The Mourinho Thread

[The only place to be 11,313]

Has anyone worked out what identity he's trying to build at Chelsea yet? Ignore his words about young players because that's mostly bollocks, but focus one what's appeared on the pitch. What style is he trying to build?

You look at the managers who are overachieving this season and it's the likes of Martinez and Pochettino, and even Rodgers who instil belief in their sides and play some fearless, distinctive football with a trust in young players. The more established managers like Mourinho and Moyes are underwhelming so far.

The form side has been Arsenal who have exemplified fearless, skilful football with an emphasis on young players for years and are seeing the fruits of that commitment paying off whereas we look lumbering and old.

[robsblubot 3,502]

Has anyone worked out what identity he's trying to build at Chelsea yet? Ignore his words about young players because that's mostly bollocks, but focus one what's appeared on the pitch. What style is he trying to build?

You look at the managers who are overachieving this season and it's the likes of Martinez and Pochettino, and even Rodgers who instil belief in their sides and play some fearless, distinctive football with a trust in young players. The more established managers like Mourinho and Moyes are underwhelming so far.

The form side has been Arsenal who have exemplified fearless, skilful football with an emphasis on young players for years and are seeing the fruits of that commitment paying off whereas we look lumbering and old.

yup absolutely right. Those sides also keep the football very well, something we haven't been able to do.

[Hutcho 8,443]

I think the whole "Build an identity thing" is mostly BS. Or in fact just complete BS.

The manager tries to win games with the players he has, and the good ones try and ensure that it can happen over a long period of time through youth development. It's not like Arsene has this year decided to play "fearless football". He has finally got a team which has many elements working for it. Has an exceptional midfielder with talent around him, and are benefitting from their consistency when everyone else is faultering.

Liverpool aren't doing better this year because of some instilled belief. But because they have an exceptional striker who is playing like he is the best in the world (on current form), and the manager comes into it by employing a system to utilise those players.

Mourinho just hasn't found that system yet, and i am 95% sure he doesn't know what our best team is yet. Got nothing to do with a supposed style or some instilled belief or idenity what so ever.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Let's hope Jose is actually looking for a CB, because only having the 3 is starting to show badly in the performances. He won't budge Brana from RB if his life depended on it and Kalas seems to be a 'break in case of emergency' back-up. I don't know about January though:

£10m French bad boy Zouma heads Mourinho's wanted list for January spree

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2520597/French-bad-boy-Kurt-Zouma-heads-Chelseas-wanted-list-January.html

I like this guy, but he's 19 and we all know what happens to players under a certain age at Chelsea...he could be Jose's new 'Varane project' though. And it's better than spending £35m on that Mangala; such money could be used towards a certain Axel Witsel...

He's also been inexplicably banned for 10 games for a challenge that was more misfortunate than anything else:

Would love Zouma.

[Jase 43,479]

Has anyone worked out what identity he's trying to build at Chelsea yet? Ignore his words about young players because that's mostly bollocks, but focus one what's appeared on the pitch. What style is he trying to build?

You look at the managers who are overachieving this season and it's the likes of Martinez and Pochettino, and even Rodgers who instil belief in their sides and play some fearless, distinctive football with a trust in young players. The more established managers like Mourinho and Moyes are underwhelming so far.

The form side has been Arsenal who have exemplified fearless, skilful football with an emphasis on young players for years and are seeing the fruits of that commitment paying off whereas we look lumbering and old.

This is not an attack on you or anything but seems like you have taken a complete opposite view of judging Mourinho all of a sudden.

[The only place to be 11,313]

This is not an attack on you or anything but seems like you have taken a complete opposite view of judging Mourinho all of a sudden.

The Lukaku comments bothered me and I'm severely underwhelmed with his performance so far. I still support him but each game raises more and more questions. I honestly don't know who this guy managing us is from what I see on the pitch. The only thing consistent is our inconsistency.

Would love Zouma.

Could be a good signing, but would he get in ahead of Distin? :eyebrows:

[Jase 43,479]

The Lukaku comments bothered me and I'm severely underwhelmed with his performance so far. I still support him but each game raises more and more questions. I honestly don't know who this guy managing us is from what I see on the pitch. The only thing consistent is our inconsistency.

I understand where you are coming from but it just seems strange that you get turned so easily when before you were quite adamant in defending him especially against those that questioned Mourinho. And the funny thing now is that, the doubts you are having on Mourinho now is rather similar to what others have had before and it was only like weeks ago.

[Las7 951]

What pisses me off when I watch Everton is how when they don't have Baines playing full back - their full backs rarely cross. Why - simple it's a higher probability if your fullback crosses that you would surrender possession especially when your only aerial threat is Lukaku - so the safer option is to play the ball out of the flank into either the center or towards the corner so you either win a set piece or keep possession as opposed to allowing the opposition to regain the ball and counter attack.

In the meantime every time Ivanovic gets the ball he attempts a cross - at who? We haven't even got a single aerial thread inside the box most of the time. We are a side that has players with great close control - Ivanovic/Cole/Cesar should never be attempting crosses if there are other options. The fact that it's December and Ivanovic is still doing the same idiotic cross time and time again seems to mean that this is something he is instructed to do(or not instructed not to do) and it just leads to us losing the ball.

[Bacika 188]

Of course, it will & easily. Think about it, added all up, come back on December 23rd, I will wait for you here.

No problem mate.. Let's hope you are right :-)

[The only place to be 11,313]

I understand where you are coming from but it just seems strange that you get turned so easily when before you were quite adamant in defending him especially against those that questioned Mourinho. And the funny thing now is that, the doubts you are having on Mourinho now is rather similar to what others have had before and it was only like weeks ago.

I still believe that Mourinho is the right guy for us and that we have to stick with him and give him total support, but I'll admit I'm concerned about the lack of consistency. It's not just him that I'm worried about, but everyone at the top of this club. I simply don't know what it is we're trying to do.

I firmly believed that we would use players like Lukaku, De Bruyne and Chalobah in an exciting new system but it's December and I'm still sometimes mystified as to what it is we're trying to do.

But I think it's the recent comments and the petulance that have raised my ire regarding Jose. The schoolyard bickering with Lukaku was pathetic and not what I want to see from any Chelsea manager. I still think he's the right man for us, but that's partly due to the fact that I don't know if there's anyone else out there who is better (and available).

[bushman 2,043]

No problem mate.. Let's hope you are right :-)

If I am correct, I will see you in Sarajevo for some brewskies.

[Bacika 188]

How many games we already lost in all competitions?

[bushman 2,043]

How many games we already lost in all competitions?

Too many.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Premier League: Jose Mourinho bemoans lack of Chelsea goals

"It is my squad," he said.

"For good and for bad, it is my squad. Of course, it is not the perfect squad.

"I try to improve my players. But it is one thing to improve a player who is 20-years-old, which you can. If you ask me, can I improve Eden Hazard? Yes I can.

"Can I improve a player who is 30-years-old? How?"

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/9065034/premier-league-jose-mourinho-bemoans-lack-of-chelsea-goals

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This is total bullshit. He had the summer to fix some of the problems being known.

He came back cause he wanted to give stability to the younger players. Those where his words, but so far he has gotten an F for that!

He understood that he made a mistake that he didn't buy a striker in the summer.

Maybe next Window

[AndersonBLUE 819]

He still has my 100% support along with the rest of the players. You either get behind them and enjoy football for what it is or mope and whine all season, which is all that's happened so far on this forum.

[The only place to be 11,313]

He still has my 100% support along with the rest of the players. You either get behind them and enjoy football for what it is or mope and whine all season, which is all that's happened so far on this forum.

Pretty well said.

He's made mistakes but I still don't want anyone else in charge of us....I'm just impatient to see something taking shape. He just needs to get that one midfielder and I think the team will find some consistency. Maybe we are missing Oscar more than I thought because we looked like two seperate parts on Saturday (defence and attack), something that happened far too often last season.

[Jase 43,479]

How many games we already lost in all competitions?

5 in 23 games in all competitions - Everton, Newcastle, Stoke and Basel (twice).

And you could probably point 2 of those losses being undeserved.

[quickpassnmove 924]

We will see by August-September of 2014 if Chelsea have become any more coherent.

My views are probably similar to many here: Bertrand should have played more already this season, Ivanovic not so much at right back.

I have no problem selling David Luiz for a good price then buying a couple solid CMs.... center back is less-important, but Zouma is actually a very good defender.

Some of the loans Chelsea did this season were dumb: Wallace at Inter Milan for example, Cuevas at Vitesse, perhaps.

But the biggest problems for me have been: 1) Lack of quality in center midfield MORE THAN 3 YEARS (didn't have depth behind Ballack before 3 years) and

2) Lack of playtime for young players while the more experienced players have failed under pressure or under fatigue.

Looking at center midfield, it is POOR JUDGMENT that has given Chelsea a choice of Ramires (our only quality CM), Lampard, Mikel, Essien while vanGinkel went down with an injury. So, in the summer window who at Chelsea Football Club ever discussed the plan for center midfield when Ramires is injured during the coming season? It has been perplexing that while Chelsea have spent so much money compared to other clubs in the U.K. and in Europe for years that CFC still have only Ramires as a standout center midfielder for the present and future. Every neutral fan in football with a good enough football I.Q. sees this AND they can see that Chelsea have no standout playmaker who passes from deep in midfield, nor a standout defending midfielder (regardless of Ramires' ratings or his effort); why does Chelsea not see it and how are Chelsea fans content with the situation (been going on for YEARS, not months)? At the very least, it would seem wise to try players like Loftus-Cheek in the first team under the current circumstances for this season (after vanGinkel was injured). For this reason alone (nevermind the defensive line problems for the moment), Chelsea do not deserve to be title contenders this season as an organization.