Steaua Bucharest 0-4 Chelsea: Juan Mata the architect as Blues return to winning ways in Europe
Steaua Bucharest 0-4 Chelsea: Juan Mata the architect as Blues return to winning ways in Europe
The Spanish playmaker was in sparkling form in Romania as Jose Mourinho's side ran out easy winners
My way: Mourinho's very happy with the new Juan Mata
Michael Steele
The challenge from Jose Mourinho was there.
Adapt to what I want, or expect to spend a long time in the shadows.
Other players might have turned their backs, pointed to what they have done in Chelsea colours, wondered what more they needed to prove.
Juan Mata, though, is not that sort of player. It is not in his make-up.
And while he
he has to keep improving to prove to the "Special One" that he is the
special Juan, even Portugal's Mr Grumpy was smiling over the Spaniard's
performance here in Romania.
Following the shock defeat by Basel, Mata was a scapegoat.
Resurrection has come swiftly. The heart of the Mata: Chelsea's playmaker was in fine fettle
Michael Steele
Only 10 days after telling Mata that he was behind Oscar in
the playmaker role, Mourinho conceded that the little man does make a
difference.
Here, as the air went out of the National Arena
balloon, two-goal Ramires and the direct Andre Schurrle might have been
the headline acts.
But the ring-master under the circus tent-style roof was the man who makes Chelsea look more fluent, persuasive and impressive.
And even Mourinho was happy to acknowledge that Mata is now back in his good books.
Mourinho
said: "He played No 10. He played No 7. He played very well with the
ball, as he always does. But he also played very well without the ball,
which he never did.
"Yes, he's coming closer to me. Very much closer."
Mata did not see the grin. But he didn't have to.
The hug he received from Mourinho when he was rested near the end was a public sign. Breakthrough: Ramires pokes home the opener
Michael Steele
Then again, admittedly against lightweight opponents who look
like being the Group E punchbag, this was far more like what Mourinho is
looking for from his entire team.
While Fernando Torres' knee injury
was a cloud in keeping with the leaden skies that have hung over the
Romanian capital ever since Chelsea arrived - there is genuine anxiety
over today's scan - this was an otherwise imperious display.
Chelsea,
from the outset - "my feelings didn't betray me, from the first
minute", said Mourinho - were too strong, quick and penetrative than
Steaua, who had neither the ambition nor the armoury to hurt them.
Schurrle's dynamism on the left ensured Bucharest were always unbalanced and it was no surprise the German was involved in the opener.
Ramires began it by driving forward to find Schurrle, who killed his marker before playing into the box.
Samuel
Eto'o - on when Torres limped off inside 11 minutes - mis-kicked but
straight into the path of Ramires, who finished his lung-busting 50-yard
run by poking home. Schurrle thing: The German impressed on the left flank
Michael Steele
Easy enough and Chelsea's second came just before the break.
The key was Mata's brilliance - a gorgeous first-time ball that released Eto'o into space.
Mourinho
would have wanted the Cameroonian to break his Blues duck as he twisted
inside to shoot, but while keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu dived to save,
defender Daniel Georgievski smashed unerringly into his own net.
Game over, already.
Ramires got the third after great work from Schurrle, wide on the touchline, and Oscar when the ball was moved inside.
Then Oscar's delicious back-heel saw Mata crash against the foot of the post, with Oscar, Schurrle and Eto'o all close.
Chelsea's
only moment of concern came when Petr Cech crashed into his own post
after turning Cristian Tanase's clever curler over the bar.
But
there was time for a fourth - substitute Willian teeing up Frank Lampard
to claim his 205th Blues goal from the edge of the box, off the inside
of the post.
The manager's reaction was one of relief.
"If we hadn't won, we would've been in trouble", said Mourinho. "Now I just want to think about qualifying, not being first."
With Mata at the heart of everything, first looks more realistic now.
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