The Boss

With Juan Mata putting pen to paper on a long term contract with champions Manchester United earlier this week, Chelsea manager José Mourinho boldly tested the reverence with which he is held at Stamford Bridge. Allowing the two time player of the year to join forces with the sworn enemies at Old Trafford would have been unthinkable for Rafael Benítez, Roberto Di Matteo and Carlo Ancelotti, amongst other predecessors. Indeed such a scenario would lumber question marks upon the credibility of even the most secure managers. José however, with a steely arrogance offered perhaps his greatest example yet during his second spell at the club as to why, when he calls himself "The Special One", others follow.

Upon arriving at Chelsea in 2004, Mourinho quipped and quoted his way on to the back pages of newspapers, coupling charisma and character with a ruthless, successful team. His return has been stumbling rather than galloping. Whilst his side have been competitive, they have not been swashbuckling nor have they been cold-hearted in crushing opposition. Press conferences, whilst still somewhat entertaining present a Mourinho now caricatured by his own self-worth and overly salubrious relationship with the English media. Not only have his previously expert mind games become predictable, but they are also becoming a thing of farce. Accusations aimed at Luis Suárez for diving when explicitly clattered off the ball by Samuel Eto'o, already fortunate to remain on the pitch, were followed by swan dives from Oscar, Ramires and Hazard in the coming weeks.

Manchester United have undoubtedly purchased a player of genuine quality who will bring guile, skill and creativity to a side starved of any form of invention, with none of Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj, Antonia Valencia or Shinji Kagawa providing any veritable, consistent performances thus far. His signing, however does not cover the inadequacies in United's team, still crying out for a truly world class central midfielder, Yohan Cabaye has been touted, and replacements in an aging and inconsistent back four. What the purchase however will do, even if Mata himself does not strictly perform to the level he is so clearly capable of, is provide inspiration and motivation for the players around him, in a similar manner to that of Mesut Özil at Arsenal. The German has only, on occasion, displayed his abilities and truly shone at the Emirates, but his presence alone, coupled with the statement of the transfer, has had a proactive effect on players such as Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, as well as banishing the seemingly perpetual air of negativity surrounding the football club in recent years.

Mata himself appears to benefit greatly from this transfer. He has proven himself at Chelsea, and indeed Valencia, winning silverware and announcing himself to the world stage as a class act both on and off the pitch. His stock, therefore, is not in question. However with the World Cup looming, and his Spanish team spoilt for choice, particularly in his playmaker position (indeed only compatriot David Silva can boast a better assists record over the past few seasons than Mata), the importance of regular and rewarding playing time is of vital importance. Alongside Javier Hernández, Robin Van Persie and, should his heart be in it, Wayne Rooney, Mata will not only be guaranteed playing time, but also a clinical strike force to make the most of the ammunition he will no doubt supply.

So how, in a transfer where the player, his now incumbent squad and the corporate staff of said squad all appear to benefit greatly, does the so called "Special One" come out strongest? Well there is the financial side. With Financial Fair Play looming, Chelsea are a club who have struggled with losses despite Champions League and Europa League successes. The sale of such a prized asset not only helps boost the figures, but also indicates to the powers that be at least an effort to straighten the books. The profits made on Mata have also allowed for the impending purchase of young starlet Mohammed Salah, who will not only look to improve the squad, but at 21 years of age represents potential financially beneficial future business. Cynics have also argued that Mata will help Manchester United take points from title rivals Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, clearing the way for Mourinho's blues to reign come May. In addition, Mata has been a fringe player this season. Irrespective of supposed ability, such an offer for a player who has featured fleetingly must be taken seriously. To take extreme examples, and no disrespect to either player whatsoever, Mata's contribution in terms of appearances this season has been in line with those of Tomáš Rosický and Victor Moses. £37.1 million for a squad player, albeit an immensely talented one, makes sense.

However where Mourinho truly victors in this escapade is that he has proven himself to be the pied piper of the Bridge. His ability to sell a fans' favourite and a key player of previous regimes without the backlash of incandescent fans highlights the power he commands and the esteem with which he is held at Chelsea. In his previous reign, Mourinho's sense of invincibility ultimately cost him as relations with Roman Abramovich turned sour. This time around, the Portuguese manager has stamped his authority early, knowing that in the years following his departure, the Russian owner never truly replaced him, despite varying successes. In the ultimate exercise of power and ego massaging, Mourinho has emphatically paraded himself as bigger than any player at the club. It is worth remembering too, that this is not atypical of Mourinho's career. Most recently Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas received a similar fate in terms of being frozen out. He has also eliminated the weekly media questioning of Mata's role within the club and if this was not enough, Mourinho has placed a grenade within the already enthralling title and Champions League race. Where Arsène Wenger and Manuel Pellegrini appeared paranoid that such point stealing tactics would be at play, José's supposedly tiring character gains more and more energy and credibility. The arrogant, nearly piteous manner with which he diminished Manchester United's title ambitions following the 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, coupled with such a high profile transfer only serves to emphasise the idea that Mourinho sees himself and Chelsea as a far, far greater force than Moyes' team.

Chelsea still have a lot of work to do before they are in a position to be Champions of England, and certainly the media's love affair with Mourinho will continue to flourish despite the generic, lethargic flashes of arrogance and tired attempts at mind games. It is, however, a mark of the man as both a manager and a public image, that such a situation, not only unimaginable this time last year, but near fatal for any other manager, has been manipulated to appear that the biggest victor of all is the man who is losing from his squad a Champions League, Europa League and two time player of the year winner, José Mourinho.

Tip At The Top

This week's departure of Southampton Executive Chairman Nicola Cortese exposed the chasm between those who consider him a visionary and others who argue that he is simply the puppet at the helm of a game bankrolled by somebody else's money. When the Italian banker was appointed, Southampton found themselves in administration and languishing in League One. He leaves with pundits and fans alike waxing lyrical over the footballing philosophy of Mauricio Pochettino  and the focus on building a project centred on the talents and abilities of a flourishing youth academy as Southampton sit in 9th place in the Premier League. What his reign and ultimate exit does offer however, is a further examination the business side of a beautiful game which is gradually introducing chairmen and owners to play starring roles in the great drama we call football.

Each week terraces and bars are filled with a colour clad congregation who for 90 minutes pray, worship and devote themselves to eleven heroes, each wearing the flag of their parish. It is these very colours and these symbols which connect total strangers to the same cause, releasing a certain tribal pride behind the blind faith in our team. So in a generation of Sky television, astronomical finances and player scandals, are changes to this identity a step too far for the loyal supporter?

Over the course of the season, the role of those behind the immediate football scene has become more and more prominent in the public eye. The influx of money from abroad, along with social media outlets such as Twitter has allowed a greater insight in to the minds and personalities of the previously often anonymous business leaders of a football club. With many owners acting not only as purely businessmen but also as the head of more than one sporting institution, the idea of expressing one's opinions and forging a character for the media to follow has developed greater significance. Liverpool owner John W. Henry famously queried "what do you think they're smoking at Emirates" via Twitter in response to Arsenal's pursuit of the talismanic Luis Suarez and in doing so, stamped his authority upon not only a transfer story, but also upon a club still recovering from the disastrous reign of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, in the knowledge that he could do so from anywhere in the world.

Part of this increased role of the owners and executives clearly feeds to the egotistical nature of the power hungry business person. Having seen the plight of clubs such as Portsmouth, Blackburn and Rangers due to immense financial mismanagement, the relationship between nurturing the traditions and philosophies of a football club with success and even survival at the expense of such virtues has become strained. The argument of "my money, my decisions" has never held greater significance nor has it been so scrutinized by footballing stakeholders. Vincent Tan's decision to radically change the identity of Cardiff City by not only changing the team colours from blue to red but also redeeming the club of the long standing "bluebirds" title was met with vociferous protests from heartbroken supporters. Cardiff have since taken part in a cup final at Wembley, losing narrowly to Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool, won the Championship and defeated bitter rivals Swansea City in the Premier League. Average league attendances have risen by upwards of 4,000 fans and there has been a noticeable increase in the club's global fan base and stature. Suddenly "We're Cardiff City, We'll always be blue" seems slightly naive.

In a similar manner, Hull City owner Assem Allam has stated that part of his rebranding of the Yorkshire club will include dropping the "City" in favour of becoming Hull Tigers in order to be recognised internationally based not on location but instead on title. Despite threats of boycotts and public protests, Allam remains firm on having total control of the club, and indeed applying his name and his identity to the focal point of Hull fans' spiritual reverence. As a result of Allam's continued investment and emphasis on shaping Hull City as a strong brand, he will be able to point towards results at Liverpool, Newcastle and Fulham as proof of his customer satisfaction. The relative comfort of 10th place in the Premier League suggests that as of yet, the iron fist of Allam has thus far proved true.

Which brings the story back to the maverick role of Cortese. Southampton's traditional red and white stripes have been replaced by a kit dominated by block red and the Italian's often arrogant approach to certain circles of the media has seen him become a spearhead for the northward charge through the divisions that Southampton have ventured upon in recent years. Cortese typifies what modern football has become. From the ruthless sacking of Nigel Adkins to the mass financial investment, the former Chairman placed unyielding faith in a formula which prioritised both substance and style.

Club legend Matt Le Tissier, amongst many others, has reduced Cortese's impact on the club to that of a word seldom used in the mystical world of a football- a job. His methodology of spending money based solely on what was tangible rather than what was potentially coming in determined the path that the Saints would follow and in doing so, Cortese fulfilled his position as the vital cog in business operations at the club. He drew praise despite spending Liebherr money and essentially doing what he was paid to do. In modern football however, this is not the case.

Yes Cortese was working under perhaps favourable circumstances and his success was a result of doing his job properly. But in an age where it is as important to be a face and personality on the corporate side of operations as the football side, Cortese exemplified what it meant to represent a club. He put total faith in his decisions and made outlandish statements, such as bringing European football to the south coast and the best way to win the Premier League, seem closer to plausible, understandable ambitions. He went on to demand complete and undeniable perfection from each and every member of staff, with aspects ranging from diets and hotel rooms through to bonuses scrutinized for optimum productivity. Failure to do so meant failure to buy in to his project. It did not take long for his project to be unequivocally supported.

This idea of total control meant that every part of the football club was completed in the image of the Italian. Southampton will not crumble in the absence of Cortese. What they must do, as must other clubs alike, is ensure that the standards and indeed appearances of any given figure in this role follows and builds upon this seemingly ideal template. His methods often polarised opinion but if there is one thing his reign at the club can teach us, it is that where once lay the fans at the heart of the spiritual magic surrounding the club to which we direct our chosen faith, now so lies the often cold, often eccentric and often brilliant sharp dressed, corporate and public prophet.

At The Heart Of It

It has long been thought that the key to football success is to win the so called "midfield battle". Title winning sides have often been built upon strength in central midfield, from Graeme Souness in Liverpool's all conquering 1980s team to Roy Keane and Paul Scholes in Alex Ferguson's Premier League titans and the holding midfield berth adopted by Claude Makélélé in Chelsea's pragmatic but fearsome championship winning team under José Mourinho. With the well documented struggles of Manchester United this season, along with the lavish praise of Manchester City's swashbuckling home form, the role of the centre midfielder is taking on an even greater level of importance to previous campaigns. At the heart of City's current successes lies the diminutive summer signing, the Brazilian Fernandinho.

The cut-throat nature of management along with the financial riches of top flight football has seen greater focus placed upon the tactical side of football preparation. The typical 4-4-2 formation employed two "box to box" midfielders with both an eye for goal also capable of breaking up opposition attacks. When Rafael Benitez moved to Liverpool in 2004, he brought with him the 4-2-3-1 formation and in doing so placed greater emphasis on packing the midfield with two holding midfielders and an attacking midfielder to support the lone striker. With the recent domination of Spanish football, the importance of having three central midfielders intent not only on dominating possession, but also providing security for any two of the three to support the attack at any time, has become a fashionable option for managers up and down the country.

It is this idea of "security" which is accentuated in a typical midfield in English football. Chelsea's David Luiz, traditionally a central defender has recently played further forward in a deep midfield position in order to allow players such as Willian, Hazard and Oscar, long viewed as luxury players, greater license to attack and carve open defences. This is not unique to the Premier League. Oxford United in League Two for instance played central defender Johnny Mullins in midfield in the weekend's goalless draw against relegation battlers Portsmouth, giving Danny Rose and Nicky Wroe the freedom to focus their efforts on the offensive side of their game.

Under David Moyes, Manchester United have continued to struggle with the long standing toxic that has been the central midfield berth. Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley are all very good players. The latter in particular however, is emphasising how dynamic a position modern midfield is and that finding a position within a position is key to success in this role. Cleverley is decent in the tackle, has a strong range of passing and a degree of athleticism. He does not however possess the guile and craft to play as a support striker, nor the intelligence or discipline to be the deep lying midfield commander. If Manchester United are to return to the halcyon days of fortress Old Trafford, Moyes must solve the problem of having too many "all-round" players and not having a blend of strong players and skilful footballers at the heart of the pitch. A glance to the success of Liverpool's trio of Lucas Leiva as a defensive general and Phillipe Coutinho as a creator both complimented by the sheer athleticism of Jordan Henderson only serves to emphasise the importance of midfield balance. It is easy to see why Alex Ferguson toyed with the idea of employing Wayne Rooney in this position.

In contrast, local rivals Manchester City appear to be thriving under new manager Manuel Pellegrini. Whilst Yaya Touré has been lauded with a plethora of superlatives, and rightfully so, for consistent displays of ruthless ability and domination of defences, it is his midfield partner Fernandinho who is at the heart of such fortunes. Upon his £30 million move from Ukraine over summer, pundit Jamie Redknapp stated that he could prove to be the signing of the season and the steady Brazilian is quietly proving that belief to be in good faith. A master of simple football, Fernandinho has been at the fulcrum of City's ability to bulldoze through teams, particularly at the Etihad, where his security has allowed for Yaya Touré, David Silva and a reinvigorated Samir Nasri to do the damage in the opponent's half.

Where Fernandinho has been a success however, is in his reinvention of the perpetually evolving holding midfield role. For the visit of high flying Arsenal in December, Fernandinho gave a master class performance which included two goals and complete domination of a midfield which included the inform Aaron Ramsey and record signing Mesut Özil. This ability to provide goals and assists as well as invaluable security puts the 28 year old at an advantage to rival holding midfielders such as Lucas, John Obi Mikel and Mathieu Flamini. The sheer stamina of the player was put the test over a grueling Christmas where he appeared in each City fixture, culminating in a victory over Swansea city where the Welsh team employed an extra man in midfield.

The outcome of such an interesting title race remains a long way from being decided. Chelsea and Arsenal have both impressed immensely in spells this season whilst Liverpool, Everton and a Manchester United team who refuse to be written off will have significant contributions in the second half of the season. If Manchester City are to be successful and lift the trophy in May, the importance of the number 25 in a team of superstars cannot be underestimated. With a potential league title under his belt, Fernandinho will be aiming to parade himself as the epitome of a modern midfielder on the international stage for his home country at the 2014 World Cup. If his domestic performances are anything to go by, Brazil could be strong contenders to claim the crown on home soil capping a fantastic season for the boy from Londrina.