Will Tiago stir Chelsea?

Portuguese international Tiago joined Chelsea last summer from Portuguese side Benfica. Apparently Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho was really high on him and made him one of his first signings.

I’ve wondered about what Tiago brings to Chelsea and whether he is really the long term player they want or will become a casualty in the build-up like Kezman.

Why do I wonder? Well, I’m not so sure Tiago is tough enough. He seems too much a finesse player. Of course not every finesse player demonstrates a lack of toughness, look at Christiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs from Manchester United for example. It’s a question of degrees. With Tiago, I think he’s prone to being manhandled by a more physical midfield on both offense and defense. That wouldn’t happen to Frank Lampard. And how well would he be doing in England without defensive midfielder Claude Makelele behind him cleaning up? Benfica won the Portuguese title after he left.

Too often it’s easy for a player to shine when quality surrounds them. It’s definitely easier to spot a really good player on a bad team. What about at Chelsea?

Let’s not be too negative. Remember I’m ambivalent. Tiago is an excellent player technically. He’s at times shown excellent vision and deft passing. He’s not all bad in defense either, bringing the foot in often enough to make a contribution.

Tiago can also shoot on goal as he added a few during the season. He does many things well, but nothing incredibly, not yet. His consistency has also been remarkable, considering it’s his first season in England.

All are good signs pointing upward. Tiago deserves at least one more season to prove he can fill the spot. Chelsea were looking at Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard recently, so, by no means do they smell a superstar emerging either –and at 24 he’s at the age limit to see it.

The one thing that Tiago shouldn’t let happen is becoming a perpetual reserve ala Real Madrid midfielder Guti.