AVB: Andre Versus Broadcasters

Anxious, angered and angry, raging, ranting and rattled. Just some of the linguistic flourishes used by the media to paint Andre Villas-Boas as a man on the edge last week. By responding to criticism from the media with volleys of his own, he engaged in a cycle that cannot be anything but vicious. But are we to believe that the talented schemer, the man behind Porto’s domestic treble, is really that naïve in his relative youth?

That Chelsea have stuttered in the early stages of the season is plain for all to see. Home losses to top four sides and inconsistent Champion’s League performances look poor, regardless of the blue tinted shades of bias. Columnists and reporters, their favour always with failure, have looked upon this as journalistic gold dust. The tale of a club full of unscrupulous characters on and off the pitch getting its long-awaited comeuppance is certainly an interesting one. The resulting opinion pieces and pundit views colour public perception. When Villas-Boas responds angrily to media pressure, he is branded as a rash fool by the same critics.

Take another look at Chelsea’s situation through a different lens. Villas-Boas has drawn the gaze of the all-seeing media eye away from his players and onto himself. Given the constant speculation swirling around a number of players at Stamford Bridge, his comments may be an indication of his intelligent foresight, rather than blind ignorance of how the British media operates.

Vision-related metaphors aside, members of the press are underestimating Mourinho’s former understudy. The only thing more astonishing than the outbursts is the collective dismissal by journalists of the siege mentality theory. Des Kelly and Oliver Holt say he comes out of it looking “rattled” and “crude” respectively. But whilst the Kellys and Holts of this world spend their time and column inches on AVB, they reserve few words for the underlying issues in West London. The rumoured bust-ups, the constant transfer speculation and the scrutinised performances of certain squad members; all problems that are temporarily overlooked in favour of a well-timed outburst, levelled in the direction of other clubs, managers, or Gary Neville.

Whoever it is aimed at, all of the signs at the club point to an “us versus them” mindset. The removal of Anelka and Alex from first-team training is strong internal evidence for this. Does nobody else find it suspicious that a club representative would so blatantly confirm that AVB demanded that players celebrate with him after scoring a goal? In normal circumstances, a story like that would undermine a manager’s credibility, but not this one. Instead, he embraces it. The press is a valuable medium for managerial mind games – Sir Alex in particular is adept in the subtle art of media manipulation. AVB is far more direct, but their motives are radically different. Fergie looks to unsettle the opponent – just ask Keegan and Benitez how effective he is at doing so (not that they’d admit it readily). AVB, on the other hand, is only looking inwards. He crucifies himself at press conferences for the sake of his players, and gives them something to rail against.

Some might say that the internal problems rather than paper talk may be the real source of Villas-Boas’ angst, and that it only hints at divisions within the camp. I like to think that that’s what the young coach wants everyone to think. It is hard to tell what goes on behind closed doors when the media are the only ones peeping through the keyhole, but performances of late would suggest that the worst for Chelsea may be behind them. The media siege will only relent in the wake of continued success, but the players and staff holed up at Stamford Bridge have the resources to weather out the storm.

There is no better evidence for the success of Villas-Boas’ media tactics than Chelsea’s victory against Manchester City. Did Meireles and Lampard run over to the bench when they scored? No. They went against the directive and celebrated with the fans and, of course, each other. You might expect to see an under pressure manager sprint onto the pitch as the final whistle sounded, lapping up the acclaim, but AVB was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his players formed a tight-knit circle on the pitch, arms wrapped around one another in full view of the cameras. Tonight, they reflected exactly what their coach wanted to see: unity, solidarity and genuine belief. It was never about Villas-Boas, but he led the papers to believe that it was, and the team have ultimately benefitted from it, at least in the short-term.

Holt is right when he says that Villas-Boas is “brighter than he’s making himself appear”. What’s more, the media seem to have fallen for it, hook, line and sinker. With journalists hanging on AVB’s every word, waiting for that next controversial soundbite, the players over at Cobham can get on with the small matter of playing football.

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