Chelsea revert to attacking style

(CNN) -- The show of unity between Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and billionaire owner Roman Abramovich this week confirmed one of last season's worse-kept secrets -- that the pair were barely on speaking terms for the majority of the season, a falling-out that arguably cost the London club any hopes of winning the Premier League for a third season in succession.

With the previously impregnable Chelsea defence creaking under the weight of injuries to key players Peter Cech and John Terry, Mourinho was vetoed when he asked the board for money to bring a new center-half into the club during the January transfer window.

Only those in the know can say what really happened between the pair last season, and there is a school of thought that perhaps Mourinho's abrasive attitude was beginning to grate on the more laid-back Russian.

However, the liklihood is that despite Chelsea's Premier League dominance over the previous two seasons, the style of football under Mourinho had become far too staid for the owner's liking -- and he wasn't going to sanction any more money being spent unless there were guarantees that the Stamford Bridge faithful would be entertained more this season.

It appears more than a coincidence that Mourinho has been spreading the word that Chelsea will revert to a more attacking 4-3-3 line-up next season.

Michael Ballack's arrival last summer, to play at the top of a midfield diamond formation, changed Chelsea's style to a narrow 4-4-2 -- and it was obvious to many observers that the experiment didn't come off, despite the FA Cup and League Cup both coming to west London.

This summer French international winger Florent Malouda has been brought in, so has Bayern Munich striker Claudio Pizarro, and Mourinho has finally signed the player he wanted in January -- Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim. The upshot to this is that Chelsea's squad looks stronger than last season and their attacking options appear to be far greater.

By Mourinho's own admission, the title-winning side of 2004-2005, with wingers Damien Duff and Arjen Robben causing mayhem down the flanks, played the best football during his tenure at the club, and the signing of Malouda to compliment Robben, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips gives an indication into Mourinho's thinking.

With their main rivals spending big this summer, Fernando Torres joining Liverpool and Manchester United signing Owen Hargreaves, Nani, and possibly Carlos Tevez, there is no certainty that Chelsea's switch back to 4-3-3 will automatically bring the Premiership trophy back to Stamford Bridge.

But whatever the outcome, there promises to be much more attacking flair on offer at Chelsea this season. For owner Abramovich, winning is not enough -- he wants to win in style -- and now the two most important men at the club are once again singing from the same hymnsheet, the Blues faithful can look forward to far more entertainment than they witnessed last season. E-mail to a friend