Bastian Schweinsteiger, currently in the news for expressing his admiration for the English game, is certainly a man who speaks his mind. When stand-in German national team captain Philipp Lahm made it clear he was in no mood to return the armband to Michael Ballack, he’d certainly have expected his Bayern Munich team-mate to nod in assent.
Instead, Schweinsteiger bluntly turned down the opportunity to cozy up to his new team captain and instead proffered a quote, quite similar to the one that peppered so many showdown scenes in old Westerns classics. It wasn’t quite in the league of “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us”, but it certainly had its own distinctive ring to it.
How long will the smiles last?
“Two captains are one too many on the pitch. For me, Ballack is the captain of the team …” was in direct contrast to Lahm’s willingness to throw down the gauntlet. It is certainly puzzling that Schweinsteiger, known to be impetuous himself, hasn’t gone down the path of his teammates and good friends – the mutinous Lahm, and the trigger-happy Podolski.
While the intentions behind his decision to throw his weight behind the forlorn Michael Ballack may never truly be known, it is plausible the man German fans call “Basti” sees himself as the natural heir to Ballack’s throne. And despite having served faithfully as Phillip Lahm’s deputy in the national team, Schweinsteiger might see a move to England as just the boost his career needs to take him into the reckoning for eventual captaincy.
The level of success he brought the national team, as Michael Ballack’s direct replacement in the centre of the field, and the confidence with which he pulled off the demanding role of midfield maestro conceivably had the entire Chelsea dressing room sit up and take notice.
The Blues were out midfielder-shopping, to make up for the departures of Joe Cole and Michael Ballack. Surprisingly, they opted only for lesser-known Ramires, an indefatigable box-to-box midfielder with a defensive streak. While his ability to put in an ounce of effort, immediately counts in his favor over the strolling, cigar-chomping Ballack, Ramires lacks the physicality or the presence to dictate play.
He might have been useful in the defensive midfielder’s role but erstwhile resident misfit John Obi Mikel has suddenly stepped up and moved his career into high gear – which makes it all the more interesting that Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was mute all summer about transfer possibilities, should suddenly send feelers out to the English double-winners of last season.
Where the German hopes to fit in, is a mystery to all as a fit Frank Lampard and Michael Essien can pencil their own names into starting eleven. He might be hoping to do a Michael Ballack and slot in on the right, despite having a preference for a more central role. With Frank Lampard on the left of midfield and Essien dropping down to perform the Makalele role, this would enable Carlo Ancelotti to use Bastian on the right.
The irreplaceables?
What this fails to answer is what the roles of John Obi Mikel and Ramires will transform into. If either Ramires or Obi Mikel are to have a shot at featuring in the team regularly, then Chelsea’s forwards will have to take a back seat. The prospects of Anelka, Drogba and Malouda featuring in the same starting line-up would seem dimmer, with a purchase of Schweinsteiger.Nicolas Anelka seems like a prime candidate to see his role at the club reduced. Having signed only a single-year contract extension, the Frenchman is being kept on a tight leash with little indication of how long his career would last at the club. Chelsea’s experiments with Christmas tree formations, and a twin-strike force were effectively trashed in favor of the supreme 4-3-3 formation, and Ancelotti would be unwilling to change a winning combination.
The other option is to bring in the versatile Schweinsteiger on the left and let Lampard play in the centre in a slightly more advanced midfield role, just behind a two-pronged frontline comprising Malouda and Drogba. With Essien on the right, and Mikel or Ramires marshalling the defense, Ancelotti might be able to keep the murmurs of discontent away.
With Chelsea’s aging legs especially in the attack and midfield, brining in a 26 year-old proven player would be a masterstroke. However, expecting the German to play the role of a glorified substitute in a line-up that is already star-studded might just send him on his way to Manchester United.
Parting with Ramires, as opposed to Anelka, might be the flavor du jour as far as fans’ opinions go, but bowing to something as fickle as crowd support may have seen even the likes of Florent Malouda leave, before coming to his eventual fruition. Whether Ramires improves by leaps and bounds, remains to be seen and Brazilians like him do not have many of their countrymen’s experiences in the Premier League to draw on, as opposed to those in the slower paced Italian leagues.
What next for Schweini?
Chelsea have had an attacking deficit on the right flank for quite some time, with the right side of the team line-up pretty much serving as a poor sister to the exciting left flank. With Bosingwa back and expected to fulfill his role as the bombarding right back, bringing in Schweinsteiger on the right flank would reduce the strain on the wiry Portuguese.
All this would certainly be moot, if the German chooses to heed the voice of beleaguered French club-teammate Franck Ribery who urged him to ignore interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Spanish giants Real Madrid. While the comments about his fondness for English clubs and the atmosphere have raised the stakes in this whole episode, it is not unknown for a player to hint at a transfer in the hope of getting a better deal.
If it is true, Schweinsteiger will certainly not be the first to employ such tactics, and possible-future teammates Frank Lampard and John Terry have both held out on contract extensions, while flirting with changes in kit colors.
It is cynical and a tad unfair to suggest that Bastian is simply toying with the fates to get himself a better deal and that his praise of the English champions comes with an ulterior motive. After all, his willingness to be politically incorrect and the fact his nickname has porcine connotations aside, the German is a class act – both on the field, and off it.