The Mourinho Thread

[didierforever 7,349]

Wasn't just talking about the two seasons under Mourinho but also the ones before that. When was the last time we actually look like a proper force in Europe? 2008/09?

fair enough, but i think our time is coming. in couple of years if we are able to keep all our players (especially hazard since CR would be 33 and RM would definitely come snooping around), i think we would be there there about with the likes of courtois, azpi, cesc, matic, hazard, costa all in their primes and peak of their careers. add a couple of "big names", and we ll definitely be there.

[ZOS 580]

What's also amazing is how some think we are also a million miles behind City before a ball is even kicked, just because they have spunked 49M on an un-proven English winger. This Chelsea side don't need mass overhauls like United, we need players that adapt and fit the system but at a price that is both sensible for the club and fits our direction and vision from a season that we lifted the PL title with ease.

Just for the record we are 15 days into the transfer window with Begovic and Falcao already done, so that trumps your 'Without signing anyone' statement straight away. If you want quick fire signings to satisfy your needs play FIFA or FM.

who said anything about an overhaul? I didn't.

what is your point anyway? it has only been 15 days .... all signings should make sense.. when did I say anything against all these?

what the fuck?

[Tomo 21,754]

I know it's hard to sign big-name players and there aren't many available right now but the signings that we have made and the ones that we'll be making (according to the latest rumour mill) are nothing more than just to consolidate our position. They don't really help us get to the next level, especially in Europe, where we have been found wanting, one way or another, in the past few seasons.

I don't think its so much big players that we need to improve in that regard but players that help the tactics. Last season CM was a problem in big games and imo the main reason for our passive tactics, Mikel-Matic gave us very little in the way of going forward, Matic-Cesc the opposition would target the latter's not so great defensive game, Rami with any combination we could never build any serious momentum due to the fact he has the football brain of an hyena. If Aranguiz is the player people say he is (and settles well) he will help a lot in big games.

[Jase 43,479]

I don't think its so much big players that we need to improve in that regard but players that help the tactics. Last season CM was a problem in big games and imo the main reason for our passive tactics, Mikel-Matic gave us very little in the way of going forward, Matic-Cesc the opposition would target the latter's not so great defensive game, Rami with any combination we could never build any serious momentum due to the fact he has the football brain of an hyena. If Aranguiz is the player people say he is (and settles well) he will help a lot in big games.

But that's an 'IF' though and it's only one player. Aranguiz might help us in the big game but will he add genuine quality to the squad and give us that bit of X-factor? I don't think so. Moreover, if you take the likes of Matic, Fabregas etc out of the starting XI, we suddenly look awfully short in that midfield area. We don't even have decent replacement for them in the squad.

[didierforever 7,349]

But that's an 'IF' though and it's only one player. Aranguiz might help us in the big game but will he add genuine quality to the squad and give us that bit of X-factor? I don't think so. Moreover, if you take the likes of Matic, Fabregas etc out of the starting XI, we suddenly look awfully short in that midfield area. We don't even have decent replacement for them in the squad.

if you take out iniesta and rakitic out of barca's mid, they look awfully short,

or if you take out modric and kroos out of RM's.

[Jase 43,479]

if you take out iniesta and rakitic out of barca's mid, they look awfully short,

or if you take out modric and kroos out of RM's.

That's their problem. Doesn't mean we need to accept what we have now and like I said, we don't even have ONE decent replacement for Matic/Fabregas. Didn't we moan about having Mikel and Ramires as the only back ups last season?

[Tomo 21,754]

But that's an 'IF' though and it's only one player. Aranguiz might help us in the big game but will he add genuine quality to the squad and give us that bit of X-factor? I don't think so. Moreover, if you take the likes of Matic, Fabregas etc out of the starting XI, we suddenly look awfully short in that midfield area. We don't even have decent replacement for them in the squad.

Of course it's an if, any player would be but it's good Jose is trying to do something about it, as good as Matic-Cesc has been for flat track bullying, there's a reason one of Rami/Mikel were always in the line up in the big game's. I'm only going from what I've heard but like I said Aranguiz seems like a decent middle ground between the two (Matic and Cesc) not as good as those two in what there good at but can do the things both are weak at better (especially defending in Cescs case).

[didierforever 7,349]

That's their problem. Doesn't mean we need to accept what we have now and like I said, we don't even have ONE decent replacement for Matic/Fabregas. Didn't we moan about having Mikel and Ramires as the only back ups last season?

honestly, i would love to have a vidal but rambo and mikel work. despite the shit thrown their way, it was them as a part of chelsea team that won the CL. it was they who played when we went to CL semis last to last season.

they are DECENT back ups. what they are not are perfect replacements/big names.

and if you take all the moaning into account done on this forum, then you would think that we probably are a relegation level team.

[Jase 43,479]

honestly, i would love to have a vidal but rambo and mikel work. despite the shit thrown their way, it was them as a part of chelsea team that won the CL. it was they who played when we went to CL semis last to last season.

they are DECENT back ups. what they are not are perfect replacements/big names.

That's the thing, they are just decent back-ups - Mikel is limited while Ramires blows hot and cold. They are not the players who will help take us to the next level.

And if you take Fabregas out, for instance, then where is the creativity in midfield going to come from? We all know our squad isn't exacly blessed with creative players.

and if you take all the moaning into account done on this forum, then you would think that we probably are a relegation level team.

No but some times, the moaning tells us something and in this case, people had good reasons to moan about it.

[didierforever 7,349]

That's the thing, they are just decent back-ups - Mikel is limited while Ramires blows hot and cold. They are not the players who will help take us to the next level.

And if you take Fabregas out, for instance, then where is the creativity in midfield going to come from? We all know our squad isn't exacly blessed with creative players.

No but some times, the moaning tells us something and in this case, people had good reasons to moan about it.

in 10-11 we had a mid of mikel-lamps-rambo. with 3 upfront of DD, anelka, and malouda/kalou. we were one match against united away from winning the PL. what they miss out in creativity, they make up in legs, stamina, stability. also, we have the likes of hazard and willian in the squad who can provide the spark of magic. one can hope that jose is right about oscar and him improving hazard-like proportions.

i am not denying what you are saying. our squad has its chinks in the armour. we have our limitations. but we also have players who can cover those limitations (and are proven in that area). i have no idea why we dint even try for bastian or are not even linked with vidal (all i can come up with is that jose actually expects big improvement from oscar and for him to be the difference of a marquee signing). but i dont think the situation is as bad as some people are making it out to be. if the window ends right now, and we have to go into the new season with the current squad, i think we would be right up there for PL and CL.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

in 10-11 we had a mid of mikel-lamps-rambo. with 3 upfront of DD, anelka, and malouda/kalou. we were one match against united away from winning the PL. what they miss out in creativity, they make up in legs, stamina, stability. also, we have the likes of hazard and willian in the squad who can provide the spark of magic. one can hope that jose is right about oscar and him improving hazard-like proportions.

i am not denying what you are saying. our squad has its chinks in the armour. we have our limitations. but we also have players who can cover those limitations (and are proven in that area). i have no idea why we dint even try for bastian or are not even linked with vidal (all i can come up with is that jose actually expects big improvement from oscar and for him to be the difference of a marquee signing). but i dont think the situation is as bad as some people are making it out to be. if the window ends right now, and we have to go into the new season with the current squad, i think we would be right up there for PL and CL.

10-11 was a bad season overall, that MU team was not that good anyway with Rooney sulking for the 1st part of it, they really had no world class player on form that season but relied on others like Nani and Chicharito. We with all our best players still there such as Malouda, Lampard, Cole, Terry...etc should be leading it but we bottled it from Oct-Jan and it was too late to savage at the end.

[Tomo 21,754]

10-11 was a bad season overall, that MU team was not that good anyway with Rooney sulking for the 1st part of it, they really had no world class player on form that season but relied on others like Nani and Chicharito. We with all our best players still there such as Malouda, Lampard, Cole, Terry...etc should be leading it but we bottled it from Oct-Jan and it was too late to savage at the end.

The problem was our squad as a whole stagnated big time, even in the double season there were some serious warning signs but the ending we had with one game a week covered that up, in 10-11 it was obvious from the start something was not right, even in the two early 6-0s we weren't as good as the scores suggested, West Brom outplayed us for most of the first half and against Wigan we were dreadful but just happened to score from every chance we created.

When it all came to a head vs Sunderland I wasn't shocked one bit, in fact it was only Cech that prevented the same thing happening against Wolves few weeks before that.

[Jase 43,479]

Jose Mourinho enters critical season at Chelsea

[Jase 43,479]

The problem was our squad as a whole stagnated big time, even in the double season there were some serious warning signs but the ending we had with one game a week covered that up, in 10-11 it was obvious from the start something was not right, even in the two early 6-0s we weren't as good as the scores suggested, West Brom outplayed us for most of the first half and against Wigan we were dreadful but just happened to score from every chance we created.

When it all came to a head vs Sunderland I wasn't shocked one bit, in fact it was only Cech that prevented the same thing happening against Wolves few weeks before that.

Losing to Hodgson's Liverpool was one of the worst experiences ever.

[Tomo 21,754]

Losing to Hodgson's Liverpool was one of the worst experiences ever.

The home game was ten times worse, Carlo got completely destroyed tactically by a man who just got back in the game after a decade.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,128]

The problem was our squad as a whole stagnated big time, even in the double season there were some serious warning signs but the ending we had with one game a week covered that up, in 10-11 it was obvious from the start something was not right, even in the two early 6-0s we weren't as good as the scores suggested, West Brom outplayed us for most of the first half and against Wigan we were dreadful but just happened to score from every chance we created.

When it all came to a head vs Sunderland I wasn't shocked one bit, in fact it was only Cech that prevented the same thing happening against Wolves few weeks before that.

Completely agree. I've often said that we were lucky to win The Double. We were ordinary in the first half of that term but we got out of trouble because, by an amazing coincidence, Drogba, Lampard, Malouda and even Kalou, all happened to hit the form of their lives at exactly the same time. It was never going to happen again. It couldn't.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

The home game was ten times worse, Carlo got completely destroyed tactically by a man who just got back in the game after a decade.

Tbh he basically played 532 or something like that and basically refused to get out of their own half. Torres had a really good chance in the 1st min I remember and we dominated possession but couldn't find a way through then they got that late goal. Nothing could be done differently, maybe if we had someone like Hazard at the time it would have been different but we were lacking a true creative mid during this period.

[Tomo 21,754]

Tbh he basically played 532 or something like that and basically refused to get out of their own half. Torres had a really good chance in the 1st min I remember and we dominated possession but couldn't find a way through then they got that late goal. Nothing could be done differently, maybe if we had someone like Hazard at the time it would have been different but we were lacking a true creative mid during this period.

He played 5-3-2 because we showed our hand at Sunderland with the diamond with Kalou 'playing' Torres, and when executed right 5-3-2 nullifies any formation that doesn't have any width. Im surprised more managers didnt try that vs us that season, we would have been in real shit if they did.

Also Torres shot in minute one wasn't really a chance half chance at best, the one that Carragher blocked half an hour in on the other hand............

[Tomo 21,754]

Completely agree. I've often said that we were lucky to win The Double. We were ordinary in the first half of that term but we got out of trouble because, by an amazing coincidence, Drogba, Lampard, Malouda and even Kalou, all happened to hit the form of their lives at exactly the same time. It was never going to happen again. It couldn't.

I thought we had a brilliant end and beginning but dodgy middle, what was quite annoying is whenever we had a chance to create some real distance with United we dropped points which was infuriating.

My massive gripe with Carlos spell is when we were winning by 3+ we played with urgency and intensity like we were losing with ten to go yet when we were actually losing or drawing we coasted like we were 5 up. Not saying the former was a bad thing but I would have swapped 7 goals for 4 if it meant we found the much needed goal when things were going bad or at least showed some intent and urgency to try and get it.

Do you remember the game vs Fulham away in 10/11? The amount of potential counters ruined by Lamps, Essien and whoever else was in midfield that night passing between themselves drove me up the wall.

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

If i had @Tomo's memory...wow.