The Mourinho Thread

[BlueLyon 9,359]

I just wish he would make our attack more efficient. Show our players how to play as team, how to create and score by following certain patern.

Lack of striker is big problem, but Oscar, Willian, Schurrle,...are here to play and yet they dont realy impress.

There are many factors for bad attacking like lack of striker, no support from fullbacks (width), no support from DLP etc, but finishing and decision making of Oscar, Schurrle, Willian,...actualy whole team is realy average. We defend like a team, but we dont attack like one. Today, we couldnt make three straight passes in attack, because we lack plan, patern or sth...

I hope Mou will make us counter attacking team based on Chelsea from 2009/10 or Borussia. But for that, you need realy complete team, great understanding, no selfish players, intelligent players who can play fast and efficient football with lots of one-two passes or long crosses. And most importantly, you need DEADLY ATTACKERS WHO SCORE EVERY CHANCE GIVEN. Anelka, Drogba, Malouda, Lamps, even Essien, Ballack, Cole could score stunners. I remember Smeltzer scoring that goal vs Real last season. Goal from full back. You dont see that in Chelsea. Azpi scoring such goal? Even attackers like Willian or Oscar cant finish. They have great workrate, thats why we re good in defense, but lack efficiency in attack. Next year we will improve; but for counterfootball, you need 3/4 attackers who can naturaly score goals when chance given. Oscar or Willian arent that. Hazard is still learning. Midifeld has no players who can score goals, we need CM who can take shots aswell.

[Tomo 21,754]

Mourinho wanted the 0-0 and we got it. Decent result, but an away goal would've been worth a 2-1 defeat. This stat doesn't transpire much confidence should Atletico score:

@RichJolly 1h

Chelsea's CL semi-final scores under Mourinho: 0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-1, 0-0. 1 goal scored in 480 minutes (inc extra time).

Why? A 2-1 win will send us through now it would have meant extra time if we lost 2-1, furthermore a 0-0 will get us extra time where as a 2-1 loss tonight would have meant that score sent us out.

[nofacej 132]

0-0 is definitely better than losing 2-1. Would have preferred a 1-1 though. As it stands the tie is very even. We have the home advantage, but that is somewhat negated by the away goal rule.

I'm not too concerned about the players we'll be missing for the second leg. Ivanovic can sub in for Terry at CB, leaving Luiz and Ramires to play in the middle and Cole and Azpi as FBs. I also think Schwarzer is more than up to the task of replacing Cech in goal. The man has nerves of steel and has proven himself for club and country in the past. We couldn't ask for a better second choice keeper.

I am a little concerned by Mourinho's attitude of late. It would be hugely disappointing if he wasn't at the club next season, but in all truthfulness I think he'd be crazy to leave. He'd have to give up CL football to go to United and their team is in disarray at the moment. Other than United there are no real alternatives. The club has supported Mourinho every step of the way this season from what we can see. Mata and De Brunye were both sold because of his preferences and the club were quick to sign replacements that fit the style he wants to play. Of course we can't know what goes on behind the scenes, but the way the fans sing his name has got to make him feel good.

[Henrique 9,133]

Seems to be venting about everything that pisses him off recently. In this interview he appeared angry at the FA's reluctance to move fixtures to support teams in the CL, and also at Chelsea's hierarchy, which might suggest things are already going awry between him and the board? Interesting quotes but difficult to infer from them.

I think he would put the weakest team as possible, not only to preserve the players for the second leg, but as protest against FA.

Hilario; Ake, Kalas, Ivanovic; Mikel, Matic, Van Ginkel, Ashley Cole; Oscar, Schurle, Salah; Torres.

[Strike 7,853]

Masterclass from Jose again! great result!

masterclass? nope!

great defensive performance but absolutely no plan or clue going forward

[Blue Gino 377]

If true, I'm disappointed in Jose to show a lack of faith in his players and insulting traveling supporters by supposedly going to Anfield with a "weaker" team to prioritize Europe when in that 1st leg he shows a lack of faith in his team by refusing to fight Atletico and just sit back as if they suddenly can flip a switch and get goals against one of the best goal keepers on the planet? Fuck Liverpool and make them work for that crown Jose.

[Strike 7,853]

this is a wake up call really. 2 years from 2012. over 150 million spent on players and still resorting to park the bus tactics. needs to change that soon imo. not that i condemn chelsea for playing it yesterday, 0-0 is a decent result away from home given injuries etc but approach needs to change soon

[Henrique 9,133]

About Mourinho interviews: I realized a while ago that it seems only british press and the majority of Chelsea's fans still take it serious.

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

this is a wake up call really. 2 years from 2012. over 150 million spent on players and still resorting to park the bus tactics. needs to change that soon imo. not that i condemn chelsea for playing it yesterday, 0-0 is a decent result away from home given injuries etc but approach needs to change soon

Word, even i was suprised to us resort to THAT infamous tactic again.

But i dont think we will see that type of football untill we have a solid striking core, and another CM to complement Matic. But i agree, would really like to see us take that next step and really have confidence that we can pass our way to victory at times and not always resort to Countering and/or the Bus.

Been a while since we seen a Chelsea side really boss a top team, (in terms of possesion) i mean besides PSG i can't really think of one. But i'll give it till after the summer to see who we sign. We have a lot of stop-gap players, time to take that final step and build a new core. A more technical core at that also.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Why is this thread still open?

HE'S THE BEST! LOCK THIS SHIT UP ALREADY!

[kellzfresh 7,229]

I just wish he would make our attack more efficient. Show our players how to play as team, how to create and score by following certain patern.

Lack of striker is big problem, but Oscar, Willian, Schurrle,...are here to play and yet they dont realy impress.

There are many factors for bad attacking like lack of striker, no support from fullbacks (width), no support from DLP etc, but finishing and decision making of Oscar, Schurrle, Willian,...actualy whole team is realy average. We defend like a team, but we dont attack like one. Today, we couldnt make three straight passes in attack, because we lack plan, patern or sth...

I hope Mou will make us counter attacking team based on Chelsea from 2009/10 or Borussia. But for that, you need realy complete team, great understanding, no selfish players, intelligent players who can play fast and efficient football with lots of one-two passes or long crosses. And most importantly, you need DEADLY ATTACKERS WHO SCORE EVERY CHANCE GIVEN. Anelka, Drogba, Malouda, Lamps, even Essien, Ballack, Cole could score stunners. I remember Smeltzer scoring that goal vs Real last season. Goal from full back. You dont see that in Chelsea. Azpi scoring such goal? Even attackers like Willian or Oscar cant finish. They have great workrate, thats why we re good in defense, but lack efficiency in attack. Next year we will improve; but for counterfootball, you need 3/4 attackers who can naturaly score goals when chance given. Oscar or Willian arent that. Hazard is still learning. Midifeld has no players who can score goals, we need CM who can take shots aswell.

We will improve next season. I just wish he had already started the process this season so that it'll be easier for him.

Like for example, yesterday we could have also used a tactics that spain use which is to hold the ball without attacking much and still keeping shape defensively. That way, there will be no pressure on us and we can have more dimensions to our game instead of being one dimensional. But sometimes we can't string 5 passes together and its beginning to look funny.

If by next season we get our striker, mourinho then focuses on our attack around him like he focused on our defence this season, we could see madrid 2012 style for us. But we should have started training/practicing on it this season to make progress faster.

Your right about all our attackers bar hazard not being able to produce anything special on their own and still end up missing sitters once in a while. Its a problem but I hope it has more to do with adaptation and not ability.

[DanAdibi! 106]

Got this off twitter: "Mourinho is entitled to play like that to reach finals; neutrals are entitled to jeer; more ambitious teams than Atletico must find a way through. Simple."

The fact is most managers are not tactically good enough to set up their team to go away and get draws on demand like we've done today, At Arsenal and at Man United. It was ugly but brilliant. A goalless draw is still dangerous, but even with suspensions and injuries, I will think we are favourites in the 2nd leg.

So, I'm guessing Ivanovic plays at CB, with Ramires and Luiz in the pivot with Eden, Eto'o Schurrle and Oscar to come in for the 2nd leg then we will show our power.

Don't be down-trodden by the rival fans who will surely mock our performance as they watch to be entertained while we watch to see CFC win football matches and trophies. Beautiful football is irrelevant in such games. The onus was on Atletico to break us and they failed to do so

Best reaction I've made on the game. Very well said.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

masterclass? nope!

great defensive performance but absolutely no plan or clue going forward

LOL! it was a complete masterclass from Jose again! he put Atletico out of their comfort zone and forced them to play a style they are not comfortable with! he set us up to invite Atletico onto us, they are not a team who like to dominate possession and try to break a team down, its not their strength at all! he made sure they couldn't take a lead with them into the 2nd leg!

Excellent from Jose again!

[blu35_army 551]

I just wish he would make our attack more efficient. Show our players how to play as team, how to create and score by following certain patern.

Lack of striker is big problem, but Oscar, Willian, Schurrle,...are here to play and yet they dont realy impress.

There are many factors for bad attacking like lack of striker, no support from fullbacks (width), no support from DLP etc, but finishing and decision making of Oscar, Schurrle, Willian,...actualy whole team is realy average. We defend like a team, but we dont attack like one. Today, we couldnt make three straight passes in attack, because we lack plan, patern or sth...

I hope Mou will make us counter attacking team based on Chelsea from 2009/10 or Borussia. But for that, you need realy complete team, great understanding, no selfish players, intelligent players who can play fast and efficient football with lots of one-two passes or long crosses. And most importantly, you need DEADLY ATTACKERS WHO SCORE EVERY CHANCE GIVEN. Anelka, Drogba, Malouda, Lamps, even Essien, Ballack, Cole could score stunners. I remember Smeltzer scoring that goal vs Real last season. Goal from full back. You dont see that in Chelsea. Azpi scoring such goal? Even attackers like Willian or Oscar cant finish. They have great workrate, thats why we re good in defense, but lack efficiency in attack. Next year we will improve; but for counterfootball, you need 3/4 attackers who can naturaly score goals when chance given. Oscar or Willian arent that. Hazard is still learning. Midifeld has no players who can score goals, we need CM who can take shots aswell.

maybe Vidal, Rodriguez and Cavani could be the answer,,100 million pounds for the 3-4 years ahead. such a good investment...

[The only place to be 11,313]

this is a wake up call really. 2 years from 2012. over 150 million spent on players and still resorting to park the bus tactics. needs to change that soon imo. not that i condemn chelsea for playing it yesterday, 0-0 is a decent result away from home given injuries etc but approach needs to change soon

Or what? It needs to change or you'll throw your toys out of the pram and support Liverpool?

Please.

No Hazard. No Matic. No striker. No first-choice left-back. Having to play Mikel in midfield.

Keeper gets injured. Captain and defensive rock gets injured.

Yet we come out of the first leg probably with the advantage going back to the Bridge. People like you expect him to work miracles and change the squad overnight yet ignore the miraculous result right in front of your fucking eyes.

He just put out a team that includes a left-back who is unfortunately past his best and doesn't play anymore. A midfielder who is actually a defender by trade. A striker who is the biggest flop in this club's history. Another midfielder who was replaced in the January window by a much better player and a 35 year old Frank Lampard. Oh, and this was all against the team top of La Liga.

This isn't Jose's team yet. It's still got the remnants of a dozen fucked up transfer windows stretching back to 2006 running through it but it's getting there.

[Beepu 1,714]

Or what? It needs to change or you'll throw your toys out of the pram and support Liverpool?

Please.

No Hazard. No Matic. No striker. No first-choice left-back. Having to play Mikel in midfield.

Keeper gets injured. Captain and defensive rock gets injured.

Yet we come out of the first leg probably with the advantage going back to the Bridge. People like you expect him to work miracles and change the squad overnight yet ignore the miraculous result right in front of your fucking eyes.

He just put out a team that includes a left-back who is unfortunately past his best and doesn't play anymore. A midfielder who is actually a defender by trade. A striker who is the biggest flop in this club's history. Another midfielder who was replaced in the January window by a much better player and a 35 year old Frank Lampard. Oh, and this was all against the team top of La Liga.

This isn't Jose's team yet. It's still got the remnants of a dozen fucked up transfer windows stretching back to 2006 running through it but it's getting there.

If I ever come to england, I will give you a pat in the back. People easily forget that this team is not the finished article and somehow we still made it this far. Other teams should start worrying of what we could become in the very near future I think, if everything goes right that is.

[The only place to be 11,313]

The other point is that if he wants to field a weakened team then he needs the full backing of everyone above him, from Emenalo right up to Roman. That's clearly what he was getting at after the match yesterday and I think it's one of those moment of truth times where he needs to be trusted to do things the way he wants.

Whatever happens on Sunday, it was the results at Villa, Palace and home to Sunderland which have seen us lose the league. We're one game away from a CL Final and it's all in our hands.

[Jase 43,479]

Interesting post match comments from Mourinho. Basically said he'll field a B-team unless Roman overrules it and then went on about how he's only the manager and nothing more. I don't know. Something unsettling about those comments. Hope there aren't any internal problems.

But don't you think his comments - "I'm not the most important person at the club. I do what the club decides" - particularly in the angry mood he's been in has a lot more to it than what you're saying?

Don't think what Mourinho said there is anything dodgy or has wrong with it, unless you take it out of context. He said what he said because he's furious that we have to play Liverpool on Sunday and not Saturday or even Friday when our 2nd leg is next Wednesday.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/23/jose-mourinho-chelsea-liverpool-abramovich

[bushman 2,043]

If anyone complains about Chelsea's games under Jose, he ought to find other team to support. This team has done much more than expected. For him to field weaker team against liverscums, I fully agree with him. The refs appointed will make sure Chelsea's not winning on Sunday. So why not save your best for Atletico, I would like to ask?

[Madmax 9,219]

Guillem Balague saying on twitter that Abramovich wanted Guardiola before 'accepting' Mourinho and that he wouldn't enjoy the style we played yesterday. Someone should ask him whether he thinks Abramovich enjoyed losing to Corinthians and Swansea last season while we were under Ballague's mate FSW.

Hang on, I'll ask. Let's see if he replies.