MrExcalibur100

Okay, maybe I should say Imagine this guy in one of those over-powered teams. Hopefully we reach the levels of the Barca's and Madrid's and quickly to keep him here forever.

Imagine this guy in a team that actually plays attacking football ?

Agreed, Tomo with the bolded. And I do love and support Mourinho for what he has done, even if I might not show it as zealously as some other posters. I supported him and followed his career intently when he wasn't even a Chelsea manager for god's sake. I love the geezer. I have never known any Chelsea staff member who has defended this club in public more than Mourinho has. I appreciate Mourinho for what he will win for the club this season, a league and cup double. I'm sure I'll be celebrating like a madman when we win the league.. But I also know we are a big enough club to expect both titles and entertaining football. This team is more than strong enough to do it, that's a cheap excuse. The brutal fact is, there is no big team in Europe this sort of football. Remember, Jose was not the favourite or even the 2nd favourite to get the Chelsea job. A proper Chelsea legend not being the favourite? Ever asked yourself why? I can also run a list of other top European clubs who won't want Mourinho as manager because of primarily his team plays football but I won't go there. I don't believe Mourinho is the right manager for this group of players. I'm sure that I will be vindicated sometime in the future, regardless of how unpopular it might make me on a Chelsea forum. I hope the man stays forever, but I know in my heart of hearts the football he knows best to play is not sustainable long-term for a big club. UNLESS, Mourinho gets an attacking coach to help with the side of football he is so clearly not strong at. He will be a better manager for it. Right now, I'm sure he knows he hasn't been good enough in Europe because of his weakness. 4-1 to Dortmund (though they won the 2nd leg 2-0 tbf), 3-1 to Atletico Madrid and worst of all, losing to 10 man PSG at home. Anyone who wants to see the weaknesses in Mourinho as a manager, re-watch both legs carefully. It's not simply about signing world class players and relying on their individual brilliance to win matches. What about when they come up against other teams with equally good players? All of a sudden, what do we do? Mourinho's Chelsea is not even that solid defensively anymore. In his first spell, when he set up his teams to defend, Petr barely had any saves to make. Now, the opposition are working Courtois left, right and centre, hitting the post and we are getting lucky breaks. The reason is the players we have now (Hazard's, Oscar's, Fabregas', Willian's) are being told to play a brand of football that is foreign to them and we've been found out vs Europe's elite. Anyway, I don't want to labour my points any further and frustrate any other posters by bringing up uncomfortable issues and repeating the same stuff over and over. It's too easy to get along with everyone here by just being smiley-happy and going for the ride. I know it will make me unpopular, but I'm more concerned about the long term success of the club. I want the love story between Chelsea and Jose Mourinho to be unbreakable and last for as long as he goes on to manage Portugal in his sixties or whatever, but Mourinho and by extension, Chelsea, needs a strong attacking coach. It's not about Marco Reus or Paul Pogba. I read rumours of Zola on twitter about a week ago, but i'm not sure he is up for that job.

These are funny: From the reverse fixture as well.

The only true special one at the club. We won't even be 4th without him. Directly responsible for 14(!) of the points we've won this season, and that's just in terms of goals alone.

Like Drogba and Ronaldo? Or different?

I know my posts are controversial and many will hate to read them .From the bottom of my heart, I didn't intend for that to be the case. My main concern is the best future for our club, nothing else. Nobody is bigger than this club, not Roman or anyone else.

It hurts me immensely to say it, but right now, I'll bite the bullet and go for Klopp if he's available. I'm fully convinced he'll have won the league this season with this same team and by playing at least something called football. Moirinho is the right man for the wrong team or vice-versa. Too many blinded by short term league success, but it's obvious to me now Mourinho is not the right manager for the long term. Roman will get frustrated and sack him again.

Mourinho won't last long here. His fanboys should deal with it. He will again get exposed in the champions league as he has done in the last few seasons. No other big name manager will dare set up his team to play this way big match after big match. Any other top class manager could have easily won the league with this team after such a limp attempt from our "rivals", who are no better than Monaco. Shit football and lack of CL success means Mourinho will be out and then no big team will want him. Roman really is brutal like that, ask Ancelotti. He'll have to run to the Arabs at PSG. Mourinho should never forget he needs us more than we need him.

Another woeful "tactical" display. Luckily Man United and our other so called "rivals" are very average teams themselves. Too bad it won't work against Barcelona or Madrid or even the likes of PSG and Atletico for that matter. I don't see his 2nd spell being a long one. Only a matter of time before Roman gets bored with the negative ribbish "football" and wonders what he's wasting his money for.

A big team doesn't play this way, I'm sorry. Mourinho knows he will never get away with at another club. But he's won a league were his rivals have been poor and inconsistent. Even Monaco beat one of our so-called "rivals". In the Champions league, he's been exposed, first vs Atletico Madrid and this season, PSG. Prior to that, his team got slaughtered by Dortmund. He's now a boring, one-dimensional, one-trick pony. His tactics in this game : absolutely worthless. Still some fools will be deceived by them regardless.

Serious question, can anyone honestly say they are enjoying this game?

Terrible game from Fabregas in a big game as usual. The 25% possession doesn't help him, but he's been terrible when he's had the ball.

Such a sad, sad performance. And at home too.

Mourinho's tactics have been worthless. The only reason we are winning is because of Hazard's brilliance. Where will Mourinho be without Hazard?

Didn't work against PSG though. I wonder why.

Mourinho's Zouma experiment is a complete failure. Please sub him out and bring on Willian for the 2nd half. Painful enough watching this shit.

He won't be here for the rest of his career, that's for sure. Why play for a manager who wants you to be a second defender on the big stage when you can go to Spain, express your talent, play for the glamour clubs and win the Champions league? I put myself in his shoes and I'm obviously thinking the same.

Mourinho is embarrassing us out there. This is a disgrace.

Mourinho only thinks about himself. What's sad is not only is this ridiculously negative, it's not the best line-up to win the game. Expect nothing but long balls and defending deep. Remy missing from action again when Costa is out. Predictable and pathetic.

The team is an absolute joke. I'm not sure what Willian is doing on the bench either.

I posted the line-up I'll like to see, but it's not going to happen so we might see: the normal back 5 Matic Fabregas Willian Oscar Hazard Remy I'm not really getting the Zouma in midfield business that was probably sparked by Neville's comments. He played there in two games only because Matic was suspended . We don't need Zouma to take care of Felliani, we have Matic. It's not even something Mourinho should contemplate, even against Barcelona, and Man United are not Barcelona. It's very wrong for a big club to do that at home, especially when other options are available. But this is the reputation Mourinho has built for himself. i.e a manager only concerned with playing defensively in the big games. (As if Mourinho even sets up the team to play defensively at Stamford Bridge). Anyway, now that is sorted. I'll go with Matic and Fabregas. That midfield duo has won us a lot of points this season, even against big teams. The team that has been the best by far in the division should not be the ones shitting themselves about more defensive cover. Besides, Ramires is hardly an improvement defensively next to Matic, and he's the only viable option. Fabregas needs to play the position he has thrived in all season. We need him in the deep-lying playmaker position, spreading passes and starting our attacks. It's up to him to play well. Ramires. Oscar has been getting a lot of attention but Ramires has been absolutely diabolical all season, and even stretching back to last season. He certainly doesn't deserve to start this game in any position. Whether Next to Matic, were he offers little defensive cover, is positionally clueless and a terrible passer. He also doesn't deserve to start on the right wing ahead of Willian, who has been one of our best players for a while now. Ramires will be better coming off the bench when his energy and pace on the counter can prove useful. I also think Oscar is best served doing a pressing job on Herrera. We need to cut off those supply lines from its base, and Herrera is the guy to keep a close eye to. The rest of the team is pretty straightforward. No Carrick, Rojo, Jones or Blind is an enormous boost for us. That's two of their centre-backs absent, meaning the inexperienced Blackett or Mcnair next to Smalling. And probably Shaw at LB, who hasn't played for weeks. I won't mind Azpilicueta starting at LB because I fully expect Mata to drift in centrally more often than not, and a right footer on the left side will find it easier to close him down. I believe JT can do a job on Rooney as he usually does. He is their best player and main threat. With Hazard, Remy, Willian and Fabregas, we should have enough quality to destroy their weakened defense, provided we take the game to them from minute 1. We need to get Hazard on the ball from an early stage for obvious reasons. We need him running at them from the word go. I believe we will beat them if Remy is fit enough to start and if we can find Hazard in good positions. With Drogba there, I'm unsure. His presence just makes everything slower, less fluent, less movement and more laboured. Also more direct, which obviously doesn't suit our playing style at all and is incredibly frustrating. It's a late kick off, so I'm expecting the atmosphere to be incredible. Winning here will virtually guarantee the title and shut a lot of people up who seemingly this game is only about how United can beat us. C'mon Chelsea!

We shouldn't be satisfied with a draw at home considering our next game is a very difficult away match at the Emirates.