Keeping Ballack on was special indeed

Last updated : 07 March 2007 By Paul Lagan
Now we know why Jose is the 'Special One'.
Just about everyone who watched last' night's first half could see the Blues were struggling.
Everyone could see they had lost dominance in midfield.
Everyone could see that a half-time substitution was going to be made.
But ONLY Jose Mourinho saw what was required to turn the Champions League match on its head and from going out of the competition after 45 minutes, propel the Premiership champions into the next round.
We all saw Chelsea opened up in the centre of defence for Porto's goal.
We all thought that Khalid Boulahrouz would come on and shore up the area and allow Michael Essien to move into midfield to restore parity.
We all thought that Michael Ballack would stay in the bath and not appear for the second half.
But, and it's a big but, that's why we are all just average human beings and not something special and not the greatest manager Chelsea have ever had in their 100 year history.
Jose left his dug-out three minutes before the half-time whistle.
No doubt he was preparing his talk for his rag-tag bunch of underperforming players,
And boy did it work.
Ballack remained on the pitch, Essien stayed in defence - Claude Makelele was sacrificed for the youthful and powerful Mikel.
Jose calmly informed his players they were out of the competition and challenged them to respond.
He told them: "Do you want to be scared and lose or do you want to enjoy the bliss of victory."
He challenged every single player to perform, to show the rest of Europe that this Chelsea side will not lie down and be beaten.
It sent a visable signal to Roman Abramovich that to end the contract of Jose Mourinho would be folly and a major mistake, that whatever Abramovich achieved in life, he would always be remembered as the man who took the special out of Chelsea.
Only Mourinho saw that an improved second half performance would lead to an improved Ballack performnace.
The icing on the cake - Ballack's expertly taken goal, the winner, the strike which kept alive all our hopes for a Champions League title.
Jose is special, a one-off and a man not yet at the height of his managerial powers.
The best is yet to come from him. It's vital for Chelsea that we get those best years.

We all know it makes sense, Jose knows it makes sense - does Roman know it makes sense?