The Mourinho Thread

[Tomo 21,733]

That is true. The only coaches who you could really argue are currently better than Jose (Guardiola & Simeone) don't look like coming here anytime soon so we'd just be replacing Mourinho with an inferior manager. That said if we do go trophyless again it would likely confirm suspicions that he isn't as 'special' as he once was.

Not nesseserily, if the first half of the season is anything to go by one of us or City could get late 80's points and not win the league, in those circumstances you have to turn around and say fair play.

[Jase 43,479]

That is true. The only coaches who you could really argue are currently better than Jose (Guardiola & Simeone) don't look like coming here anytime soon so we'd just be replacing Mourinho with an inferior manager. That said if we do go trophyless again it would likely confirm suspicions that he isn't as 'special' as he once was.

If we sack Mourinho, he could well end up in Manchester.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,890]

Yes but how's that's going to happen if they hardly get time?

I mean even the insignificant games we get hardly any time for them....

The point is I think that they have to earn that time by what they show Jose in training, in development games, in the few minutes they do get or while out on loan. I agree it's tough for them but I fear that's the way it is.

[ZaynCFC 27]

If we sack Mourinho, he could well end up in Manchester.

How can Chelsea fans even think about sacking Mourinho?!

Would love to see him go to Manchester if we sack him and f**k us in every encounter

[OhForAGreavsie 5,890]

That is true. The only coaches who you could really argue are currently better than Jose (Guardiola & Simeone) don't look like coming here anytime soon so we'd just be replacing Mourinho with an inferior manager. That said if we do go trophyless again it would likely confirm suspicions that he isn't as 'special' as he once was.

It'll only confirm those suspicions for those who have them in the first place. I have to say that I don't.

Next year will be my 50th anniversary as a Chelsea fan so I've seen a lot of managers. In all that time I have only had a personal commitment to one of them. I am an arch sceptic; some believe we have a squad full of high class players but I don't even think we can field one XI of such players. I am most definitely not easy to please. The Doc, Dave Sexton, Eddie Mac, The Italians, even Guus; none of them mean anything to me. So, when I say Jose does, it is not something I say lightly.

[The Chels 2,502]

Not nesseserily, if the first half of the season is anything to go by one of us or City could get late 80's points and not win the league, in those circumstances you have to turn around and say fair play.

Really? Not winning any trophy for 3 seasons (excluding the Spanish Community Shield) with that Real Madrid team and this Chelsea side is failure. Easy to make excuses but that's the truth.

If we sack Mourinho, he could well end up in Manchester.

Wouldn't be surprised by that at all.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

The only problem I have with him is his negativity away from home and the old fashioned mentality of play safe 1st leg, nick a goal and hold on to it for dear life. That is why even at Madrid he never handed out a battling score line of 4-0, 3-0...etc away to a big team, it is always a draw or a close victory. Suspect if he was still Madrid manager last season I doubt they would have won 4-0 away to Bayern, after that Ramos 1st goal it is probably full on defending, aka Liverpool yesterday.

He needs to realize eventually that sometime OUR TEAM IS CAPABLE of handing out those beating scorelines away from home too. We are not Chelsea 04-05 or Porto anymore and do not need to have a inferior complex. Lets see if he has learned his lesson in a few weeks when we play PSG away, I doubt it but maybe for once he might surprise me like Wenger did at City last week. Always, always set up to be conservative in big game, EVEN AFTER WE HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE/LEAD. Could argue Simeones is the same but his Madrid team is not as capable of dominating the whole match as this Chelsea team with much more flair players.

[The Chels 2,502]

How can Chelsea fans even think about sacking Mourinho?! Would love to see him go to Manchester if we sack him and f**k us in every encounter

Are you a Mourinho fan or Chelsea fan? Also that would never happen because he'd play for a draw at Stamford Bridge every time

[Fernando 6,454]

The point is I think that they have to earn that time by what they show Jose in training, in development games, in the few minutes they do get or while out on loan. I agree it's tough for them but I fear that's the way it is.

Like kdb?

[OhForAGreavsie 5,890]

The only problem I have with him is his negativity away from home and the old fashioned mentality of play safe 1st leg, nick a goal and hold on to it for dear life. That is why even at Madrid he never handed out a battling score line of 4-0, 3-0...etc away to a big team, it is always a draw or a close victory. Suspect if he was still Madrid manager last season I doubt they would have won 4-0 away to Bayern, after that Ramos 1st goal it is probably full on defending, aka Liverpool yesterday.

He needs to realize eventually that sometime OUR TEAM IS CAPABLE of handing out those beating scorelines away from home too. We are not Chelsea 04-05 or Porto anymore and do not need to have a inferior complex. Lets see if he has learned his lesson in a few weeks when we play PSG away, I doubt it but maybe for once he might surprise me like Wenger did at City last week. Always, always set up to be conservative in big game, EVEN AFTER WE HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE/LEAD. Could argue Simeones is the same but his Madrid team is not as capable of dominating the whole match as this Chelsea team with much more flair players.

I've had conversations with people who blamed him for the quality of football whereas I always argued that it was the lack of creative technique in our players that was to blame. I know that you, or others, will disagree but I think that view has been vindicated. We now have players who are capable of moving the ball better than was the case during JM I and the football has improved. Give him the players and he can give you the football you want.

My current belief is that if we replace Willian & Oscar with more capable players, if we strengthen the back line so it does not require quite as much protection, and if we add depth in the CM positions so that we can rest our two starters without dropping many levels of quality, we will be able to go toe-to-toe with the big teams, wherever, whenever.

Meanwhile I simply do not believe any other manager could have taken us as close to a title win last season as Jose did. We handicapped him last time with too many ordinary players then blamed him for the inevitable result and parted company. It would be criminal if we were to blow it again when we are on the verge of getting it right.

All the above, is just my opinion of course. Other points of view are available.

[The Chels 2,502]

Could argue Simeones is the same but his Madrid team is not as capable of dominating the whole match as this Chelsea team with much more flair players.

In the CL SF Atletico dominated and took the game to us at Stamford Bridge after half time even though they were already ahead on away goals. Would Mourinho have done that if the situation was reversed? Absolutely not. Compare our performance at the Vicente Calderon to theirs at the Bridge and the difference is immense. Also did you not watch Atletico's last encounter with Real Madrid (completely dominated the 2nd half) or their second leg against Barca in the CL last season where they could have scored 2-3 goals in the first half. Simeone, like Mourinho, doesn't particularly like having possession in the big games but a big difference is that he doesn't give up on attacking after taking the lead.

Edited January 23, 2015 by The Chels

[Tomo 21,733]

In the CL SF Atletico dominated and took the game to us at Stamford Bridge after half time even though they were already ahead on away goals. Would Mourinho have done that if the situation was reversed?.

Bayern 04/05

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Atletico dominated us at Stamford Bridge after half time even though they were already ahead on away goals. Would Mourinho have done that if the situation was reversed? Absolutely not. Also did you not watch Atletico's last encounter with Real Madrid (completely dominated the 2nd half) or their first leg against Barca in the CL last season where they could have scored 2-3 goals in the first half. Simeone, like Mourinho, doesn't particularly like having possession in the big games but a big difference is that he doesn't give up on attacking after taking the lead.

Naaa that 2nd leg can't really be used a great example imo. It was a all out battle because we already played the other leg, that is why he encouraged his team to get that early 2nd half goal to basically kill the tie off and it worked. Once we went behind we had to go full on attack to score 2 more goals, they barely hanged on thanks to Courtois saves and then obviously at the end we are so committed we left lot of spaces for them to counter attack and eventually score that 3rd goal.

Usually like last week against Real, they scored an early goal then did full on plane parking. Same with yesterday against Barca, hard defending from the start with no intention of trying to get a winner. Against Barca last season in CL they barely hanged on? Diego with that wonder goal, I remember Courtois making like 5 world class saves to deny them getting that 2nd.

I've had conversations with people who blamed him for the quality of football whereas I always argued that it was the lack of creative technique in our players that was to blame. I know that you, or others, will disagree but I think that view has been vindicated. Give him the players and he can give you the football you want. My belief is that if we replace Willian & Oscar with more capable players, if we strengthen the back line so it does not require quite as much protection and if we add depth in the CM positions so that our two starters need to play every game or we drop many levels of quality we will be able to go toe to toe with the big teams, where ever, whenever.

Meanwhile I simply do not believe any other manager could have taken as close to a title win last season as Jose. We handicapped him last time with too many ordinary players then blamed him for the inevitable result. It would be criminal if we were to blow it again when we are on the verge of getting it right.

All the above, is just my opinion of course. Other points of view are available.

Oscar not flair enough for you? WTF best Brazilian no10 is apparently not good enough for attacking football, who do you think is better and we can get? Gotze? Isco? James? whoever they are there are very few in world football that we can get for a reasonable price that is better than Oscar atm. Willian I agree, but then 1 out of 5 world class attacking players in the team shouldn't have hindered it that much(Costa, Hazard, Oscar, Fabregas and Willian).

Bayern 04/05

Yep something 10 years ago. Tbh that game was more like the Everton 6-3 in Sep last year. They kept on scoring so we naturally had to attack to take the lead back...hence leading to the ridiculous 4-3 or whatever it was in the end.

[The Chels 2,502]

Bayern 04/05

Any examples from his 8 SFs?

[ZOS 580]

just ignored a couple of Simeone lovers here .. I'm loving the peace

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Any examples from his 8 SFs?

Off the top of my head...Liverpool 1-0 Garcia goal, Liverpool won on pen 4-1...after 2 games of 1-0 to each team, Inter hardcore bus parking at Barca...but needed so not gonna judge him on that, Dortmund 4-1 rape, Barca 2-0 at home because trying to park it in the 1st leg...etc

Basically not a single one where I can think of his team DOMINATED the other away from home, even at home there was none really. Maybe that Inter 3-1 Barca but it helped by an offside goal too.

[Tomo 21,733]

Any examples from his 8 SFs?

I have examples of managers going for more and coming unstuck.

[The Chels 2,502]

Naaa that 2nd leg can't really be used a great example imo. It was a all out battle because we already played the other leg, that is why he encouraged his team to get that early 2nd half goal to basically kill the tie off and it worked. Once we went behind we had to go full on attack to score 2 more goals, they barely hanged on thanks to Courtois saves and then obviously at the end we are so committed we left lot of spaces for them to counter attack and eventually score that 3rd goal. Usually like last week against Real, they scored an early goal then did full on plane parking. Same with yesterday against Barca, hard defending from the start with no intention of trying to get a winner. Against Barca last season in CL they barely hanged on? Diego with that wonder goal, I remember Courtois making like 5 world class saves to deny them getting that 2nd.

That's exactly my point. He encouraged his team to go for a second and even a third. Mourinho would not have done that and we all know it. Sorry I meant the second leg at home against Barca and you're right about this season - without Costa and Luis, their two biggest attacking threats, they have lacked the attacking qualities they showed last season but apart from that 3-1 against Barcelona they haven't been dominated by either of the two giants unlike us vs. City and Liverpool. After building his team (with much less money, mind) Simeone's side were unreal in the big games last year. They've been forced to rebuild this year and are not as good attacking-wise but defensively they're still strong. Mourinho has now built his team with substanstial financial backing and we have still not been very good in the away games against sides inferior to those Atletico have to face.