Beefed-up back four will retain title for Chelsea, says José Mourinho

   

Manager is confident in all areas of his squad except at the back where he is exploring options such as John Stones and Baba Rahman

As one of only two managers, along with Sir Alex Ferguson, to win back-to-back championships in the Premier League era, José Mourinho knows what it takes to defend a title. That is a statement of the obvious and so is this: it takes defenders, and Mourinho says Chelsea need to buy more of them if his side are to have any chance of repeating last season’s league triumph.

Chelsea are in talks with Augsburg over the left-back Baba Rahman and have hadtwo bids rejected for the Everton centre-back John Stones. They are pursuing such targets because their manager believes Chelsea would be setting themselves up for a fall if they tried to navigate their way through the new campaign with fewer defenders than last season, especially as they are determined to atone for the chastening elimination by Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.

With the left-back Filipe Luís having been sold back to Atlético Madrid after one glum year at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have five senior players to cover four defensive positions, giving the rearguard a threadbare look.

The four regulars who helped the team concede fewer goals than anyone in the Premier League last season are still in place but Kurt Zouma, impressively as he played during 17 starts in defence and midfield, cannot reasonably be asked to provide by himself back-up for Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill and César Azpilicueta.

“We cannot go to the Premier League with five defenders – that’s our weakness,” Mourinho says. “At this moment we have five: four to play and one on the bench. In this moment it’s not a priority but in three days, if we lose one, it becomes a priority. Five is not enough. That’s obvious.”

Mourinho wants the club to buy another left-back and another centre-back before the transfer window closes. “We have this time to organise that area where the quality is good but the numbers are not enough,” he says.

Augsburg value Rahman at around £17m but Chelsea hope to negotiate the fee for the 21-year-old Ghanaian downwards. Everton, meanwhile, would be well advised to brace themselves for another offer for Stones, for whom Chelsea have already had bids of £20m and £26m turned down. Other clubs are also interested in Stones, including both Manchester sides, and Mourinho says Chelsea will not pay more for a player than they believe he is worth and are ready to switch targets if demands become excessive.

“I have people in mind but I know that the market sometimes has no rules,” says the Portuguese. “We, as Chelsea, we make our own rules. To make our own rules is to evaluate the players and to know the player’s value, and to know when we have to stop and turn to another side, and thinking of another option.”

Making the two purchases Mourinho wants would bring Chelsea closer to fulfilling the manager’s desire to have a pair of top players for every outfield position. He says a player will be promoted from the club’s under-21 squad to serve as the eighth defender in the senior squad, mentioning Ola Aina as one possibility. The 18-year-old England youth international impressed on the club’s pre-season tour.

Mourinho says the defence are the only part of his squad which requires reinforcing, with Radamel Falcao having replaced the departed Didier Drogba during the summer and Asmir Begovic arriving from Stoke to take up reserve goalkeeper duties in place of Petr Cech, whom Chelsea could face in Community Shield against Arsenal. “We have the strikers, the wingers and the midfielders, in quality. We have two fantastic goalkeepers, plus a young good one.”

Mourinho’s confidence in the reliability of his strikeforce is not shared by everyone, with many Chelsea supporters fearing that the club is running a risk by relying so heavily on players with unfortunate recent injury records. Diego Costa missed a chunk of action towards the end of last season with a hamstring injury and limped out of Tuesday’s friendly against Barcelona with a similar complaint. But Mourinho insists that his top scorer has no persistent problem and even claimed the forward is available for selection this Sunday.

The manager is also confident that Falcao will make a bigger impact at Chelsea than he did last season at Manchester United, where his poor form raised concerns that the Colombian might never be able to regain the sharpness that made him one of the world’s most fearsome strikers before he shredded his left knee ligaments while playing for Monaco in January 2014. Loïc Rémy has had spells on the sidelines over the last couple of seasons too.

What is more, behind the strikers there is room for improvement from Chelsea on last season, when Oscar and Ramires were inconsistent and Juan Cuadrado failedto make the desired impact after joining from Fiorentina in January after the sale of Andreas Schürrle. Mourinho reckons he has no need for fresh personnel in those positions even though he is convinced the title will be harder to win because other clubs have rearmed well. He cited Crystal Palace’s purchase of Yohan Cabaye as an example of the rising standard of the Premier League. Although he says that there are five realistic contenders for the title – Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool – he believes other teams will inflict damage on those sides. He envisages winning the title despite losing more matches than last season.

“I think what other teams are doing will make a different Premier League,” he says. “I think less points will win the title. I think more defeats, more lost points for the top teams. Crystal Palace buy Cabaye and Conor Wickham. I could give you much more examples. So, welcome this mentality, welcome this economic power, welcome this ambition. It’s a great thing.”

Despite the growing threat from the chasing pack, Mourinho says loyalty to winners means he is not tempted to make more signings. “As a manager, I feel that I owe something to the players. To being champion and kicking people out to bring new blood, I prefer the loyalty. I prefer the group to know that I’m there for them, and I recognise what they did for us, even if other teams invest hugely and they go with lots of new faces, I prefer this feeling of loyalty to the squad. I think what they did last year is more than enough to trust them and to respect them.”

--------------------------------------XXXXX---------------------------------------

Brazilians in the Premier League: five hits and five misses

With Roberto Firmino set to make his first appearance for Liverpool at Swindon on Sunday, we look at how some compatriots fared before him, from Juninho to Mirandinha and Roque Júnior

The hits
Gilberto Silva

Gilberto made himself a mainstay of Arsenal’s midfield after joining from Atlético Mineiro for £4.5m following an impressive World Cup in 2002. He made 244 appearances for Arsenal all told, winning two FA Cups and playing in a Champions League final, and was a key part of the Invincibles team of 2003‑04, featuring in 32 of the 38 Premier League games. He also scored Arsenal’s first competitive goal at the Emirates in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. A consistent performer and one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.

Juninho

Middlesbrough beat some of Europe’s top sides to the signing of the 5ft 5in playmaker for £4.75m in 1995 and he was a success from the off. He helped them reach the finals of the League Cup and FA Cup in 1997, although they lost both. Relegation that same year led to his sale to Atlético Madrid but he returned on loan in 1999 to regain fitness after injury had sidelined him for five months. He came back again in 2002 for £6m and was part of the side that won the 2004 League Cup. He won Middlesbrough fans’ hearts, leading them to vote him as the best player to have played for the club.

Alex

There are two reasons why Alex earned the nickname The Tank. The first was his obvious physical presence; the second those thundering free-kicks. Who can forget the one for Chelsea against Liverpool in the 2009 Champions League quarter-final? Unable to gain a work permit when Chelsea first tried to sign him in 2004, Alex went to PSV for three years, finally sealing his move in 2007, to the delight of José Mourinho. He quickly made himself an important member of the squad and after Ricardo Carvalho left for Real Madrid, formed an effective partnership at the heart of Chelsea’s defence with John Terry.

Lucas Leiva

“People just don’t know how good Lucas is,” said Rafa Benítez in December 2008, and it would appear he was right. Lucas arrived at a time when Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano seemed to have the centre-midfield positions tied down but he has outlasted them all. Of the four, only Gerrard made more Liverpool appearances. Lucas’s boundless energy, positional sense and ability at breaking down opponents’ play have become the hallmarks of his game. His experience could prove even more vital now Gerrard has left.

Philippe Coutinho

Roberto Firmino will not have to look far to find inspiration. Coutinho has been a brilliant signing, costing £8.5m in January 2013. Capable of playing in the centre, as an attacking midfielder, second striker or even out wide, his versatility has made him a key figure in an ever-shifting tactical setup. Coutinho’s strong form saw him shortlisted for the PFA player of the year and PFA young player of the year awards last season, although he lost out to Eden Hazard and Harry Kane respectively.

Misses
Roque Júnior

A World Cup and Champions League winner, Roque Júnior arrived from Milan after the bubble had burst at Leeds United. Seven first-team appearances yielded four cautions, one dismissal, six defeats and 24 goals conceded. The sending off came on his home debut against Birmingham, the second yellow card coming when he gave away the penalty that sealed a 2-0 defeat. He did score two goals against Manchester United in the League Cup, but he is still regarded by Leeds fans as one of the club’s worst ever signings.

Afonso Alves

Expectations were high when Alves arrived on Teesside on 31 January 2008 in a club-record £12m deal. He had scored 48 goals in 48 games for the Dutch club Heerenveen but things quickly went downhill. He struggled to replicate his goalscoring exploits, taking more than three months to get his first for his new club. He managed 10 goals in 42 games at the Riverside and never justified his transfer fee. In 2009 he was fined two weeks’ wages for failing to report for pre-season training and moved to the Qatari side Al-Sadd, where he managed two goals in 12 league games.

Mirandinha

“I love Newcastle and was so happy there. English football for me was very, very important because I was the first Brazilian to play there.” Mirandinha arrived at Newcastle United for £575,000 in 1987 as the first Brazilian to play football professionally in England. He left a team relegated to Division Two, ultimately unable to fulfil his potential. He scored 19 goals in 54 appearances but poor fitness and injury troubles blighted a player who showed glimpses of his ability. At least he had time to learn “all of the swear words” in English, courtesy of Paul Gascoigne.

Robinho

“On the last day, Chelsea made a great proposal and I accepted.” Things didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts for poor Robinho when he became the marquee signing of intent for the new Manchester City owner, the Abu Dhabi United Group, in 2008 and seemed to think he had joined Chelsea. He began reasonably, scoring 13 goals in his first season but his overall record of 14 in 41 games and large periods out injured meant he never reached the heights his employer hoped he would. In his second and final season he played 12 games, his only goal coming in the FA Cup against Scunthorpe United. The striker’s arrival on deadline day did make the world sit up and take notice of City, nevertheless.

André Santos

Arsenal fans will not remember Santos fondly. Defensive lapses, a lethargic approach and the decision to swap shirts with the former Arsenal captain Robin van Persie at half-time of a match at Manchester United left many thinking he was not fit to wear the shirt he so willingly gave away. Twenty-five appearances in two seasons tell their own story for Santos, who was sent on loan to Grêmio shortly after the shirt-swapping incident.


---------------------------------XXXXX----------------------------------------

Philippe Coutinho back with a goal as Christian Benteke eyes debut

Liverpool beat HJK Helsinki 2-0 in pre-season friendly 
• Roberto Firmino could now play alongside Benteke at Swindon

Philippe Coutinho scored on his return to action as Liverpool beat HJK Helsinki 2-0 in a friendly on Saturday.

The 23-year-old made his first appearance of the pre-season, following his summer exploits at the Copa América with Brazil, and scored the second goal after substitute Divock Origi had opened the scoring with 18 minutes remaining.

On the bench in Finland was Liverpool’s latest signing, the young Brazilian midfielder Allan Rodrigues de Souza.

The 18-year-old has joined from Porto Alegre-based Internacional for a fee believed to be around £500,000.

While Allan is seen as one for the future, Liverpool’s major summer signingsChristian Benteke and Roberto Firmino look set to make their first appearances on Sunday.

The attacking duo are set to play some part of the final pre-season friendly at League One side Swindon Town. Benteke, a £32.5m signing from Aston Villa, andFirmino, brought in from Hoffenheim for £29m, have yet to feature but should play some part in the sell-out fixture at the County Ground. Adam Bogdan, Kolo Touré, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva, Emre Can, Joe Allen and Lazar Markovic are all also likely to play.