Creativity not enough for Egypt's Salah at Chelsea

The Egyptian forward needs more than his trademark trickery and pace down the flanks to hold down a regular starting place at Chelsea

Egypt's lively winger Mohamed Salah can catch the eyes of Chelsea's faithful with his trickery down the flanks but it will take him more to convince coach Jose Mourinho that he is good enough to overtake established attacking midfielders in the team's starting line-up.
The likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian perfectly fit in Mourinho's strategy, given their knack to drift back to Chelsea's own half when needed, closing down spaces and stealing possession from onrushing opponents.
Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, a Chelsea fan favourite who played a key role in helping them win the Champions League in 2012 and Europa League in 2013, was offloaded despite his attacking flair - simply because he failed to offer the required defensive steel.
"One thing is to play with Ramires and Oscar in the side, them closing each side, and Mata as a No 10 behind a striker, clever assists and clever passes, fantastic actions because he has great talent,” Mourinho said last year.
"Another thing is to adapt to the way we want to play," the Portuguese added, hinting that Mata couldn't find his feet in such a demanding strategy.
Having been brought in as a replacement for Mata, it will be vital for Salah to bypass the shortcoming that led to the Spaniard's exit.
The 21-year-old was Basel's undisputed number one, with his mazy runs and twists and turns wreaking havoc upfront. He haunted Chelsea twice in the Champions League group stage this season, scoring in home and away games after leaving some experienced defenders trailing in his wake.
He won constant praise for his work rate in the final third but Basel's job was not as demanding as Chelsea's - he did not have to back-pedal too often when his side gave away possession upfront.
'Creative'
Many Egyptians were disappointed that Salah opted to join Chelsea rather than Liverpool, who were frontrunners to sign him until their Premier League rivals sneaked in at the last moment to snatch him from under their noses.
They believed he had better chances of playing regularly with Liverpool than Chelsea, where he would face a tough competition with Hazard, Oscar and Willian - the three attacking midfielders preferred by Mourinho.
Salah is capable of making an immediate impact if he only shows flashes of his talent on his debut, with his penetration abilities down the flank perfectly suited to the Premier League, which is almost devoid of classic playmakers.
"I like the fact that he can play the same way as our attacking players do, which is with adaptability to play right, left or behind the striker. He's young, like our players in that area are, he's fast, creative and enthusiastic," Mourinho said of Salah.
"When we analysed him he looks like the type of player who is humble on the pitch and we believe if he comes he will have a similar process to the one Willian had."
However, he needs to show a defensive mentality as well if he is to win over Mourinho, who is unlikely to be amused by mere attacking skills.
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