Happiness is Nothing Special

These are disturbing times for Chelsea – so much so that according to reports even the Chief Rouble himself is far from smitten at the way things are panning out. And if you think that’s a bit over the top, take a look at the facts.

Chelsea have only managed to draw their last three games – 2-2 at home to newly promoted Reading; 2-2 at home to Fulham, who have to work hard every season to maintain their Premiership status and now 0-0 to Aston Villa, a mid-table side who had lost their last four games, hadn’t won since 11th November and had been soundly thrashed by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge the week before that.

What’s more, Chelsea’s last four victories – against Wigan (3-2), Newcastle United (away 1-0), Everton (3-2) and Newcastle United (home 1-0) were knife-edge odd goal affairs invariably settled on a last gasp basis by a side playing boring, unconvincing football and hugely indebted to Didier Drogba. And if you want to find the last time they won by more than a single goal, you need to go all the way back to 11th November, when they beat bottom side Watford 4-0.

But there is something even more sinister. During these troubles, Jose Mourinho has not been his usual self and after the Villa game the extent of the change was there for all to see. He declared (not entirely convincingly): “I’m happy with my team” and made much of the fact that they have stopped leaking goals at the rate of two per game (for the time being at least).

So, the Special One is apparently satisfied that Chelsea are playing like a mid-table side and not leaking goals – even though they haven’t won for ages, continue to serve up dreary football and are missing a hatful of chances. In other words, he has become easy to please - as evidently all it takes is nothing special.

Well, he may need to think seriously about that one. Because the man with all the money is very unlikely to be sharing his apparent satisfaction.