There was talk of dissent amongst the ranks, whispers about Chelsea’s players faith in José Mourinho ebbing away after their unfathomably miserable start to the season, and even one tantalising rumour that some members of the squad have come up with a secret nickname for the manager who is usually known as the Special One in this part of west London.
Whether or not there really is a nickname, the mere suggestion that one exists serves as a reminder that no manager can hope to survive when the only reason his players are behind him is because they are hoping to stab him in the back. However Mourinho, who was given a vote of confidence by the club’s board after the damaging defeat to Southampton a fortnight ago, will hope that he has regained a semblance of control after Chelsea ambled to a faintly unconvincing but nonetheless hugely welcome victory over Aston Villa.
If the performance fell a long way below perfection, there are times when the result is all that matters. Chelsea are 10 points behind Manchester City, beating Villa meant only that they crept towards mid-table, and the revival will be tested when they visit Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League on Tuesday. Yet order has been restored for the time being.
The arrival of the team sheet demonstrated that Mourinho is willing to be ruthless in his quest to jolt his ailing champions out of their malaise. Oscar was on the bench again and he was joined by Chelsea’s most talented player, Eden Hazard, who has disappointed in recent weeks.
Mourinho banged his chest after this victory. He believes that this is a time for togetherness and he felt that Willian and Pedro would both work harder than Hazard in the wide areas when Villa had the ball.
There was a clear message for Hazard about becoming a better team player. “I continue that way, or he comes in our direction and tries to emulate the same work that Willian and Pedro put in,” Mourinho said. “I told the players that this is not the moment to think about themselves or their personal situation, a moment to moan or try to be selfish in the approach. This is a moment for the team, just the team, and nothing else.”
Mourinho described Chelsea’s display as solid rather than brilliant and Villa were certainly obliging opponents for a side in desperate need of a restorative boost, contributing to their own downfall with dreadful defending that culminated in Diego Costa’s opening goal.
Tim Sherwood’s side are 18th, four points below Bournemouth, and have picked up one point since the opening day of the season.
Villa played well at times during the first half, especially when Jack Grealish was in possession, but they lack maturity at the back and bite in attack.
Chelsea’s flaws might have been exposed by a better team. Hazard’s absence meant that Ruben Loftus-Cheek was given his first league start this season. Yet although the young midfielder caught the eye with some surging runs in his role behind Costa, he struggled when out of possession and Nemanja Matic replaced him at half-time.
Rudy Gestede should have given Villa the lead when he stabbed Jordan Ayew’s cross over the bar and although Branislav Ivanovic’s injury meant that César Azpilicueta moved over to right-back, Chelsea’s defence still looked vulnerable. Baba Rahman was nervous on the left.
Chelsea were fortunate that Villa were in a generous mood in the 34th minute, Joleon Lescott failure to control Brad Guzan’s sharp pass allowing Willian to sweep away and tee up Costa for an easy finish.
Villa’s shoulders slumped and Chelsea were comfortable in the end. Mourinho, who was given a £50,000 fine and a suspended one-match stadium ban by the Football Association earlier this week in response to his comments about referees after the Southampton game, had nothing to complain about and the most encouraging aspect of this victory was the sight of Costa beginning to rampage again.
When Costa’s shot clipped Alan Hutton and looped past Guzan in the 54th minute, it was starting to feel like old times again.