Andre Villas-Boas looks ready to step into the void at Stamford Bridge (now trading at a done-deal price of 1/33 at Stan James), as he becomes the next man in line to try and bring the Champions League to the club. After much Next Chelsea Manager betting speculation about Guus Hiddink being ready to return to the club to take over as permanent boss, followed by former Dutch star Marco van Basten apparently on the brink of taking over, it is the Portuguese man who we have been tipping all along on these pages, looks ready to take charge. After Carlo Ancelotti was sacked on the last day of the season after finishing empty handed, Chelsea were ready to look elsewhere to keep up with Manchester United in the league. Chelsea looked a very tired, unimaginative side last year, and so a breath of fresh air was needed. Villas-Boas has quit FC Porto and that really should only mean one thing. A couple of days ago Chelsea said that they wanted a quick resolution to their managerial situation, and a new boss looks ready to step in and stamp his mark. Villas-Boas is one of the most highly regarded young bosses in the game, and led FC Porto to a treble last year, picking up the Portuguese league title without losing a game, winning the Portuguese Cup as well as beating Braga in the final of the Europa League. It is that incredible efficiency which Chelsea are going to be banking on in order to get them some silverware.
There was a release clause in the contract of Villas-Boas, which meant he was free to leave if someone offered just over £13 million to get him. Porto said that they hadn’t received such an offer, but with Villas-Boas resigning, the saga of Next Chelsea manager has pretty much been settled. Villas-Boas, the youngest ever manager to win a European title (at just 33) comes from a very good stable, having been assistant to The Special One Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, Porto and Chelsea. So there is history there between him and the London club, and while Inter Milan were very keen to get the Portuguese man, they would not stump up the money to get him. This is a different breed of manager for Chelsea, someone fresh and new, someone who has dedicated himself to the study of the science of coaching from his teenage years. This is not a footballer who has earned his stripes through playing, this is a man of science. There is an edge about Villas-Boas which should work well at Chelsea, and suddenly the successful days of the Mourinho era at Stamford Bridge will be at the front of the Stamford Bridge fans. But there will be a decisive difference between what Villas-Boas will have to offer over that which Mourinho did for the club. Mourinho was often bemoaned for being too defensive in his approach, happy to take 1-0 wins, while Villas-Boas is probably more of a risk taker, and we can expect a more attacking approach from him.
That is the thing which Chelsea have been lacking. They have not had the courage in conviction in going forward,even with the star names in their squad. That is not to say that defensive is not a big part of the Villas-Boas way, because it is. It all starts at the back and again the key word you can pick up on is efficiency. If the Porto model is anything to go by, then there is going to be a much quicker movement of the ball from the back to the front. He is a big admirer of what Pep Guardiola has done at Barcelona, and while there seems to be a strong organisation of efficiency, he seems to be able to allow individual talent to flourish. With Chelsea targeting big names such as Nilmar, Neymar and Falcao in the summer transfer market, it could be a Chelsea with a different look and feel about them, starting from the managerial position. This is a big stab in the dark from the Chelsea organisation, with owner Roman Abramovich looking to fulfil his obsession about winning the Champions League. But first he must start with the Premier League and chasing down Manchester United. That will be the first place to look at for your Chelsea betting with Andre Villas-Boas in charge. How much will his influence effect your betting options?
Well, Chelsea are at 11/4 with online bookmaker Unibet at the moment to win the 2011/12 Premier League title. That is good value because of course we don’t yet fully know what Villas-Boas will bring, in terms of tactics nor personnel. Still, he is an exciting prospect for Chelsea, a breath of fresh air for the club, and it could just be the very tonic needed for Chelsea to get back in amongst the silverware. Chelsea are 9/1 third favourites now at Victor Chandler to win the Champions League, and 6/1 at VC Bet to win the FA Cup.
