Landing The Big Fish : Juan Mata

           
              It was all turning out to be so familiar. Trying to somehow scrape past a minnow, with that straight-line passing and the slow and mundane build-up play, that seemed to have become a characteristic. Ever since that infamous collapse against Sunderland last season, Chelsea fans had been craving for something exciting. And then, he arrived. In just the 26 minutes of his debut, Juan Mata showed the Blues what they had been missing. It was that finesse, that trickery, that magic that hadn't been seen at Stamford Bridge, perhaps since the days of legendary Gianfranco Zola. It might be precocious to say this, but Mata could just turn out to be the missing piece in Chelsea's jigsaw.
              It's been no secret that Roman Abramovic wants Chelsea to play with flair. As fortunes had it, Zola had left Chelsea for his native Caligari just a week before Roman bought the club. Abramovich did his best to get him back to London. Legends even say, Roman tried to buy the entire Caligari club to facilitate Zola's transfer back to Chelsea, but Zola would not budge on his promise given to his home club. Whatever might be the truth, Zola didn't return, and Chelsea have never had such an artist to thrill the crowds ever since.

Juan Mata has had an instant impact at Cheslea!

                Not that Chelsea's game has been boring and dull. When on song, they play football to mechanical perfection. But, organisation has always been prioritized to a free-roaming approach. Yes, they are a joy to watch when on fire. Didier Drogba bulldozing through the entire defenses, the famed long-rangers from Lamps or Essien, the relentless runs by Ashley Cole. But when the opposition decides to  park their bus  in front of goal, Chelsea don't have a Special player, who can pick the locks, or at least they didn't have one till now. Scolari moaned about his failure in pursuit of Robinho, or not having retained Arjen Robben, precisely for the same reason.

             Let's face it, almost every big club has one. Barcelona have Messi. Period. Real have Ronaldo, Manchester City have David Silva. Manchester United may not have one such in particular, but their ever-revolving front-line of Young, Rooney, Chicharito and Nani more than compensates for it, as some EPL clubs have already witnessed to their own peril. Chelsea didn't even need one till two seasons back, when Drogba was literally bullying every defense into submission, and Lampard was popping up from anywhere to slot in goal-after-goal. But cracks appeared in the Armour last season, when Drogba was hit by  malaria, and Lampard was lost to injuries. Both haven't yet looked the same, even after returning. Villas Boas had spotted the over-dependence on the few personnel, which has been the downfall of so many Chelsea managers. And, it's been evident in his transfer policy. Apart from Mata, Romelu Lukaku, Oriol Romeu and Thiabaut Courtois, all regarded to be  the best of upcoming talents were signed. Best part was, Romeu and Lukaku weren't loaned out straightaway to some un-pronounceable foreign clubs, a fate incurred by so many  of Chelsea's young signings.

Mata has already impressed the Blues faithfuls, with some classy football..

           
         Focusing on Mata, the diminutive Spaniard looked to pretty-much home right from the start. He ran, he dribbled, he chipped, he crossed, he tricked and Stamford Bridge was on it's feet in no time. Chelsea have got a real superstar in the making. Even David Silva, arguably the play-maker in the league at the moment, took almost half-a-season to adjust to the English game. It might not be widely known, but Juan Mata was a product of Real Madrid's youth setup (Yes, they Do have a youth system! ) . But, after shining for their B team, Mata and his parents demanded a contract with the senior team. Real refused, choosing to sign Royston Drenthe (yeah, the same one who was struggling to find a club few days ago!) instead. Valencia were waiting in the wings to pounce, and Mata hasn't disappointed since. He was the sole reason Valencia weren't plunged into an unknown darkness of failure, even after departures of two majestic Davids to Barcelona and Manchester City. It was a writing on the wall that he'd follow them to bigger clubs. Within days of signing for Chelsea, he looks to have upstaged Malouda, the French veteran, for the role on the left flank.

               If given proper time to gel, Mata could just be the man to unlock Fernando Torres's 50-million-pounds-worth potential. El Nino is still craving for the defence-splitting through balls that Gerrard and Benayoun could provide him, as Chelsea try to break from their routine of launching the ball to Drogba and let him do the rest. Early signs suggest AVB will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, which means Mata will be playing out wide on the left, rather than centrally, although a prospect of a super-fast Mata-Torres-Sturridge forward-line is fascinating for the Blue supporters.


                     The era appears to be changing at Chelsea. The veterans like Drogba, Malouda and Anelka are no longer guaranteed starters, and with the emergence of McEachran and Romeu, Frank Lampard could find himself added to that list soon.And Juan Mata promises to be the star of Chelsea's attempt at a revolution. Even with a huge clash against a rampant-looking defending Champions looming large, times have hardly been more exciting to be a Chelsea fan !