The Mourinho Thread

[zolayes 14,489]

Totally agee with that...despite all their qualities, individual brilliance and hardwork the attacking midfielders fail to provide key passes to release forwards....

In fact how many times have we seen our forwards being put through on goal? The last time I remember seeing that was when Torres scored a brace in the CL group stage, and during a counter attack.

The problem is because we don't have a forward that is compatible with our possession based play which what we employ against majority of the teams we play against in the league.

We need a true CENTRE-FORWARD and not just a striker.

sadly .. we won't get Suarez

[Jase 43,479]

Of course, Stamford Bridge is a funeral compare to the Türk Telekom Arena

Never mind the support at the Turk Telekom Arena, there is already a huge difference in the atmosphere and noise created by us fans that travel to away games and those attending the home ones. Don't even think a 50% of that is replicated at the Bridge.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

I saw torres through on goal 3 times. He scored one, the keeper saved one, and he should have squared shurrle for a tap in.

[Jase 43,479]

Eto'o and Ba shrug off Mourinho comments about Chelsea strikers

[Jase 43,479]

Mourinho: "Other teams have 3 chances, score 3. We have 5, score 1, that's not a critique of the strikers but it's the profile of the team we have".

I don't really agree. Teams very rarely have such high conversion rates and in fact, if you were to look at the conversion rate of the best strikers in the world (plus Messi and Ronaldo) I don't think any of them have a conversion rate of above 30%. The reason they score so many is because they have so many chances; for example Ronaldo had a rate of 20% against Schalke tonight but still ended up scoring twice.

Never mind the conversion rate statistics, the bigger point here would be we need to be a lot more clinical in front of goal. Other teams only need like 1-3 chances to get a goal while we could need up to 10 just to score 1.

Many Chelsea fans believe that we will buy a clinical striker who will score one given one opportunity which really isn't going to be the case. We have to create more and I believe the blame is too quickly attributed to the strikers, who we know are pretty wasteful, but the whole getting-angry-at-the-strikers when they don't score at every opportunity is unfair. The midfield really needs to be supplying more but we have no AM that can pick out a defence-splitting pass which is quite remarkable really. I believe Mata and De Bruyne (first game against Hull to Oscar being a good example) were the best out of the 6 in doing so but they're both now gone for being poorer in other aspects.

Don't necessarily agree that our AMs need to supply more chances to our STs. Considering we are a team with AMs that score goals themselves, the ST upfront also needs to be comfortable in creating for others (hence why a poacher would be a disaster in this team's setup). Another issue is that there is not enough people making runs off the ball and get behind the opposition's defence. The likes of Willian, Oscar, Hazard etc all want to get on the ball and they are not making enough penetrative runs to receive through balls and score. Even when they do on the rare occasions, they over-elaborate things in the final third. If anything, it's only our STs who do that but even then, they are a bit meh. There is no point in supplying more through balls if nobody is making the runs. Only Schurrle (and maybe Salah) out of the attacking players we have can make runs behind the defence and give us something different in the attacking third. Otherwise, all the play is in front of the opposition's defence. Don't think we have cut through teams this season on a consistent basis.

[Benches not the shed 77]

See what I meant? How can anyone think those comments were sensible?

And can people stop claiming all Africans are lying about their age? It's borderline racist.

Borderline racist?

People like you are the problem with racism nowadays, referring to everything as racism.

Fuck sake, what a load of bollocks.

[Alan Partridge 1,124]

Racist? Haha

[The Chels 2,502]

Another issue is that there is not enough people making runs off the ball and get behind the opposition's defence. The likes of Willian, Oscar, Hazard etc all want to get on the ball and they are not making enough penetrative runs to receive through balls and score. Even when they do on the rare occasions, they over-elaborate things in the final third. If anything, it's only our STs who do that but even then, they are a bit meh. There is no point in supplying more through balls if nobody is making the runs. Only Schurrle (and maybe Salah) out of the attacking players we can make runs behind the defence and give us something different in the attacking third. Otherwise, all the play is in front of the opposition's defence. Don't think we have cut through teams this season on a consistent basis.

You make a very good point and I agree with you that the trio behind the strikers are generally far too static. The good thing is that Mourinho recognises this though and so you'd expect that there will be improvement sooner or later. In yesterday's post-match conference he said: "We create but when we arrive in the final third of the pitch, the correct pass and right movement is something we don't have".

[The only place to be 11,313]

See what I meant? How can anyone think those comments were sensible?

And can people stop claiming all Africans are lying about their age? It's borderline racist.

My friend endorses this statement

[Jase 43,479]

You make a very good point and I agree with you that the trio behind the strikers are generally far too static. The good thing is that Mourinho recognises this though and so you'd expect that there will be improvement sooner or later. In yesterday's post-match conference he said: "We create but when we arrive in the final third of the pitch, the correct pass and right movement is something we don't have".

I seriously hope it's sooner rather than later because the improvement, if there has been any (this problem has been apparent all season long), hasn't been that obvious at the moment.

[robsblubot 3,595]

My friend endorses this statement

lol

the fact African nations dominate in U21/U23 competitions and basically don't exist at senior levels also suggests it is something frequently done.

This has nothing to do with racism, but environment. Speaking with a colleague of mine here, who's originally from India, it all boils down to whether birth records are well kept or not. Because if they are not, then it's really up to the ppl to say when they were born. And we know people never lie for money...

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

I seriously hope it's sooner rather than later because the improvement, if there has been any (this problem has been apparent all season long), hasn't been that obvious at the moment.

There definitely has been an improvement and was obvious in previous games but not lately. It's because they don't do this on instinct, hence the inconsistency. They have to be asked to make those runs but don't always see them. Hazard's off the ball movement this year has been 10 times better than previous years. Willian also makes great supporting runs so I don't think it's too bad of an issue, I just think they are all a little off form.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

Borderline racist?

People like you are the problem with racism nowadays, referring to everything as racism.

Fuck sake, what a load of bollocks.

Claiming all Africans lie about their age is borderline racist. I've seen it applied to Mikel and even Lukaku (who was actually born in Antwerp) on here.

Educate yourself before grouping all Africans with a few age cheats. Not all Africans come from poverty backgrounds.

It isn't all lions and jungles there believe it or not.

[Blue Armour 4,759]

sadly .. we won't get Suarez

True,,,...good CF's are in short supply or already have sealed deals with other clubs..

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

The number of African players that lie about their age is very, very few. Age cheating is very much a thing of the past. Players that come through the youth ranks at international level are required to take MRI scans. What Mourinho had to say about Eto'o (which was hilarious btw, and harmless) is irrelevant to that conversation.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

4 goals conceded in 15 games. We haven't looked this impenetrable since he left us. Tactical mastermind.

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

My friend endorses this statement

FFS the nerve of this guy to claim he's 17 when he looks like Eusébio.

[The Skipper 20,609]

The problem is because we don't have a forward that is compatible with our possession based play

People need to stop thinking this is the case & start realising that right now, we aren't a possession based side.

[Benches not the shed 77]

The number of African players that lie about their age is very, very few. Age cheating is very much a thing of the past. Players that come through the youth ranks at international level are required to take MRI scans. What Mourinho had to say about Eto'o (which was hilarious btw, and harmless) is irrelevant to that conversation.

You know that as fact do you??

I watch academy football week in week out, trust me it is not a thing of the past at this level....

There are some monster kids playing in age groups that they claim to be part of, it gets less noticible in the higher age groups as they don't stand out as much as the kids get older, because the strength and pace catches up on them.

Unfortunately, a lot of this stems from when these predominantly African people arrive here, and lie about their children's age.... Either for financial gain on benefits or to benefit their children with a longer education.

I know of a reasonably high profile young player in the premier leagues ho is about 4 years older than is on his passport. This news hasn't broken yet, but will one day. I have that information from someone very close to him. If I were a grass, I'd go to the papers myself, but seeing as I'm not,I won't.

[Benches not the shed 77]

Claiming all Africans lie about their age is borderline racist. I've seen it applied to Mikel and even Lukaku (who was actually born in Antwerp) on here.

Educate yourself before grouping all Africans with a few age cheats. Not all Africans come from poverty backgrounds.

It isn't all lions and jungles there believe it or not.

Nobody said ALL.

A Job I had years ago, I was in charge of about 120 African drivers, not lions, humans... None of these wore loin cloths or travelled by rope from tree to tree... Which surprised me.

Half of these drivers birthdate was 31/12 or 1/1 or 25/12.... Why????? Cos when you tell porkies you need a date to remember easily.