Photo by Gilyo

Andre Villas-Boas is the new manager of Chelsea.  The former FC Porto manager is one of the brightest young tacticians in Europe.  Even though Carlo Ancelotti should have been given more time, Villas-Boas is the best available option for Chelsea moving forward.

Villas-Boas is only 33-years old, the same age as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.  Young managers sometimes have difficulty commanding attention from older players.  Will veteran footballers like Ashley Cole, Lampard and John Terry listen to a manager who is around the same age? This is just one of the many hurdles that Andre Villas-Boas has to clear.

Everyone understands why Villas-Boas would welcome a move from Porto to Chelsea. Porto has a history of selling their young stars after reaching success. Chelsea can keep any player they want and buy any player for sale.  Even though Porto are one of the best sides in the world after completing their treble, Chelsea will be able to sustain success because of their vast reservoirs of cash.

But with more money comes more problems.  That problem will be owner Roman Abramovich.  Villas-Boas will have to build a successful team out of aging stars despite Abramovich, which begs the question: Why would anyone wish to manage under him?

Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are the two best managers in the history of the Premier League.  Both have enjoyed long tenures and continue to lead their teams above and beyond. But both have had to deal with hard times.  Ferguson was allowed to stay with United despite failing to win the league title until his sixth season. Wenger is going through a similar stretch now.  United kept faith in Ferguson, and it paid off big time.  Arsenal is hoping for the same now.

The point is that Abramovich needs to give Villas-Boas more time than he has given other managers.  Villas-Boas could be the long-term solution for Chelsea if Abramovich allows him to be.  Or he could be another footnote in a long line of managers at Stamford Bridge.

Carlo Ancelotti learned that Abramovich doesn’t care much about a league and FA Cup double.  If Villas-Boas wants any kind of length to his Chelsea career, he needs to focus on the Champions League. Abramovich may finally settle down after Chelsea wins their first Champions League. Until then, expect the antics to continue.

Someone close to Abramovich needs to let him know that sacking managers doesn’t lead to success. Andre Villas-Boas has all the tools needed to become the next great manager and sit alongside Ferguson and Wenger.  All he needs is the patience that United and Arsenal have shown with their legendary managers.

Abramovich will finally change.  He will realize that doing the same thing over and over again will not lead to different results. Yes, Chelsea has had tons of success since he bought the club, and he is the reason why Chelsea attracts the top footballers in the world. But he is also holding the club back. Once he gets that history-altering manager, Chelsea can really dominate Europe. If so, I believe Andre Villas-Boas is that man to lead them there.