What is going wrong for Mourinho’s second coming at Chelsea?

It was a midfield base of Frank Lampard and Van Ginkel, neither of whom are reliable reinforcers, that had no answer to Basel’s slick passing move that allowed Mohamed Salah to sweep home the equaliser. Mourinho threw on John Obi Mikel three minutes later for added protection but by then it was too late.

Marco Streller would power home a near-post header from a corner to win the game, an irony that would not have been lost on Mourinho as he surveyed the aftermath. Chelsea may have had double the amount of shots but Basel had a big, bold forward who could bash the ball into the net from a set-piece. It could have been just enough to evoke memories of Didier Drogba, the battering-ram of the all-conquering first-coming of Mourinho, but that has disappeared.

In Samuel Eto’o, they not only have a forward who has been labouring away in the most desolately obscure part of eastern Russia for the past two years, but one that is lacking in cutting edge and ruthlessness.

Oscar’s first half strike against Basel was just Chelsea’s fifth so far this season and although it may rightly be argued they could have easily been 5-0 winners at Everton on Saturday evening, it is clear that while they possess an abundance of art and craft, they are missing the efficient finishing that typified Mourinho’s previous era.

Whilst the priority used to be to keep it watertight at the back before nicking a goal with a single foray up the field through the Robben-Duff-Drogba axis, Chelsea’s current array of attacking options has caused a reverse problem; plenty of aesthetics and creation, but not enough tangible reward in terms of goals. It has made the decision to send Romelu Lukaku, a direct heir to Drogba’s rugged centre-forward spot, out on loan even more baffling than it was initially.

The summer’s intense chasing of Wayne Rooney, now enjoying a hot streak of form at Manchester United, suggests Mourinho was after somebody who could add a clinical, direct touch to all the invention that is flowing through Mourinho’s squad. His teams have always been driven by a regular, predatory source of goals and he will certainly address that issue come January.

January of course is yet a few months away but Mourinho will remain assured that there is no need to rush a project that is still in its infancy. After all, the match with Basel was Willian’s first in a Chelsea shirt while Eto’o and Van Ginkel made just their second appearances for a club that, as its Portuguese coach has been constantly reiterating, is in transition.

His composure and the tranquil manner of how he answered the questions post-Basel on Wednesday suggests he understands just how patient this transition will have to be.