The Mourinho Thread

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Yeah not my finest post on the subject - but I was getting pretty bored of repeating myself...

You say ignorant, I say bored

Merry Xmas

Which is fine lol, but we do just want to discuss the issue.. It's nothing unhappy about our situation. I'm sure everyone's thrilled that we're flying in all competitions, we're all just fans talking about issues deeper than the simple match results

Merry xmas to you as well, mate!

[Muzchap 8,966]

Which is fine lol, but we do just want to discuss the issue.. It's nothing unhappy about our situation. I'm sure everyone's thrilled that we're flying in all competitions, we're all just fans talking about issues deeper than the simple match results

Merry xmas to you as well, mate!

I will drink to that

[Stats 7,140]

i'll leave this here. Ake has played a fair bit for Chelsea since Benitez played him in the Europa League in 2012. Zouma was a regular at St Ettienne. So those two are trusted and I think they are more or less squad players than academy youngsters.

I'm talking about introducing Academy products like Baker RLC Boga in the earlier rounds of the League Cup - and the Sporting Lisbon game. So far only Christensen has got the chance. I credit Mourinho for going with Christensen against Shrewsbury and hope to see more of the same.

It was good to see Christensen play the whole game but Mourinho would have played Azpi there had he not been suspended. Then Ivanovic was also suspened too. It is not as if Mourinho played him because he felt he deserved the start. He could have started Terry at CB and played Zouma at RB but did not so credit there for trusting Christensen but my point remains the same. I don't really think Christensen earned his place in the starting 11 on merit. It was more of a case that our first and second choice RB were suspended.

[Jase 43,479]

Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini questions Chelsea’s staying power

It's almost pitiful when Pellegrini tries to play mind games..

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Great coach, but I feel sometimes he has to be less pragmatic because it costs valuable points and goal difference

[Fernando 6,585]

Diving debate annoys mourinho.

http://m.skysports.com/article/football/yourclub/9615607?compid=263&teamid=524

There's some truth to what mourinho said, however the things he's referencing would not be possible if there was an official panel.

Right now what a panel can sanction it's vague and sometimes not applicable everywhere.

A panel set just for diving will be fair because that will be it's main focus.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,058]

Great coach, but I feel sometimes he has to be less pragmatic because it costs valuable points and goal difference

Not, in my opinion, as many as it has gained.

Perhaps this differing view might be traced to my thoughts about the prowess of our team. It is widely believed that we have an outstanding team capable of beating almost anybody by pressing high and playing through teams. Not me however. I think that our generally great results this season have caused people to overlook some of the flaws in our squad and to overrate the quality we can put on the pitch.

Clearly we do have some outstanding footballers but, as controversial as my opinion might be, I also think we have rather too many who are short of the quality required if our play is to justify the rave reviews we've been getting. For example, I don't think any of Oscar, Schurrle or Willian are as good as needed. Even Costa, who is a big improvement on what we have had previously, has clear weaknesses that restrict our flow.

Believing all of this allows me to support a pragmatic approach more often than some others seem to. I am delighted that we have a manager who will go the pragmatic route whenever he does not feel that we can win by going on to/staying on the front foot. I am convinced that we have gained much, much more from Jose doing that, than we have lost.

[Fernando 6,585]

Not, in my opinion, as many as it has gained.

For League format it's good but for cl format not.

Take a look at United game. If we had been content with just one goal we would had a hard time after United scored on us the last minute.

Indeed something like that happened against Barcelona where they scored last minute and we got eliminated.

In league we at least get one point.

This is why being over cautious in cl can be at times harmful and cost you badly.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Diving debate annoys mourinho.

http://m.skysports.com/article/football/yourclub/9615607?compid=263&teamid=524

There's some truth to what mourinho said, however the things he's referencing would not be possible if there was an official panel.

Right now what a panel can sanction it's vague and sometimes not applicable everywhere.

A panel set just for diving will be fair because that will be it's main focus.

Yeah I don't agree with Mourinho here. Diving is a problem, not in the PL alone, and it needs to be addressed.. It's just not nice to see, especially from your own players. It's cheating and we're better than that.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,058]

For League format it's good but for cl format not.

Take a look at United game. If we had been content with just one goal we would had a hard time after United scored on us the last minute.

Indeed something like that happened against Barcelona where they scored last minute and we got eliminated.

In league we at least get one point.

This is why being over cautious in cl can be at times harmful and cost you badly.

Again, I disagree.

That performance against Bacelona was one of our better displays against them and we certainly deserved a second goal before they equalised. Even so the high quality nature of our play that night was based on a solid, shape holding, defensive set up. Trying to mix it with that Barca side was not the way to go for anybody. They were extremely fortunate to put us out, but what happened when AF deployed a less pragmatic approach against them in the final? The scoreline was decisive but nevertheless extremely flattering to a United side who were comprehensively outplayed.

The notion that when a side lines up in the 'low-block' it means that they are not trying to win is one of the great myths of the game. Sometimes doing that is exactly the right way to try to win. JM knows this and he is not alone. I want to see us able to beat more sides on the front foot, dominating possession and confidently able to challenge them to outscore us if they can. Not with this collection of players we can't however. We are closer now to being able to adopt that approach but we aren't there yet.

Not quite sure what you meant in reference to the United game, after all we did have a hard time when they scored against us.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

I want to pointed out, why we're usually 'struggling' against mid table teams, but having a great record against big clubs in an away matches. The answer is, we play 433 formation against big ones, while we play 4231 formation almost every times against the rest away. Yes, it seems worked against Everton this season, but that is 'very rare' to happen imo.

Now the real question is, why we're not playing 433 formation in every away matches, regardless they are big clubs or not? We have the resources, I don't see why we couldn't do that.

[Tomo 21,751]

Great coach, but I feel sometimes he has to be less pragmatic because it costs valuable points and goal difference

Ask Liverpool fans if relentlessly chasing goal difference is a good idea.

[The Chels 2,502]

Not, in my opinion, as many as it has gained. Perhaps this differing view might be traced to my thoughts about the prowess of our team. It is widely believed that we have an outstanding team capable of beating almost anybody by pressing high and playing through teams. Not me however. I think that our generally great results this season have caused people to overlook some of the flaws in our squad and to overrate the quality we can put on the pitch. Clearly we do have some outstanding footballers but, as controversial as my opinion might be, I also think we have rather too many who are short of the quality required if our play is to justify the rave reviews we've been getting. For example, I don't think any of Oscar, Schurrle or Willian are as good as needed. Even Costa, who is a big improvement on what we have had previously, has clear weaknesses that restrict our flow. Believing all of this allows me to support a pragmatic approach more often than some others seem to. I am delighted that we have a manager who will go the pragmatic route whenever he does not feel that we can win by going on to/staying on the front foot. I am convinced that we have gained much, much more from Jose doing that, than we have lost.

Again, I disagree.

That performance against Bacelona was one of our better displays against them and we certainly deserved a second goal before they equalised. Even so the high quality nature of our play that night was based on a solid, shape holding, defensive set up. Trying to mix it with that Barca side was not the way to go for anybody. They were extremely fortunate to put us out, but what happened when AF deployed a less pragmatic approach against them in the final? The scoreline was decisive but nevertheless extremely flattering to a United side who were comprehensively outplayed.

The notion that when a side lines up in the 'low-block' it means that they are not trying to win is one of the great myths of the game. Sometimes doing that is exactly the right way to try to win. JM knows this and he is not alone. I want to see us able to beat more sides on the front foot, dominating possession and confidently able to challenge them to outscore us if they can. Not with this collection of players we can't however. We are closer now to being able to adopt that approach but we aren't there yet.

Not quite sure what you meant in reference to the United game, after all we did have a hard time when they scored against us.

I understand what you're saying and agree that we don't have the players to dominate every team but there is a way to be pragmatic. And personally I'm not a big fan of Jose's defensive system when I compare it to the pressing systems used by Dortmund in recent years or by Simeone's Atletico, who really are the template for defensive stability and tactical balance in the big games.

Compare our performance away to Atletico last year (or ours away to City this year) with Atletico's away to us last year (or away to Real this year). The only advantage ours has is it is perhaps less tiring for the players. Otherwise we concede more chances as we retreat and the opposition has more of the ball around our box; pressing (if any) is localised and disorganised which leaves big gaps and eliminates the opportunity for turnovers high up the pitch; and all it takes is one lapse of concentration, à la Hazard v Atletico or Schurrle/Ivanovic v City, and you're done for.

We are more than capable of playing a high intensity pressing game but Jose for some reason prefers to 'park the bus' even though it relies a lot on luck and we are not good at counter attacking from deep. I firmly believe Atletico are again more likely to win the CL than us even though we have better players because Simeone's tactics (which are still very defensive and includes a low-block but with very organised and intense (counter) pressing) result in fewer clear-cut chances being conceded and more high-quality chances being created.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Ask Liverpool fans if relentlessly chasing goal difference is a good idea.

Ask Man Utd fans how much it sucks losing out on goal difference