So World Cup 2006 has begun and already we?ve seen some stellar individual performances, and aside from the peerless Juan Roman Riquelme, three other players have caught my eye. Those players? Arjen Robben, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien. Of course, you?ll immediately realise that these three are all Chelsea players, and that is what is most interesting about them. All three were outstanding in their respective countries opening games, which led me to think ? when was the last time they played so well for Chelsea?

Against Serbia and Montenegro (who were admittedly rather lacklustre) Robben produced a scintillating display of old-fashioned wing play, his direct, pacy running caused the Serbian back four all sorts of problems, and proved that you don?t need fancy tricks to beat a man (were you watching Cristiano Ronaldo?). The thing is, it?s been a long time since Robben performed like that for Chelsea regularly, and certainly did not approach such peaks in the season just gone. Freed from Mourinho?s tactical shackles, the Dutchman was allowed the freedom by Marco van Basten to play to his strengths.

For Chelsea, he is expected to work hard and to track back, and while most managers would like their players to work for the team in this way, sometimes you have to accept that this does not suit all players. No matter how hard Mourinho tries he will never make Robben into the kind of hard-working, defensively-minded player he clearly craves, and by expecting Robben to play this way he is stifling a player who, on his day, is one of the most exciting players in Europe.

For Holland, Robben is allowed to largely neglect any defensive duties and concentrate solely on attacking. Look at his goal against the Serbians ? when van Persie flicked the ball on Robben was Holland?s most advanced player, playing off the shoulder of the nearest centre back, and when he times his runs correctly his blistering pace means that he?s unlikely to be caught. Chelsea should use Robben in this way as well. With a team shot through with as much quality as theirs is they can afford to allow Robben the freedom to roam and to attack the way that Holland do. Certainly it would bring more flair to a side often criticised as dour and workmanlike throughout the course of last season.

Essien, it seems, has a similar problem to Robben. It would appear Mourinho regards the Ghanian as an alternative ? and successor ? to Claude Makelele. Now, while Essien is undoubtedly an excellent central midfielder, a Makelele he is not. The Frenchman?s forte is staying back, breaking down attacks and keeping possession with simple short passes. Essien is much more attack-minded than that. He produced a powerhouse performance for Ghana, overpowering an Italy midfield that was hardly short of quality itself. Essien?s barnstorming forward runs were reminiscent of his Lyon days and the form that earned him that ?24m pound move to England.

It is unfortunate that if you mention Essien to any English football fan and they will probably be reminded of a couple of infamous fouls he committed in his first season rather than any memorable performances, yet Essien on Monday looked a different player to the man who has flattered to deceive thus far in his Chelsea career, and again we must question why, and again it brings us back to Mourinho?s tactics.

Essien, once memorably described as ?a bundle of muscles? is a real box-to-box midfielder and the possessor of a very decent shot, yet the tactical rigidity of Chelsea?s system stymies his best qualities. He is strong, quick and has the stamina to run all day, yet for Chelsea his forays into the opposition penalty box are rare (perhaps for the fear that he and Lampard will cancel one another out, in the way that Gerrard and Lampard do for England), but to use Essien simply as a Makelele-style holding player negates many of his best qualities ? something that Paul Le Guen understood, but Mourinho does not seem to.

The much-maligned Didier Drogba also showed against Argentina what a top-class striker he can be when he is really motivated. Clearly, he is desperate to do well for his country, and appears to thrive on the responsibility the Ivory Coast entrusts in him. For the Ivory Coast he is the captain and the main goal-threat, for Chelsea he is used merely as a battering ram to outmuscle physically weaker sides. For the Ivory Coast he is he focal point of their attacks, for Chelsea this is not always the case.

This is unfortunate for Drogba, who is unlikely ever to be ?the main man? at Chelsea, especially not now Andrei Shevchenko has been signed. Although having said that, the Ukrainians? signing could prove a boon to Drogba, as he seems to play better when paired with another up front (as he was for Marseille and is for the Ivory Coast) rather than as a lone front man. Who knows, next season, with Shevchenko for support, Chelsea might finally see the best of a player unfairly compared to Emile Heskey.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 16th, 2006 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Chelsea. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.