While he may bear a resemblance to Travis Bickle and once admitted he was at odds with all his former Liverpool team-mates in terms of fashion , Raul Meireles has so far proved himself the perfect fit for Chelsea’s midfield woes.
When the Portuguese international completed his late summer switch to Stamford Bridge, it went almost under the radar; sure he had proved himself useful during his short stint at Anfield, but was he the type of player Chelsea need to challenge both Manchester clubs for the title.
So far that answer has to be an emphatic yes. Having slotted seamlessly into the midfield three, his tireless effort and pinpoint delivery has earmarked him as Chelsea’s creator in chief.
His two assists in the Premier League so far coupled with his helping hand in almost everything Chelsea did well against Genk in the Champions League on Wednesday have helped him secure a place in the starting line up -In fact, so profound has his impact been that he has helped Villa Boas out of a rather tricky situation.
Meireles has struck up an almost instantaneous rapport with Fernando Torres, and is one of the main reasons the pressure has lifted from the Spaniard as he discovered his knack of finding the net.
Pressure reached almost intolerable levels for Torres and while he always seemed destined to come good in blue, he has been given a considerable helping hand.
The pair seemed unstoppable against Genk and Villas Boas will be hoping their partnership can continue across the whole season and ensure the debate over Torres’ inclusion is made redundant.
The combination of Meireles, Lampard and Juan Mata appears to have struck a chord with Villas Boas, and the former Porto player who played ever so briefly under the current Chelsea boss. Mata and Lampard will inevitably garner the most attention as the more attacking and flamboyant of the trio, but Meireles has gone quietly and efficiently about his business and should receive his fair share of plaudits.
His unassuming nature means he is unlikely to take many congratulations come the end of the season, and whether he can maintain his form across the whole campaign and help deliver the trophies so desired by the Chelsea boardroom remains to be seen, but so far a pretty convincing case can be made for Meireles being Chelsea’s best player so far this season.
Written by TCB reader Thomas Rooney
Meanwhile, to kill time ahead of the Premier League this weekend, head over to where a lot of the pokerstars in the uk learned their trade…we all know that’s what professional footballers get up to on their way to away games!
Blue is the colour
