Barbara

I can answer for me 1) I'm not worked up. 2) your statement sounded unfair and inaccurate But we can agree to disagree.

did you miss this post, Jason? 1 goal + 2 assists in a very limited play time is more than Mata or Schürrle have done (both having played way more)... Actually the only AMs with better stats than him are Hazard and Oscar who played almost all matches for us, so I'm not even sure if you do the how many minutes for each goal and assist if they're still better than Willian statistically and I'm talking about the kind of stats that are reliable, not that BS they call 'chances created' which is the biggest misleading junk in football stats. You're being unnecessarily harsh on a player that is far from his best form both fitness and technically wise and still he's been contributing in all matches he plays more than 10 minutes, not only defensively, but also offensively. If you can't recognize how good is his passing in the attack, how he finds players in good positions, how he moves around markers, how he makes space, then I suggest you to watch him closer next match. It's nothing exceptional, but it's way more than 'just being recognized by his defensive contributions' I'm not saying he's done enough to justify the price-tag. But it seems nearly nonsense to want a player who spent months without playing any match and then adapting to a league completely different from his, barely having play time to simply be the guy. I think he's doing far better than I've expected given the circumstances, especially his lack of match form prior to joining to us. If there's one player that capitalized his chances so far, it's been Willian imo. I guess he should start taking turns in starts from now on, rotating with Schürrle, as Hazard won't leave the starting XI. I'd also like to watch him play in the Oscar position at least once. So I hope we have a chance to watch Schürrle - Willian - Hazard.

He's still adapting... if anything he's struggling much less than I expected after playing in leagues like Russian and Ukrainian... none are known for their physicality and playing for Shakhtar is basically the same as playing for any Brazilian side 1) high amount of Brazilians 2) Brazilian style of play Also he didn't play for months before joining us... he had no match rhythm or form at all. Rapha I feel like money was never the issue there. They have an opportunity to sign a player they've wanted for a long while and the player also wanted to come. So maybe it was more a question of pride and good opportunity than choosing where to put the money. The FFP is a joke, I don't think we'd have problems if we had spent another 32M in an additional player and I don't feel like Roman doesn't have another 32M to spend.

trust me, that's not how Seleção works. With the exception of Leiva vs Fernandinho, all other guys you suggested while very good, won't fit. Menezes before Scolari got plenty of guys like those you suggested and we all saw how well that worked. There's a certain profile of players that work in our NT and others don't. That's why we'll have Julio Cesar in the WC (the only player confirmed since August) despite him not playing one match for QPR in months. We need experience in the back (including dm), and that's how we work best. In the AM and ST positions is where we're willing to make bets, but preferably having at least one or two experienced players in the squad. So if you make suggestions like that to replace Jo or Hulk, then they're likely to happen, but they're very unlike in the defense and even in the DM

they could have tried it months before CC. Didn't you just backup your argument saying he scored 20 goals last season? So they have a guy scoring 20 goals a season for them, in their soil, and they overlook him and you tell me they can do it and Felipão can't? Sorry man, but this has double standards written all over. They could have gone to FIFA 2-3 months before CC and get the clearance in time for him to play. They didn't because they weren't interest, even if he was shining for all their people to see. I don't mind you agree with him and Spain, but the argument you give to defend it, it's weird imo, as you're saying Brazil is wrong for having overlooked him for CC, but you don't say the same about Spain, when Spain was much closer to him than we are, as he plays there...

then why didn't Spain try to get him for the same CC as they also played it? He's been living there for years and as far as I know he has the spanish passport for a while too, or you think he got it last month? and even if he did get it after CC, he could have tried to get it earlier if they were so interested.

whoscored is a colossal joke I don't know how people take that site seriously - at least rating wise. I was there the other day to find out how many matches Mata started for us and how many he came as a sub and then I took a glance on the rates. It's disgraceful. I agree he's been average at best - which is why he's in the position he is in the first place. The chances keep coming - far and apart, I know - and he keeps wasting them. He was our worst player against Arsenal because although he was average, the rest were either good or impressive. So when you're average in a squad where basically all other players are being good, great or impressive, you're simply not enough, even if you aren't that bad. A loan is the best business for him - IF it's in a team where he'll play a lot. The hole he's at the moment at Chelsea looks like a mountain to climb, not because of his quality, but because the other guys are raising the bar.

Dion Di, I brought this post from the City thread that is closed, and I was thinking while doing the scout if Mourinho didn't ask Oscar to try those splitting passes, and just give him freedom to be more creative and bolder. Like total freedom when he does have the ball because Oscar never behaves like that - at least I've never seen it. Maybe he wants to make Oscar really become a complete player with creative instincts. I'm not sure if said thing can be cultivated, but when Willian came for the match around mark 65, he's given Oscar throughout information from Mourinho, it was the first thing he did when he got into the pitch and he spend a few seconds explaining what Mourinho asked. From that moment on Oscar completely changed his display in the match (which he didn't do when the second half started - which makes me believe it wasn't something Mourinho disapproved in the first half and wanted to change in the second). During my scout I realized that this was one of the matches that Oscar stayed higher in the pitch. During ManCity's transitions many times Oscar held his position from the 4-2-3-1 formation, instead of dropping deeper to press as he sometimes do. He normally presses everywhere in the pitch, but he goes deeper as opponents keep advancing in the attack. In this match he didn't do as often. He held more his position around the midfield and the attacking field, pressing more there than deeper, and also watching a bit the game from there instead of immediately marching deeper. It's very clear imo Mourinho asked him to do that and he carried on doing that in the second until Willian gave him instructions to change (and from that on he did change his all around positioning and the kind of play he went for) There's a price to pay if that's Mourinho's plan, but I guess he's willing to make this bet and the price is Oscar making too many mistakes until he finally sharpens it. While I was doing the scouting I showcased all his contributions, good and bad, and if you ask me, his comparison of successful vs unsuccessful is acceptable and if that's something he can improve with practice - which I don't know if it can - but if he can, the natural way is for him to keep improving the accuracy. Here is the summary only about the times he tried this unexpected, splitting, genial kind of pass. Completed passes: 02:42 mark - flashy pass to Hazard then at 02:50 splitting pass for Cahill in the box, but Cahill misses (2) 35:30 - genial pass for Torres who assists Schürrle with a header, but André is offside (3) Incompleted passes: 02:13 - clueless pass (1) 25:01 - sloppy pass (2) 41:02 - terrible flashy pass (3) Unlucky passes (close, but either missed for a small margin or the defender had a lucky/smart touch) 45:00 +1:00 - tried the most difficult by trying to find Hazard unmarked, it was a bit too wide for Hazard (1) I'll come with the second time later because my internet is sucking right now and I'm sort of annoyed by it.

Yeah, Terry has been very solid for us this season. Since Luiz had that horrible match against Cardiff, Terry became even better. Ivanovic has also been a monster defending - although with more mistakes than Terry. But none compares to Luiz's best matches the season. That's the problem with Luiz. He is absolutely solid in matches in a row, a defending machine, then the brain farts happen. Hopefully he'll work around it.

He was very decent for Madrid last season. Of course wasn't the player from before his injuries, but he was good. I think he could play a few matches for us alongside Rami, I just want him to play more than the domestic cups. He's good enough to have more games than that when we face less threatening oppositions. Of course the same applies to Kev, although their cases are polar opposite. But I would welcome Kev playing a few matches in November as well. It's not like he's a horrible player that will be a liability for us. Far from it, he's good, maybe other AMs are in better shape than him, but he doesn't compromise at all and with time and matches he could turn it around and actually be at the same level as the others. He doesn't need to be better, just equally good and effective. It'll also lead to some of the pressure he has to perform well right now to dissipate.

following Newcastle's match we'll have a run with more than manageable teams. Essien isn't selected for CL squad, and the next League Cup game is only mid-december. I do hope Mourinho will give him a chance or two to play in those more accessible games in EPL He deserves it and with van Ginkel out of the season and Rami and Lamps being overplayed, it's good to try to keep The Bison fit in case either of them pick a small injury. I know we have Mikel, but what I mean is supposing Rami or Lamps are out for injury, then the other plays alongside Mikel, we need a good backup in case both get booked early in the match or even if they don't have a good day at the office

got it!!!!!!! He's saying: 'suck it, Fat Spanish Waiter, I've got all Spanish players to score in three days' then he's using his arms to show FSW size. And Arsene is begging for another Chelsea change in management because he gave up beating Mourinho when he couldn't handle our 'B Team'. perfect gif is perfect

I'm not saying it's going to last... but it's not the same way that happened in previous seasons. He has never played the way he's been playing now in a Chelsea shirt. I'm not talking about quality, but dedication, passion and confidence. In previous seasons he showed flashes of being a good striker. Now he's showing for a month (let's not forget it's been a month) to be a team player. So I think we can argue, doubt and question if this isn't another short spell like in the past, but I don't think it's 100% accurate to say we've seen it before. I personally have never seen this Torres in a Chelsea shirt. Actually some of this actions in the field I don't remember seeing in any shirt, except Atletico's. Again I'm talking about attitude, not striker qualities.

“A Chelsea reserve squad have come here and wiped the floor with Arsenal tonight. It’s been completely embarrassing for Arsenal, Chelsea were far more superior in every aspect of the game.” — Sky Sports

watching and supporting his future club and teammates?

it almost seems like he's impersonating a monkey btw those gifs are put together but the moments aren't related to one another.

I think I owe this guy some recognition. I'm probably one of his biggest criticizers. I used to hate seeing Ryan playing for us, especially in the attack where his lack of technique just made me want to slam my head against the wall. But he's been proving me wrong. He's definitely way better than Arbeloa at the moment. While I don't think he's a top level FB, he's been really good and based on Cole's form currently, I'd like to see Ryan more often. He's winning me over, that little funny lad.

that's where I stand too. I like Kevin and I really wish to see him play here what others say he played in Werden Bremen and what I've seen him playing for Belgium. But he's the least of my concerns when we have a team playing the way we are. He could improve us? Of course he could, fact is except for a part of that match against Hull ever since then he didn't play at that level again. So we win 8/9 of last matches, we beat ManCity - our strongest contender imo for EPL title - and Schalke and Arsenal away and in all those matches (except a few moments against ManCity) we were in complete control of the matches, barely being threatened. Our players are working amazingly together, regardless of who is there. So I can't say a bad word about Mourinho's selection when whoever he selects is getting the job done. I agree he wasn't bad yesterday, but he was definitely the most average player imo. All the other 9 outfield players involved played better than him imo and guys like Essien and Bertrand who have played very little as well, played better than him by a considerable margin imo. Actually Essien and Bertrand were two of the best in the pitch imo and they don't have matches under their belts. Damnit, Bertrand was overlooked in his natural position for Azpilicueta against Schalke and then he comes and play a cup match and simply nails it. I'm not blaming Kevin. Some players do need matches under their belt to reach form. But I can't blame Mourinho either because in all honesty, the way this team has been playing the entire month of October we haven't missed Kevin in the lineup. So how can I look to a manager and say shit about him when his team selection got the results we had and most importantly the way we played and dominated opponents? Some people here said they aren't impressed or convinced by Schürlle or Willian. At the end of the day they're both getting things done. Whether someone else could do better than them is another story, but Willian was immense yesterday and Schürrle was fantastic for us in some matches. I'm getting more open to the loan thing involving Kev though. I guess he's not mentally ready to deal with the situation he found himself at the moment. He seemed to feel pressured and nervous yesterday, so maybe he needs to mature a bit more, get some nerves of steel and come back. I don't want him away, I want him with us for the long haul. But one thing must be said, the way he's been handling the situation is class. Never a bad word from his mouth and you could see he was trying, he was just feeling smashed by the pressure of proving he can be good for us. Mourinho probably can see that will in the kid.

what can Mourinho possibly be trying to communicate here?

so the feud between Mourinho and Özil is yet another fable fabricated by the all-so-reliable Spanish media? Why do I still believe a word those people write? here more pics of their hug you can see how Mou really cares just in the way he hugs him. I'm such a softie!

Data Summary First Half 00:15 - Hazard concedes a turnover. Hazard -300:17 - Lampard recovers possession. Lampard 300:49 - Ivanovic anticipates the opponent recovering possession. Ivanovic 301:49 - Schürrle concedes a turnover, but Torres immediately recovers it back. Team work 3. Schürrle -2, Torres 301:56 - Lampard concedes a turnover. Lampard -402:00 - Hazard tackles the ball successfully. Hazard 402:47 - Oscar makes a splitting pass, leaving Cahill just in front of the keeper, but the shot is way off target. Oscar 5, Cahill -303:22 - Cahill wins an aerial duel. Cahill 203:30 - Lampard interception in the midfield. Lampard 303:44 - Oscar trips on the ball and concedes a turnover. Oscar -406:36 - Long pass assist to Torres by Ramires. Ramires 5, Torres 108:06 - Cole concedes a turnover. Cole -309:07 - Terry clears the ball from the box. Terry 310:04 - Terry clears the ball from the box with a header. Terry 310:36 - Terrible long pass by Ivanovic goes straight to Hart, giving away possession. Ivanovic -412:56 - Lampard bad long pass. Lampard -413:50 - Schürrle clears a corner. Schürrle 314:07 - Hazard leaves Silva completely unmarked, offering space for the attacker. Hazard -414:19 - Hazard is incapable of controlling the ball inside Chelsea's box after Ramires intercepts it, losing it and offering an attack chance for City, but Cahill clears the danger offering a corner. Hazard -5, Ramires 4, Cahill 414:47 - Schürrle clears the ball from the box. Schürrle 415:19 - Schürrle tackles successfully and regains possession. Schürrle 415:35 - Too long pass by Hazard kills counter-attack. Hazard -216:08 - Terry loses an aerial duel in the midfield. Terry -216:15 - Cole intercepts a pass conceding a corner. Cole 216:30 - Schürrle clears a corner with a header. Schürrle 418:16 - Terry wins an aerial duel in midfield. Terry 218:23 - Poor anticipation by Cahill offers Agüero the assist. Cahill -418:28 - Cech defends Agüero’s shot. Cech 318:38 - Hazard poor pass concedes turnover. Hazard -418:53 - Terry successful tackle. Terry 419:08 - Clueless marking by Hazard allows Clichy to linkup with Toure who takes on Ramires successfully and cross into the box, but Lampard clears the ball away. Hazard -3, Ramires -1, Lampard 419:48 - Effective press by Torres allows Cole to clear the ball away from near the corner. Team work, 4. Torres, Cole 320:30 - Schürrle loses tackle to Zabaleta in the attack. Schürrle -221:06 - Ramires intercepts a ball in the attack. Ramires 322:12 - Oscar wins a tackle in the defensive field. Oscar 322:31 - Bad pass by Torres kills counter-attack. Torres -223:52 - Terry wins aerial duel. Terry 325:01 - Sloppy pass by Oscar in the attack. Oscar -325:44 - Cole anticipation in the defensive field. Cole 327:18 - Amazing run and pressing by Schürrle by the box, contributes for Ramires to recover possession. Team work 4. Schürrle 427:21 - Terrific cross by Ramires finds Torres in the box, who’s offside by minimal space. Ramires 528:05 - Terry wins aerial duel. Terry 328:33 - Terry clears the ball at the edge of the box with a header. Terry 428:49 - Superb cross by Ramires finds Torres in the box, but the striker misses it. Ramires 5, Torres -529:27 - Hazard wins aerial duel in the midfield. Hazard 329:56 - Ivanovic wins duel in the midfield. Ivanovic 430:03 - Poor long pass by Lampard concedes turnover. Lampard -430:13 - Clinical interception by Ivanovic stops counter-attack. Ivanovic 530:38 - Hazard intercepts the ball inside the box. Hazard 532:17 - Ivanovic wins aerial duel in the midfield. Ivanovic 432:22 - Lovely work at the flank by Torres who crosses precisely for Schürrle to score. Torres, Schürrle 5 [ for movement], Schürrle 5 [for the goal]35:30 - Dutiful pressing by Oscar, leads to a bad pass that Ivanovic immediately links up with Oscar who assists Torres with a beautiful pass, but Schürrle is offside when he receives from Torres. Team work and chemistry 5. Oscar and Ivanovic 5; Torres 436:18 - Interception by Hazard recovers possession in the midfield. Hazard 336:22 - Amazing run by Torres [assisted by Cole] who leaves a few defenders behind, before clearing for the shot, that hits the bar. Cole 4, Torres 536:50 - Header clearance by Terry. Terry 338:03 - Clearance by Terry at the edge of the box. Terry 438:25 - Clearance by Terry inside the box. Terry 438:45 - Clearance by Cahill inside the box. Cahill 441:02 - Poor pass by Oscar kills the attack after yet another brilliant long pass by Ramires. Ramires 5, Oscar -541:30 - Good save by Cech. Cech 442:29 - Successful tackle by Torres in the flank. Torres 543:33 - Cahill wins aerial duel. Cahill 343:50 - Cole and Hazard press the opponent and Oscar intercepts the ball. Team work 5. Oscar 4, Cole and Hazard 344:50 - Lampard clears the ball from the box conceding a corner. Lampard 3+00:14 - Header clearance by Terry. Terry 4+01:00 - Amazing ball control and dribbles by Ramires who passes to Oscar, who also dribbles his way to the backline, but his cross isn’t precise. Ramires 5, Oscar 3Second Half47:16 - Zabaleta left unmarked by Hazard at the edge of the box. Hazard -448:06 - Poor movement and slow coverage by Cahill allows Agüero to shoot and score. Cahill -5, Cech -250:22 - Lampard clearance inside the box with a header. Lampard 452:09 - Poor pass by Schürrle concedes counter-attack. Schürrle -452:12 - Ramires interception stops counter-attack. Ramires 452:29 - Interception by Terry in the attack. Terry 454:35 - Clearance by Cahill in the box. Cahill 458:43 - Ivanovic clearance with a header. Ivanovic 460:49 - Lampard interception in midfield. Lampard 362:39 - Risky pass by Hazard in the attack concedes turnover. Hazard -263:36 - Oscar successful tackle to set up counter-attack. Oscar 364:10 - Slow recovery from Chelsea in counter-attack especially by the midfielders. Team work -4. Oscar, Hazard, Ivanovic -464:25 - Sloppy defending by Cahill allows Silva shot and requires great defense by Cech. Cahill -4, Cech 566:26 - Sloppy pass by Ivanovic in the attack. Ivanovic -367:23 - Sloppy pass by Ivanovic concedes a counter-attack. Ivanovic -367:30 - Terry anticipates the opponent and recovers possession. Terry 572:12 - Cahill blocks cross inside the box. Cahill 473:19 - Ivanovic successful tackle inside the box. Ivanovic 574:00 - Cahill blocks cross inside the box. Cahill 374:50 - Ramires successful tackle recovers ball in attack. Ramires 576:12 - Poor cross by Hazard following Cahill poor ball control, in Oscar’s precise set piece assist. Oscar 5, Cahill and Hazard -477:38 - Good assist by Cole, but Hazard poor ball control kills the attack. Cole 4, Hazard -480:00 - Oscar wins duel in the attack. Oscar 383:41 - Ramires interception. Ramires 387:27 - Eto'o successful tackle in defense. Eto'o 388:00 - Willian anticipation recovers possession in attack. Willian 489:29 - Cole successful tackle in defense. Cole 389:40 - Willian links counter-attack up with Torres, who doesn’t give up and is gifted a pass by Nastasic before scoring. Willian 4, Torres 591:23 - Ivanovic clearance in the box with a header. Ivanovic 491:28 - Mikel clearance in the box with a header. Mikel 491:34 - Cech punches the danger away. Cech 391:40 - Mikel clearance in the box. Mikel 491:45 - Eto'o smartly recovers possession in the defense. Eto'o 493:43 - Cole anticipates ball in midfield. Cole 493:50 - Cahill wins aerial duel at the edge of the box. Cahill 4

I Got The Blues Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City – English Premier League In maybe the most difficult match at home for Chelsea in the Premier League, the game against Manchester City was special in its own way. Following 14 goals scored in 4 matches and only 2 conceded, Chelsea made their most mature approach to a fixture so far this season. Tactically perfect – especially in the first half, José Mourinho’s side was efficient, dangerous and secure for most of the match, seemingly being in their comfort zone, controlling the match and opponents’ actions with a short leash, while given then the counterfeit notion of possession. In such a tactical match from both sides as Manuel Pellegrini’s team also showed high quality and were able to pressure Chelsea in two distinct moments, one of them leading to their goal – the article will be more tactical too. The stats will provide information about the players’ contribution, but if anything, this was a game of chess that highlighted how in control Mourinho’s players are at this stage, no matter the competition. The Blues are in the rise and competition is probably starting to raise their eyebrows and feel the Mourinho effect in a team filled of talent, but still in the early stages of collective [and in some cases individual] affirmation. The special analyses won’t follow the usual pattern, and most information isn’t backed up by tangible data, but instead impressions and observations of what was the most technical, tactical and calculated – and still thrilling – match in the Premier League so far. If anything both sides showed their competition that they’re their biggest contenders in the race for the title. While Arsenal is yet to be properly tested, in a highly competitive arm wrestling, Chelsea and Manchester City showed their power and strength, and in their personal quarrel, Chelsea proved to be the winner. PLAYERS RATINGS total amount of contributions (amount of positive/negative contributions); +rate; -rate § Petr Cech: 5 (4, 1); +15, -2 § Branislav Ivanovic: 12 (8, 4); +34; -14 § Gary Cahill: 13 (8, 5); +28; -20 § John Terry: 14 (13, 1); +46; -2 § Ashley Cole: 9 (8, 1); +26; -3 § Ramires: 11 (10, 1); +44; -1 § Frank Lampard: 9 (6, 3); +20; -12 § André Schürrle: 9 (6, 3); +29; -8 § Oscar: 12 (8, 4); +31; -16 § Eden Hazard: 16 (5, 11); +18; -39 § Fernando Torres: 10 (8, 2); +31; -7 § Willian: 2 (2,0); +8, -0 § John Obi Mikel: 2 (2, 0); +8; -0 § Samuel Eto'o: 2 (2, 0); +7; -0 TEAM CHEMISTRY § Only one play showcased, rated +5. TEAM WORK § Six plays were showcased, five positive. +21, -4 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS § Fernando Torres. Even if he’s only the 4th (tied with Oscar), he was the man of the match, contributing directly with the two goals that gave Chelsea the win. In addition to that he pressed the opposition during all time he spent in the pitch, working hard and being obedient to the manager’s tactics. He also helped the defense in corners and free-kicks and went for individual plays such as the run that ended with him hitting the post. § John Terry. The skipper had the best score for the second match (analyzed) in a row. He didn’t put a foot wrong during the entire match and he was absolutely dominant in the defense, denying Manchester City to do anything on his side of the defense. § Ramires. The Brazilian was simply sublime. His contributions were both very important attacking and defending. Some of the best assists in the match were provided by him as well as linkup plays and tackles. Irreprehensible in the defense, he was the main responsible for playing Yaya Toure out of the match, although others such as Lampard, also contributed to that. § Branislav Ivanovic. The full-back was more present in the attack than in other occasions, presenting himself for linkup plays with both Hazard and Schürrle. His crosses are still the downside of his game, and he wasted a few of them in this match, but he was also flawless in defense. § Eden Hazard. The Belgian was the negative note of Chelsea's display. With twice more bad contributions than good, he was sloppy attacking and clueless defending more often than he was sharp doing either. It was a match for him to forget and hopefully he’ll resume his good streak prior to this game, when he was showing significant progress to his quiet start of the season. ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS § A chess board. In such a high quality match, dominated by effective and successful tactics by both sides and highly technical, it resembled a chess tight match. Proof of that is how much less contributions in general were made by the players. In previous matches against Norwich and Cardiff there were respectively 120 and 134 rated contributions compared to 100 against City. Strategy, thoughtfulness, calculated moves marked the match as much as they do in the board game. The teams took their time to execute the plans their managers came up with and the players were successful on their duties most time of the match. Despite being such a calculated game by both sides, it can’t be said it was a boring match or uneventful. It was a match that had fans from both teams completely glued to the game. The quality showed by both sides was impressive, but especially by the home team, who seemed to control the match to the extent of scoring the winner in the last minute. SPECIAL STATS & ANALYSES § 4-2-3-1 through and through. If there’s one thing that has been common this season was for Chelsea to switch formations while defending. More often than not the team would defend in a 4-3-3 or even 4-4-2 when the ball was around the half-way line, but for most part of the first half the team had the four lines in the 4-2-3-1 clearly seen in the pitch. Still all attackers, including Torres, the striker, pressed the opponents, most time high in the pitch keeping the formation design. During the second half it was less noticeable, among other reasons because City came from halftime more aggressive. Still it wasn’t until Willian came in at mark 65 with specific words from Mourinho to Oscar that the starting Brazilian changed his positioning – going deeper, but not to defend, but in attack phases. From that mark on a 4-3-3 formation when attacking could be seen at moments as Mourinho probably felt the team needed to win the midfield a bit deeper to improve their chances to score. The manager had also showed discontentment during the first half with the lack of patience the team sometimes showed, going for long passes instead of building up the attack exchanging passes. But even as Mourinho asked Oscar to go deeper, the 4-2-3-1 formation still dominated the last half, especially because towards the end of the match some players such as Oscar and Ivanovic, as well as Torres and Hazard seemed slightly tired and took longer than usual to run back to defense when Chelsea offered turnovers or City intercepted the ball. § Too eager. For times during the first time Chelsea opted for long passes instead of going through the three talented attackers that were moving fairly well around the pitch, not only conceding turnover, but contributing to City’s momentum, as they continued to keep ball possession while Chelsea seemed to get rid of it too soon. Mourinho showed his own impatience when the team did that and the cameras registered him giving orders to his players about it. The problem basically didn’t happen in the last 45 minutes. § Yaya who? One of the best things Chelsea as a team was able to do throughout the whole match was closing the doors to Yaya Toure. Chelsea attacking players as a rule don’t do individual marking because they rotate positions in the pitch way too often – the pivot players as well as the attacking midfielders. One of the downsides of so much rotation is leaving behind an unarticulated and chaotic defensive formation when losing possession or in the early stages of pressing, but that didn’t happen once in the match. Schürrle, Hazard and Oscar worked in complete synch with Ramires and Lampard to keep Toure quiet. It should be mentioned though that while Schürrle did an impressive job with both full-backs he marked, Hazard offered too much space for Clichy and also Zabaleta, as well as Silva and Nasri moving to the middle too often and leaving only Ivanovic or Cole to mark the opponents in their respective flanks. § At the edge of the seat. Mourinho’s side pressed high most part of the first half, allowing City to enjoy a little bit of possession, but never giving them control of the match. The main reason why the 4-2-3-1 formation in defensive phases was so important was because it let City’s players edgy the entire match – except for the short moments they were actually dangerous – because they knew if they had a bad pass, Chelsea had four players in the midfield and in the attacking half, pressing high to recover the ball. That’s one of the most important strategies Mourinho is trying to incorporate in the new philosophy. His teams know how to defend, but they’re using the high pressing as an attack weapon against teams who aren’t afraid to attack Chelsea. Most oppositions will prefer to park the bus or at least defend deeper against Mourinho’s side, but the few that dare to do their own game, without fear, fall in the same trap Manchester City did: they have pressure on their feet while having possession knowing one small distraction, one minimum mistake could be lethal. [As there won’t be a report for the Arsenal match, the same can also been seen in the League Cup match against the Gunners. During first half Chelsea held the ball and tried to leak the North Londoners lines, but both defenses were working very well even if the teams didn’t come with defensive formations and were looking for the goal all the time. The mistake made by Jenkinson was fatal because the never-give-up and relentless philosophy Mourinho sold to his players capitalizes the smallest mistake by opposition]. § Two is company. Last but not least, much has been said about Chelsea's maybe too big squad, and that it will create problems for the manager to handle the potential unhappy players. The style Mourinho is working on his side demands a lot physically from players and as the season progresses the tiredness will only pile up, especially if the team go deep in the cups and matches keep being added [which is a real possibility]. It’s expected that the same players won’t be able to work hard and press most minutes in a match for nine months without being drained. The match against Arsenal showed that for each of the 11 positions Mourinho has one backup with the same quality or almost as much the same quality. The only reservation might be Tomas Kalas, but with Terry, Cahill and Luiz Mourinho might not need a fourth top level CB as a squad member and the three defenders will probably be able to handle all matches – saved injuries. Mourinho has two top teams at his disposal and by the second half of the season it’ll be proved that having such abundance for each and every position is going to be more useful than just a surplus. It’s highly improbable only 18 players could be able to offer what Mourinho wants from them in 60 matches. Using terms such as A Team and B Team for the distinct squads Mourinho has at his disposal is derogatory to the level of those players. He has two A teams that will have players rotated between them like a carrousel. Arsenal and Arsène Wenger can attest that. I Got the Blues is an analysis that contextualizes statistics. The feature rates players’ individual contribution – positive and negative – in all relevant aspects of the match. As an attempt to identify players’ and tactics’ weaknesses and strengths, negative and positive contributions are rated separately instead of being deduced from one another. Rates vary from 1 to 5 [positively or negatively] and are given to players individually. The same stat [for example an interception] can be given different rates depending on its importance in the match. Team work and team chemistry are rated as a way to assess the team’s evolution and Mourinho’s work. One of the biggest differences between the stats provided in this feature and usual stats is that contributions that don’t produce real impact during the match whether positively or negatively are completely disregarded. Many times dry stats count the player’s touch in the ball producing tackles, interceptions, takes-on, chances created numbers regardless of what followed said touch, creating misleading stats. In this feature those actions will only be rated if they are 1) purposeful; 2) effective [positively or negatively]; 3) consequential. The objective is to provide stats that really tell the players’ history in the match. Every week a special analysis is done, showcasing different aspects of the game that are normally overlooked. Suggestions about the special stats & analyses section can be requested by PM or in the post-match threads – as long as the author is mentioned in the post. Click here to view the article

Mikel on the Mourinho effect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyRcxC-M4t8 Mikel says it all. This group is going very far because they really appreciate the amazing manager they have.

another amazing article, Lex, as always a pleasure to read. But this part made me laugh and I can't stop now. ITA with your opinion in the issue - and in everything else for that matter.