The Mourinho Thread

[GraphicWave 7]

yes, no one should want him get sacked and it's true that we need stability. But there's no way out around the issue being raised here other than admitting that he is an out right coward in big games. Why does it always have to be us to back-off and be cautious when meeting these teams? Ten times out of ten, in big games, Chelsea is certainly the one to be extra cautious and play the reactive role. Why?

That's what Mourinho needs to adjust, and since he is not stupid (finger crossed) he will change from now on. You can't win the Champions League by parking the bus in every single match (we were already lucky once, it's time play with some balls).

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Mourinho beats a lot of teams because he is the best at detecting opposition tactics and finding a way to stop it.

This is how Mourinho always beats wenger, Ferguson and Rodgers. He knows what they will do, he knows how they'll play, he knows they'll stick to their philosophy. So Mourinho plans how to stop the philosophy and then give freedom to 3-4 players to do what they like (not what they practiced)

The thing with mourinho is that he too has become predictable.

Every top manager in Europe now knows he wants to sit back and let only 3 players counter.

In a big match, I already know before facing him that he'll not practice the counter attack pattern, I already know that it's only the defensive shape he will train his players to do.

So I don't need to stop the tactics, I just need to make the few players he gave freedom have a difficult time.

This stopping of the attacking players is even more easy than it is supposed to be because the players are attacking with what they feel, instead of what they practiced.

If they practiced a few attacking patterns, our attack will be faster since it is rehearsed. With this knowledge, I think Mourinho needs to hire an attacking coach. There is no shame in this, Ferguson the greatest manager did this, and a lot of other coaches.

If Mourinho knows how to stop opponents tactics, imagine how much better we'll be if someone handles the attacking approach so that it'll be faster and look like something rehearsed.

This is my opinion on how Mourinho can improve

[Polo7 3,496]

yes, no one should want him get sacked and it's true that we need stability. But there's no way out around the issue being raised here other than admitting that he is an out right coward in big games. Why does it always have to be us to back-off and be cautious when meeting these teams? Ten times out of ten, in big games, Chelsea is certainly the one to be extra cautious and play the reactive role. Why?

He was going apeshit on the touch line telling his players to press forward? He put two strikers on during extra time. Coward how? A man can only do so much. Players are just as much to blame as manager.

[Fulham Broadway 16,920]

The players have to take the lions share of responsibility.

People want perfection and football doesn't work like that. We've lost three matches all season, it happens to even the best managers. Let's not lose perspective.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

On the match yesterday, I knew it was a disaster the moment i saw a red card.

This meant our players didn't know whether to stick to the original plan of defence and counter or attack because the opponent had red card. Mourinho should have told them to stick with the pressing, stick with the quick play but he clearly told them to slow down. I don't know why, but that's what it is.

If Mourinho's only tactics is to soak pressure and hit people on the break, then fabregas is useless to him. He can't defend and can't run on the counter so he should have been subbed off and not oscar. This is one of the reasons we've become worse than last season in the big games, we're playing with one less defensive player instead of the huge luiz - Matic pivot, we now use fabregas and ramires who are far smaller for midfield battle. PSG were big players and instead of having luiz or mikel to defend setpieces we now have fabregas or Ramires. Mourinho should get more physical players if he wants his current big game tactics to work. This team is the weakest team in defending, height and jump he's ever managed imo.

As for the reaction, If we lose while playing well, the fans can have something to hold onto. But if we lose while playing terrible the coach has to take whatever comes to him so Mourinho deserves every criticism he gets.

[Eggman 118]

So those in favor of Mou point out the good results in the league and the cup win, fair enough. If we went through against PSG, they would probably say that we shouldn't doubt his tactics and so on. And to be fair, we could have just as easily been through, although we played like shit. That's the way José's tactics work: small margins, lots of contingency.

The problem is that the differences are too small, which is a risky game to play. Mou has had too much success with this strategy in the past. He won't change it. H's an old dog that's been around and won't learn any new tricks. Last year, in the big matches, it turned out good for us most of the time: we kept it closed and scored some sucker punch goals, which got us the results in the big games. This year, nothing changed: we do the same tricks, but it has cost us many times. That has nothing to do with "players not giving their all". It is the nature of the game: sometimes, you luck out, sometimes the card that can burn you is turned at the river. Poker players suggest that in the long run though, this sort of calculated tactics will make you a (marginal) winner.

So yes, these Italian-style parking the bus sort of thing can get you results, if properly executed.

But it's just so fucking boring and ugly to watch.

Those who hide behind the results are free to do so: if that's all that matters to you. I'm not all into "winning trophies", as if that's the sole reason to support a team. I want to win trophies in style. That's something completely different. Okay, Greece was European Champions once, but everyone remembers them as a bunch of negative and lucky cunts - a defeat for football in general. It doesn't mean shit. And certainly not that "they were the best" that year. Winning trophies doesn't make you "winners", all of a sudden. Greatness isn't just winning trophies. Think of the Holland team in Cruyff's era: they didn't go all the way, but will always be associated with an enthralling and innovative style of football that changed the way the game is played. Or take the Brazil 1982 team, who baffled the world with their style of play (Zico and Sokratés!) although they never won the WC.

Those who don't mind how they get results, as long as we do get results, do they actually like to watch football? And for what reasons? If the manner in which you achieve a goal doesn't count, then why not skip watching the game and just look up the results afterwards?

I watch the game for moments of brilliance and free-flowing play. We have seen that at times, this season, between Fab, Eddie, Costa and Willian. But not nearly enough, and that's due to Mou's poker style defensive calculation tactics.

Don't get me wrong, I want us to be champions so badly, and I honestly think we deserve to be as well. But I deplore the lack of courage and just general joy in play exhibited by this Chelsea team in the big matches. I want us to dominate, be confident and just crush our opponents.

For those who made it through: thanks for reading. Needed to get that off my chest.

[supporter 3,088]

I respect your views too.

you say you like Jose's understanding of the game. Good, so I take it you have your own understanding of his philosophy regarding 'big' games. Please make me understand this. Why is it, when ever we're facing a half good team, we're always, ALWAYS, the one to back off and play it safe? Why is it, out of ten or so games a year where we'll be facing so called big teams, we are the one to be cautious and reactive, trying to exploit mistakes and counter attack? why not them, sometimes? because we're clever and they're not? if it is not cowardice, then what is it?

Hi friend!

Thanks for your answer.

It's true what you say. If, when the big games come Jose always used a conservative strategy. For some more conservative, for others less conservative. But always conservative or, as I prefer to say, a pragmatic approach.

I think Jose is trying to make a future project with us. Maybe I like what did Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. But that is not done in two days, we need time.

When Jose returned with us, we we had won the UEFA League, being eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League and classifying them for the Champions League miracle.

Now everything is different. We fight for the Premier League with head high, at the top of the leaderboard. Last year fight for Premier League until the end.

In addition, we now try to compete in all the cups, we have won the League Cup and in a moment of madness, we fell eliminated in Fa Cup.

Step by step we get to the other teams respect us as we deserve. Right now in England we have the hegemony of English football.

I know that Mourinho can play "better". In fact, Jose has played better with us and other teams. I remember when Jose arrived at Real Madrid, I used to use a ultra defensive strategies.

In his first year at Real Madrid, Jose stand against Barcelona Guardiola's a large bus in the box. But that had a meaning: Real Madrid was light years ahead of that Barcelona. The distance between the teams was huge enough to try to compete with Barcelona face to face.

Instead, Jose was slowly changing its approach and succeeded, in his third season, face Barcelona face to face and outplay them.

The reason was that anxiety to win titles of Real Madrid was diluted, disappeared. They won the Spanish Cup and the Spanish Liga and, last season, despite problems with certain players from Real Madrid, Jose managed to win at Barcelona.

What I mean is that we now need to accumulate trophies, either way, to get to have a big name in Europe. That name (the respect of the other top teams) can only be achieved by winning as many trophies possible. Perhaps the League Cup trophy is a small but great teams across Europe have seen John Terry lifting another trophy.

Real Madrid often wins with its history, we have to produce that story and we are that way.

For Arsenal, Manchester City or Liverpool is easier to pose a more aesthetic football if they lose anyone would feel cheated. Instead, a defeat for us is like a shot in the head. We are a big club and our requirements are larger.

So I think Jose is now at a stage of trying to earn trophies for Chelsea to get the respect (and fear) of our rivals.

Then, step by step, we can raise more offensive or aesthetic approaches because our opponents will fear us. But to achieve that we need to eliminate anxiety about the absence of titles. If this year we we had not won anything this anxiety would be stifling.

But if we win this year's League Cup and (hopefully) Premier League next season we will be able to play more relaxed without any feelings of despair.

Yesterday, regardless of how fortunate

or unfortunate approach Jose, we were a few minutes of qualifying for the next round. In addition, yesterday we been removed by a team with great players, PSG is not a mediocre team.

In short, if we are trying to build a great team, a new team for many years, and we can not be in a hurry, we have to be patient and slowly try making progress.

First. Earn trophies and recover the hegemony of English football.

Second. Go incorporating new great young players in our starting eleven. Courtois first, second and Kurt Zouma (maybe / hopefully) Ruben Loftus-Cheek next year.

Third. Changing approaches to create more aggressive, vertical, and finalente parties raise more offensive games and get suffocate our rivals to win overwhelmingly.

This is a slow process, but step by step we can become the leading English team and one of the best teams in Europe. Maybe in ten years we have a similar name as Liverpool or Manchester United.

But that can only be achieved step by step. If we give abrupt changes of direction every two years we will probably go banging on our faces every few years.

I think we have to give our trust to Jose and allow him work in peace. Jose is not here for money. If it were only for money, Jose would be at Real Madrid, PSG and Anzhi Makhachkala. Jose wants this team and he wants to get the best for us.

If we change course now we probably just will place more close to failure than from success.

Today, as yesterday, it is a sad day, but we are building something big. We have to be together. BLUES ALL TOGETHER.

Regards.

Regards to ALL.

[ZOS 580]

He was going apeshit on the touch line telling his players to press forward? He put two strikers on during extra time. Coward how? A man can only do so much. Players are just as much to blame as manager.

but, how many times have we seen this happen? he was shouting alright, but none of us can be sure what he was saying to them, now can we?

he is saying the players couldn't handle the pressure of playing at home, having number advantage and the expectation that comes with it. I can dig that.. That could be a factor but it can't be a major one.

It's obvious that the plan was, like we always do in big games, to wait for mistakes. Having a man sent off, PSG got extra careful and we didn't have answer for that.

I'm not mad because of the result. I was the first to defend him when we lost against Tottenham because and I would've said the exact same thing even if we weren't knocked out.

I still would appreciate it if you could answer me why we are always the one to back off in big games every single time and not the other teams.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Mourinho to be sacked...? He no longer understands the game? Lol you lot are pathetic. Yeah we lost a game we shouldn't have but it happens in football. We want the stability of having a brilliant coach for more than 1 or 2 years. Your all a bunch of glory hunters who can't handle defeats.

And yet we didn't, we drew! If we blow our five point lead then this sort of vitriol is to be expected, but right now, it is pathetic. Lets sack Mourinho and bring another manager in.

[ZOS 580]

Today, as yesterday, it is a sad day, but we are building something big. We have to be together. BLUES ALL TOGETHER.

Regards.

Regards to ALL.

I kind'a get what you mean ... but even with all your enthusiasm and good will, I don't think its possible to defend last night or any of the other big games recently.

I do NOT want Jose to be sacked. I want him here for as long as possible. I just hope he changes his way in big games sooner than later.

It'd be criminal to dent your energy and optimism any further

Regards

[hjperdeath 2,226]

What sucks more is we lost to two set-pieces. I have nothing against the way we played, though there was more then one way to approach it, but we fucked up in the way we did. JT and his markers need to take a good look in the mirror. Anyways chin up. There's still another trophy out there.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Just remember before you slag him off for how the players let us down, this man bleeds blue as the rest of us do.

[Tautvix 1,321]

If you all guys win together with the team, so learn to lose with them also. It's not like Jose or Chelsea lost. We are all Chelsea fans so we are all responsible. When Chelsea win some guys say "We won" but when Chelsea lose "They lost".

[Tautvix 1,321]

As for this season the clear objective is to win EPL. The last time we won it was in 2010 and for most of the fans domestic title is way more important than CL. For me also at least this season.

[lionsden 4,689]

Tactically the man is a dinosaur. what can one attribute his obsolete tactics to. His stubborness and unwillingess to learn and evolve or a lack of know how. Its a combination of both for me.

[killer1257 3,282]

Yes,he deserves criticism,but everyone makes mistakes.I remember when Guardiola draw against Chelsea 2012 when Chelsea had 10 men.He made the mistake to continue going forward and forward,but forgetting that one counter attack and Chelsea was back in the game.He underestimated us.

Hopefully Mou understands now that he has to play for the win when playing for the draw is too risky.

Furthermore,he needs to rethink his transfer philosophy because it was a mistake letting KDB leave,while Oscar could have been at PSG for maybe more money.KDB had always more potential than Oscar.

Also,buying always players like Schürrle,Salah and Cuadrado will not make us any better.We need one world class RW and then we will have much more threat against the other opponents.Hazard can´t play alone^^.

In general,english football needs to give youth players more chances because United brought players like Keane,Beckham,Scholes etc. from their academy when they used to be good,but always buying players from other countries,who maybe are not able to adapt to the style of the Pl is risky.

[Fernando 6,484]

He needs a proper winger and a midfielder. Oscar and cuardrado are jokes

Lol he bought Cuadradro and didn't even play him.....

[Fernando 6,484]

i made a mistake of quoting "mrblueguy" who supposedly thinks that klopp (relegation zone in bundesliga) and simeone who cant win an away game if his life depended on it.

like u said, we lost a game we should not have and he should be critisized (though i put the majority of blame on the players). but any nincompoop who asks for a league cup and 5 points top of the table with a game hand, manager to be sacked is not worth the time and effort.

Great point but your leaving something out.

Simeone Atletico and klopp budget ain't the same as Chelsea.

If you should be comparing us then it should be to City pellegrini as we are in the same category.

And in that view Mourinho will have achieved exactly the same thing pellegrini did last season.

Carling cup, Premier League and last 16...