The Mourinho Thread

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

I guess Emery would be an interesting choice but despite the Europa League success he's enjoyed, his defensive set-up leaves a lot to be desired IMO. And that's not good enough for the highest level. I know it's only one example but I think the goal De Bruyne scored against Sevilla in the last minute in the game at the Etihad sums it up well. A positive approach by Sevilla in trying to find the winner, you could argue, but I'd say it was incredibly amateur and naive. The less said about the game at the Sanchez-Pizjuan between the two sides, the better. Of course it's hard to criticise Emery given that he coaches attacking football and is afforded a very limited budget but for me, at least, it's clear that there are better alternatives.

No doubt I see those same errors too. I came away with the same thoughts after their away match at the Etihad, but like i mentioned earlier, all managers have their faults.

Pellegrino only coaches one side of the ball, and is incredibly naive when it comes to approaching European matches.

There aren't many managers who are pragmatic across Europe, or even at the other top clubs. Carlo, Pellers, Wenger, Pep, Luis Garcia, all die with their philosophy till the bitter end, and hope their players are better than yours on that given day and que sera sera. I'm personally not a fan of that approach, but a shift in ideology is definitely needed at Chelsea. And if it means witnessing more 3-3 draws, and 3-2 losses, than we are accustomed to witnessing as Chelsea fans, so be it. Too much attacking talent, is being wasted right now. A lot of our players technical ability is regressing. We need to give the expansive approach a proper go, (AVB's try was sabotaged and doesn't really count imo). A style of football that plays to the strengths of Hazard/Cesc and our tremendous talent in the youth ranks is needed.

Hiring a Sampaoli/Simeone type is not too different from the JM school of football. Obviously they have been more successful than the latter in recent years, and have been very effective in properly implementing their style, but the pragmatism is still very much there. And tbh, we will continue to be poor defensively until we properly revamp our defense. Azpi and Zouma are the only players capable of winning 1v1 duels on a consistent basis, which is needed for all great defenses. JT/Ivan/Cahill just do not cut it. That's the way I see it.

Who would be you ideal choice to succeed JM?

[Muzchap 8,966]

Man...

That moment when you called it and hoped you'd never be proven correct.

Yes, I have slated Mourinho and logically (to me) along with others (you know who you are ) analysed and pinpointed all of the weaknesses.

But seeing it unfold is just more horrible and painful than I care to experience

I think he has to go before Xmas, give another manager a Jan window (maybe to call back some players out on loan)

We could conceivably fail to finish in the top half of the league.

Just abysmal.

[quickpassnmove 924]

No doubt I see those same errors too. I came away with the same thoughts after their away match at the Etihad, but like i mentioned earlier, all managers have their faults.

Pellegrino only coaches one side of the ball, and is incredibly naive when it comes to approaching European matches.

There aren't many managers who are pragmatic across Europe, or even at the other top clubs. Carlo, Pellers, Wenger, Pep, Luis Garcia, all die with their philosophy till the bitter end, and hope their players are better than yours on that given day and que sera sera. I'm personally not a fan of that approach, but a shift in ideology is definitely needed at Chelsea. And if it means witnessing more 3-3 draws, and 3-2 losses, than we are accustomed to witnessing as Chelsea fans, so be it. Too much attacking talent, is being wasted right now. A lot of our players technical ability is regressing. We need to give the expansive approach a proper go, (AVB's try was sabotaged and doesn't really count imo). A style of football that plays to the strengths of Hazard/Cesc and our tremendous talent in the youth ranks is needed.

Hiring a Sampaoli/Simeone type is not too different from the JM school of football. Obviously they have been more successful than the latter in recent years, and have been very effective in properly implementing their style, but the pragmatism is still very much there. And tbh, we will continue to be poor defensively until we properly revamp our defense. Azpi and Zouma are the only players capable of winning 1v1 duels on a consistent basis, which is needed for all great defenses. JT/Ivan/Cahill just do not cut it. That's the way I see it.

Who would be you ideal choice to succeed JM?

yeah: wasting attacking talent. the talent we didn't really have when Drogba was still young enough.

The lineup today with a better RB, another CB, a different CM WITH a different manager WOULD DO WELL RIGHT NOW --but, Costa is questionable until we see him under a different manager. I still think he's weak and a terrible liability for his behavior though.

dunno who the manager should be. I've been watching less and less football in the past few years. My thought is take someone the age of Bournemouth's manager (the AVB age).

[bababoom 4,478]

The same old turgid football week in week out for almost a year now.. appalling, not to mention the negative energy Jose brings and his reluctance to bring youth through. In an ideal world we all would like some stability, but Ferguson was an anomaly, it's unheard of especially in the modern era. Bayern, Real, City, Barca all manage to win stuff while frequently replacing managers. My main gripe now is that we may lose our most talented youth prospects because of Jose and his reluctance to play them even though our senior squad have been utter trash since the start of the season. Jose is a short term manager, he creates a siege mentality that only last for a season or two, doesn't rotate and plays ultra defensive football. This works for a while but the players end up getting fatigued and fed up with his small time tactics. Just for the record i was one of Jose' biggest supporters on this forum, it saddens me to say this but enough's enough.

[didierforever 7,349]

The midfield isn't up for it, neither is the defense, imo.

Since the season has started, the defense is a bit higher up the pitch, didn't work out so well.

Willian is playing great stuff, but his style of play often slows us down, Hazard is a similar case.

Pedro is a luxury player, meaning, he needs the passes, but no one is able to send him on his way.

Yes, we can't buy 3 three points only because of his achievements made in the past, that's true.

Do we really have no performance-orientated society in the squad?

Why did he drop some players in the recent months?

I can agree that we could use more players, but some competition is there.

Yes, i think you will come out swinging and point the finger at Ivanovic.

Would Zouma been the better choice? Baba wasn't match fit, at least Mourinho said that, can't find out, but i believe him.

We need to take a look at the bigger picture; some players are important, not just because the way they are currently playing, but rather they offer different things to the team. They help others out and have great character within the team.

Why do you think Van Gaal doesn't drop Rooney? Because there is more than some performances,

Neville didn't mention it in his analyses, it's always been about tactic and mistakes,

we'll see how he handles the situation in Sevilla.

Personally speaking, i would have dropped Ivanovic a bit earlier, but Mourinho knows his stuff, imo.

Everyone wants the best for the club and team, sometimes disagreements have to happen in the family.

Once again there is a rift between the fans, at least in the stadium it's not that hostile.

midfield is not upto it cos we have 2 players playing who cant pass the ball, defence has been exposed and attack is non-existent. so what exactly is jose doing? its been 3 months. 3 months of relegation form.

sorry, but these are nothing but excuses. and bad ones at that.

how can baba be match fit when we dont give him the time. also, i remember that baba played on the weekend that we lost to city. hardly an excuse.

and seriously, trying to defend one wrong with another wrong. why does not LVG drop rooney. well, because he earns 300kpw. no other reason.

does jose know his stuff? what was the master stroke behind plaing cesc, oscar and iva AGAIN. is azpi now match unfit? that he just dropped our best defender.

also, please tell me what cesc brings to the team or oscar or iva. where is the promise that if we keep losing he will play the kids. where is the promise that RLC is ready and would get starts. all bloody words with nothing to back up from jose.

i normally really like your posts, and i still respect your opinion. but from the team selection, to the tactics to everything has been absolutely shit. you need to stop defending the indefensible.

in a family, the head of the family should not show undue favouritism to some people. he should make some family members sleep out in the cold (RLC, remy, azpi) while having some of the worst behaved members take all the money and do whatever they like with it.

[Blue Armour 4,448]

Shows how not getting the right CM in the summer is costing us big time.

For a couple of matches there was a mini resurgence, with Fabregas and Matic some resemblance of form.

Then when we play teams like Tottenham and Bournemouth that press...Fabregas disappears.

Also, dropping Costa for a match to send him a message is one thing, but opting to leave the only other recognized striker in Remy on the bench for this match is another.

[Lapo Blues 21]

I lost words on Jose.

But what's the solution for now on?

Sack him? Is that a solution or just panic reaction?

[scargo 75]

Please sack.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Sack him? Is that a solution or just panic reaction?

We have 15 points in 15 games. We haven't looked like a quality team in about a year. This, if anything, is overcompensation for sacking a few managers too early. RDM got fired when we were four points out of first after the winning the CL and the reason he was fired was that we didn't build a unique offensive style. Ancelotti was fired after coming in second and neither RDM or Ancelott had the same ability to choose their squads and build them in their images. How do you do that and then let Mourinho manage the team into almost the relegation zone halfway through the season?

[Fulham Broadway 17,333]

Shows how not getting the right CM in the summer is costing us big time.

For a couple of matches there was a mini resurgence, with Fabregas and Matic some resemblance of form.

Then when we play teams like Tottenham and Bournemouth that press...Fabregas disappears.

Also, dropping Costa for a match to send him a message is one thing, but opting to leave the only other recognized striker in Remy on the bench for this match is another.

Spot on BA. How we miss a Lampard, Makalele, Ballack, Essien...even Tiago. There was one break yesterday when Remy held the ball up, there were quickly six Bournemouth players in the penalty area , and a space opened up in front -100% Lampard territory.

We are paying the price for a hesitant, ponderous Summer transfer farce.

[lucio 5,418]

Spot on BA. How we miss a Lampard, Makalele, Ballack, Essien...even Tiago. There was one break yesterday when Remy held the ball up, there were quickly six Bournemouth players in the penalty area , and a space opened up in front -100% Lampard territory.

We are paying the price for a hesitant, ponderous Summer transfer farce.

the summer wasnt great, but it's effectively the same squad + a "top" player in pedro, and 2 promising youngsters. So i don't think it explains the drop from 1st to 15th.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I can't find the post where I said I'd give him until the New Year to sort it out... but at this rate we'll be in the Europa League by Thursday morning, out of the FA Cup in round three, and in a relegation dogfight. He's done nothing to change the set-up. We've had a few wins against piss-poor opposition down to strokes of good fortune or brilliance, but tactically, we're the same predictable team we've been for two years. You can overlook poor football when we're overpowering teams and winning games, but you can't when you're failing to create clear-cut chances. How many clear cut chances have we had in the last few games? None. Unacceptable.

I know there's no-one more qualified we can bring in, but he's too stubborn to change it, and while mongs like Fabregas and Oscar get free rides, we're not going to win another game between now and the end of the month.

[Iggy Doonican 4,186]

If we get a positive result against Porto which lets face it is pretty unlikely on current form then what?. Because if we get drawn against R. Madrid, B.Munich, Barcelona, P.S.G and for that matter Man City we are going to be on the end of a serious caning. We basically on current form are the equivalent of facing Maccabi Tel Aviv.

[Fulham Broadway 17,333]

the summer wasnt great, but it's effectively the same squad + a "top" player in pedro, and 2 promising youngsters. So i don't think it explains the drop from 1st to 15th.

Its obvious quite a few are not hungry, and some dont give a fuck. Fabregas joined us to win the PL and hes done that. I can see why Jose seemingly blindly plays him though. He about the only one that can thread the eye of the needle, as he did so many times last season, but now can rarely be arsed.

Most now are not up for the fight, let alone realise its ultimately about sticking the ball in the onion bag.

Baba must be Emanalos nephew or something, Ramires is lungs on legs, Mikel one dimensional with imagination of a brick, Oscar is a hologram...good squad players only

Imo the only ones worthy atm are Tibo, Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Azpi and Zouma.

Maria and the board need to realise this Summer or January, that the parent clubs of prospective acquisitions are fully aware that the Russian is a multi -billionaire and as such will demand silly Man City/Chelsea money. So if there are people the 250+scouts have earmarked then dont fuck about.

[Miki-Liki 405]

Not surprising, after our disgraceful approach against Tottenham, it should've been obvious to everyone that he would never change, and that he had no future here in the long run.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

I don't even care about the league season at this point as long as we don't get relegated. String a run in the CL together and I'll live.

[Reddish-Blue 2,510]

Scolari wanted Drogba gone? One quick talk from Didier with Abra, gone!

Avb trusted Lukaku instead of Drogba against United, furthermore no mate with Lampard? Gone!

Benitez thought Terry's legs were gone? It didn't take long, gone.

Personally i think if Mourinho is getting the sack, we will go back to the good ol' days, meaning,

zero stability and more and more moaning.

That’s just my two cents worth.

Yeah, let's forget about the good old days, you know, when our team actually understood the meaning of "scoring goals" and "having fun"

Let's forget that zero stability gave us the Champions League trophy.

[Polo7 3,496]

Has he been sacked yet?

[Reddish-Blue 2,510]

Its obvious quite a few are not hungry, and some dont give a fuck. Fabregas joined us to win the PL and hes done that. I can see why Jose seemingly blindly plays him though. He about the only one that can thread the eye of the needle, as he did so many times last season, but now can rarely be arsed.

Most now are not up for the fight, let alone realise its ultimately about sticking the ball in the onion bag.

Baba must be Emanalos nephew or something, Ramires is lungs on legs, Mikel one dimensional with imagination of a brick, Oscar is a hologram...good squad players only

Imo the only ones worthy atm are Tibo, Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Azpi and Zouma.

Maria and the board need to realise this Summer or January, that the parent clubs of prospective acquisitions are fully aware that the Russian is a multi -billionaire and as such will demand silly Man City/Chelsea money. So if there are people the 250+scouts have earmarked then dont fuck about.

Two or three underperforming players is acceptable as generally the rest of the team picks up the slack and grinds out the victories/draws but when 7 or 8 players in your starting XI don't give a shit about the team or the result, it points to problems in the dressing room

All those rumors of a mole in the dressing room, problems between players and the manager..

As they say: where there's smoke, there's fire

[Fulham Broadway 17,333]

Two or three underperforming players is acceptable as generally the rest of the team picks up the slack and grinds out the victories/draws but when 7 or 8 players in your starting XI don't give a shit about the team or the result, it points to problems in the dressing room

All those rumors of a mole in the dressing room, problems between players and the manager..

As they say: where there's smoke, there's fire

True, theres so many permutations where it could have gone wrong. Yesterday, and much of this season though one thing was missing for one reason or another-someone goal hungry, a recognised striker. Its fine the neat possession round the box but ultimately you want a clinical finisher. Two would be good.