunday sees Chelsea welcome Manchester United and Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, a man who more than most knows the situation Antonio Conte currently finds himself in.
A title-winning manager looking to press on the following season, things not going to plan, unexpected defeats and the inevitable stories of player unrest and disgruntled owner. Sound familiar?
After a run of results that many would have you believe is the end of the world for the Italian, with the 3-0 capitulation to Roma being freshest in the memory, a quick look back over the last month shows that since losing to City 1-0 at the end of September, we’ve played six, won four, drawn one and lost one.
We are still fourth in the league, still in the league cup and look pretty much certain to qualify from our Champions League group.
Ok, so we’re not playing as well as we know we can, but show me a team that plays brilliantly all season and I’ll show you someone that’s playing FIFA – every team has rough patches in real life.
With the return of our two-time, and most successful manager this weekend, comparisons are inevitable but the one that rankles me the most are those comparing Conte’s second season to Mourinho’s most recent title success in 2014-15, then complete disintegration the following season.
By November that 2015 we’d already lost the Community Shield, we’d already lost seven games and drew four more, one of which we also lost on penalties.
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Eight defeats before bonfire night! A repeat of Mourinho’s last season this isn’t.
We aren’t playing terribly, but we’re not playing terribly well right now either and a massive part of that for me is the absence of N’Golo Kante.
To coin a phrase from another Italian loved in SW6, he’s now “the battery in the Chelsea rolex” and without him we seem no more than a broken bunch of gems.
Thankfully we should soon see the French international back in the middle of the park in ten different places at once, which should add some much needed steel and energy to our game.
United though come to London with a midfield problem of their own; namely that they don’t have many left! Injuries to Lingard, Fellaini, Carrick and Pogba means that our old boy (and much criticised sale) Nemanja Matic will be the primary cog in the United engine room.
If Kante returns this weekend it will set up an intriguing encounter between Matic and the Kante/Bakayoko partnership the club thought good enough to let the Serbian leave.
Then there’s Lukaku and Morata, the striker we had and apparently wanted back, versus the striker many of us wanted and gladly got.
Many though won’t be able to see past the Conte vs Mourinho angle this weekend, but it’s not about that at all.
Managers in trouble, player conflicts, missed signings vs signed players, old boys vs new boys.
It’s Chelsea vs Manchester United, a team in blue against a team in red, something that’s happened many times before these players or managers were even on the scene and one that will be played out many times again in future.
Whether or not that will still be the case in February when the teams meet again, who knows, or really cares right? So for now, let’s just put the rumour mill on hold and enjoy what should be one of the games of the season.
Especially if we win.
Toby Brown, The Chels, @TheChelsOrg
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