The mood music at Stamford Bridge is happy.
The fans are excited. After all, Jose Mourinho is back and everything seems right with the world. But while Chelsea have got off to an unbeaten domestic start and pushed Bayern Munich all the way in Prague, no ship can ever run completely smoothly. And even if the top levels of HMS Blues are looking ready for inspection, below the decks there are issues rising up and set to demand Mourinho can navigate through the problems.
In Madrid, of course, Mourinho's biggest conflict was because he was not scared of taking on some of the sacred cows of the Real dressing room. But the clashes with Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos - both of whom were extremely adept at leaking their displeasure into the ears of those more than happy to do their bidding – became a huge element in the estrangement that led to last summer's divorce.
That Carlo Ancelotti has taken the same view of Casillas that Mourinho did is merely an irony, although Mourinho will, perhaps, smile at the thought that one of the managerial rivals with whom he has rarely seen eye to eye on a personal level chose to back his judgement from the word go.
Even some of the Blues fans who accept every Mourinho diktat as a tablet of stone, though, may be becoming perplexed with the status of Juan Mata, one of the three Spaniards whose apparently-relegated status may yet force major decisions. During the summer, Mourinho and the Blues hierarchy sought to dismiss the suggestion - which had its genesis in Portugal, remember - that Mata, Chelsea's Player of the Year for the past two seasons, was not his cup of tea.
Indeed, Mata received a telephone call from Mourinho during the Confederations Cup to reinforce the message. An injury during the pre-season tour to the USA, just as the returning manager was seeking to bed down his starting side, could not have been worse-timed for Mata, whose display against Aston Villa in the second game of the season was evidence he was not ready.
Fitness was cited for Mata's non-appearances against Manchester United and Bayern and the player himself told the club's in-house TV station how happy he was to stay. But the rumours persist, the suspicion that Mourinho's first choice for the second line of three attacking midfielders will be Oscar, Willian and Eden Hazard is growing.
Some will say, with reason, that Mata will have to like it or lump it. That the Spaniard is not the greatest worker-back in football history. That, when he does not player in his preferred No 10 role, he is inclined to sulk a little. That Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Schuerrle both have the same challenge. One man, though, has already outlined the problem.
''For a player to be selected for his country, normally he must be first choice at his club," he said. "He must play very regularly with the club and I think that's the big motivation if they are thinking about the World Cup.
"So any player that wants to go to the World Cup, if they are a second choice in their club, they are in trouble... they are in trouble.''
Jose Mourinho, himself, may have been talking about Wayne Rooney, part of the attempt to seduce the England striker away from Manchester United.
But if Mata, Fernando Torres and Cesar Azpilicueta are, now, ''second choice'' for their club, at the start of a season that ends with a World Cup, especially when Vicente Del Bosque is unconvinced about the quality of the Premier League in any event, they may point to Mourinho's own words in the weeks and months to come. Mourinho made it fairly clear in the summer, even before a ball was kicked, that he saw Branislav Ivanovic as his first-choice right back.
Immediately, such a decision relegates Azpilicueta, a member of that Spanish Confederations Cup squad but omitted from the group chosen by Del Bosque for their World Cup qualifiers. As for Torres, he may never have been discussed as a deadline day departure - Chelsea allowed Romelu Lukaku to join Everton on loan when they could not persuade Demba Ba to move to West Ham or Newcastle, the two clubs prepared to pay the £3m loan fee – but sporting director Michael Emenalo told the club's website about his new status.
Emenalo said: ''In the case of Samuel Eto'o, it was an open secret that we wanted Wayne Rooney and I don't need to explain what the idea is behind wanting a player like Rooney.
''So if we weren't able to get Rooney and we had Lukaku, Ba and Torres, we felt comfortable with them but we also felt comfortable to bring Eto'o to give us a little bit of competition, because we wanted to freshen up that position.
''We have every confidence in Torres, Ba and Lukaku but with Eto'o we have bought experience.''
Experience of how to play for Mourinho, to give him what he wants, that is.
To be his first choice striker, leaving Torres as the second in line. The second choice. The ones who ''are in trouble''.
Some will find it humorous that the initials of the three players whose status may be the most problematic for Mourinho, at a club where finances have, until recently, been limitless, add up to A(zpilicueta) T(orres) M(ata).
Of course, the suspicions might be wrong. Mata, Azpilicueta and Torres might be among the first names on the team-sheet, week-in, week-out.
That, though, does not seem too likely. And if the hints and rumours are right, then it will not need too many signals from Del Bosque for things to start becoming a great deal more testing for Mourinho. At least he knows the fans will back HIM, all the way.
-Source: Mirror
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