Chelsea stated their desire to promote academy talent but they are now willing to spend �70m in the transfer market
At first glance the Chelsea contradiction had been laid bare. Carlo Ancelotti sat at the training ground, fielding a series of questions laced with the sense that the Premier League champions had abandoned their long-term vision as well as any sense of perspective. A club who have made great play of their desire to promote academy graduates had abruptly strayed from the route to self-sufficiency and, almost overnight, become willing to spend the best part of �70m in the transfer market.
Some managers might have been smug at the leeway suddenly granted them, but Ancelotti squirmed in the firing line. Had there been a change of tack to explain the pursuit of David Luiz and Fernando Torres in the week that Ga�l Kakuta and Patrick van Aanholt loaned out? "No, this doesn't mean the policy has changed," said the manager. "We took a decision that we would try to improve our squad and, for this reason, the club is doing its job." Had the strategy, implemented last summer, to promote from within the youth ranks, been reassessed? "This is not the reason. We are looking not just for this season, but for the future of the club."
The Italian did not appear entirely comfortable with the course this season has taken, even if he surely welcomes the potential arrival of a Brazilian centre-half who is rated highly across Europe and a World Cup winner who has scored seven times in eight appearances against the London club. It is the mixed messages issuing from Stamford Bridge that are confusing. Last summer, the club shipped out five seasoned internationals ? Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco ? and made it known that the likes of Kakuta, Van Aanholt, Jeffrey Bruma and Daniel Sturridge would fill the void. Six months on, those youngsters have made two league starts between them. The champions are 10 points from the top and the cheque book is open again.
In acknowledging Tottenham Hotspur's presence just three points behind his team, it would be easy to suggest that Roman Abramovich has been panicked into spending. Missing out on qualification for the Champions League, described as "unthinkable" by Ancelotti, has become a very real worry. The champions have endured their worst league sequence in 15 years, a run that could not but open the owner's eyes to the need to inject new blood. Youngsters were being asked to fill experienced campaigners' shoes, finding themselves summoned from the bench to change games in which internationals had floundered. That was asking too much.
Ancelotti and his staff would argue that the experiment with youth has been worthwhile, even if the title is to be surrendered in May. "We didn't make a mistake because in six months we have found a fantastic young player in Josh McEachran," he said. "Others from the academy are close to playing for us. We hope to find more."
McEachran's emergence could be the most significant result of this season, yet what Chelsea's campaign has exposed most clearly is the imbalance within their squad. Ancelotti might concede privately that he has a strange blend at his disposal, a collection of hugely experienced players ? the spine of his double-winning side and, even, Jos� Mourinho's successful teams ? and a sprinkling of youthful, if raw talents. There is very little in between, players aged between 23 and 26 who will be the older heads in three years' time. Indeed, the only such regular has been Ramires, who has taken time to adapt following his summer arrival from Benfica.
Ancelotti is right to point out that any attempt to add David Luiz, 23, or Torres, 26, to his squad would be geared towards the club's future, providing players of real pedigree able to bridge the period when the older generation is phased out. There are too many in the squad who are the wrong side of 30. Injecting a few quality players who can realistically compete at this level for the next five years will provide continuity and could yet mean that Abramovich does not have to reinvent his squad entirely, as he did so regularly in the early years of his ownership.
Therein lies the logic in the pursuit of David Luiz and Torres. Supporters will be thrilled at the prospect of a return to the days when Chelsea's money talked louder than any other club. Certainly, there is an opportunism to their courting of Torres, with Manchester City content for now with Edin Dzeko's �27m arrival and unlikely to cast their eyes towards the Spaniard until the summer. Ancelotti may squirm, with the prospect of self-sufficiency put back, but the London club's timing could yet be in.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/jan/28/carlo-ancelotti-chelsea-david-luiz
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