 |
| Baba Rahman |
Chelsea paid 21 million pounds to pry away Ghanaian left full back Baba Rahman from Augsburg this summer but the player is yet to make his debut inspite of a horrible run of form by the defending champions.
Much has been said and written about the defensive malaise that has engulfed the normally obdurate Blues defense but under pressure manager Jose Mourinho does not look like he is willing to unleash his expensive recruit . Questions are swirling over the continued selection of long time servant Branislav Ivanovic as well as other trusted members of the "Blue Wall" and speculation is rife.
What is happening at Stamford Bridge?
The Premier League is a physically demanding one that tests newbies and eats them up like none other in the world. It requires a certain level of fitness and mental readiness to succeed and it does not look like Jose Mourinho believes Rahman is at a good level to make an appearance for his troubled team.
"It’s important because he’s a left-back and he can compete with Azpilicueta" . "At the same time, Azpi can also compete with Ivanovic for the right-back position."This player replaces Filipe Luis in terms of the balance of the squad."Hopefully next week he will be ready.
That was Mourinho before the win at West Brom and in that period Rahman has appeared on the bench once,in a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace. Even more telling, he was not brought on when Azpilicueta was taken off to be replaced at left back by midfielder Kennedy. Rahman was also not named in the traveling party to Mersey side as Chelsea crashed to a 3-1 loss to Everton this past weekend. Baba could be in for an even longer wait to play in the EPL.
A pawn in a power game
There is no hiding that chaos and intrigue go in tandem with the huge success that Mourinho brings to teams and Rahman might have been caught up in one of them. Mourinho has been stripped off the powers he held during his first term at Stamford Bridge with Technical Director Michael Emenalo now the final authority on recruitment,a situation that does not suit a control freak like Jose.
Things might have worked a peach last season as Chelsea strolled to the title last season but a lack of investment in the team has seen them lagging behind close rivals Manchester City and it must have irked Mourinho as Pellegrini was allowed to spend huge sums of money on world class recruitments in Sterling, Otamendi and De Bryune. Rahman is a solid buy but is he what Jose REALLY wanted? His place on the bench could just be the Special One” acting up.
Fear of the Unknown
The most discussed scenario when Baba Rahman was signed was to have regular left back Cesar Azpilicueta move to right back to accommodate Rahman’s arrival. That scenario could be close or far away based on just how Jose feels about it’s effectiveness. At the moment despite the obvious struggles,Mourinho seems to think Ivanovic is his best option at right back and Azpilicueta at left back. Uncertainty is not a trait that has been associated with Mourinho at any point in his illustrious career but that is what it looks now. At the moment it is safe to assume he does not feel Rahman will bring a significant and immediate solution to his team.
Pressure is building and all eyes now move to that Champions League clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv, all our questions could be answered by the time that game is over.
