The Mourinho Thread

[Styles 9,790]

No, it isn't the same. Real did that against a possession based, tiki-taka side in Bayern Munich, everyone knows that you sit deep and counter against a Pep side. Real were brilliant on the counter, committing 4/5 men forward. Us on the other hand whenever we did get the chance to counter only committed about 2 men forward. Plus, Atletico Madrid don't even play a possession based game.

IMO (which I know I might get blasted for by some on here) we showed AM a bit too much respect. The line up we sent out there was okay, the defensive strategy we employed was impressive but we were horrible going forward on the counter. There's no denying that we could've been a lot more adventurous going forward on Tuesday night.

We didn't need to play "attractive football" (whatever your definition of that is) but we were far too conservative I think.

I hope you and everyone that liked your post will understand that this comparison does not make sense. Bayern has a ball possession based game (unlike Atlético), despite defending for most part of the game, Real still were VERY dangerous in the counter, while we barely really created any chances. Real had 9 attempts, 7 on target (Neuer made some good defenses while Curtois was only a passenger), while we had 5 attempts and 3 on target.

Its pretty hard to imagine Real having the same tactics facing Atletico.

I get what you guys are saying but my point is Madrid were overmatched. Simply put: in an open game of football Bayern are comfortably better and would win because of their superior ability. There aren't many teams Madrid will play like that against. Why that's relevant to us is we're lower in the food-chain and will have to play like that against more teams than Madrid will need too.

Let's not kid ourselves and overrate our players; in this moment in time Atletico Madrid are to Chelsea what Bayern are to Madrid. They are comfortably better and we need to play against them in a way that allows us to compete.

The only difference between Madrid and Chelsea's game plan is they have Ronaldo, Benzema and Di Maria to make better use of their limited possession.

[The Skipper 20,593]

If you use your brain maybe you would realise that if you want be be treated a certain way then you should treat other people the same way. Don't talk to me like that: "you are not very good in your math". I find that rather rude. If you find that is a decent way of speaking to people in life I feel sorry for you then. I have noticed it with a lot of people on this forum. You seem to try and belittle them when you talk. So like I said treat people the way you wish to be treated.

Comprende?

Just put him on the ignore list, most on the forum have.

[bushman 2,043]

If you use your brain maybe you would realise that if you want be be treated a certain way then you should treat other people the same way. Don't talk to me like that: "you are not very good in your math". I find that rather rude. If you find that is a decent way of speaking to people in life I feel sorry for you then. I have noticed it with a lot of people on this forum. You seem to try and belittle them when you talk. So like I said treat people the way you wish to be treated.

Comprende?

Since you are clueless in math, I had no alternatives, but...

Whatever, you noticed, it´s irrelevant to me. Just hit the road.

[Stats 7,060]

Since you are clueless in math, I had no alternatives, but...

Whatever, you noticed, it´s irrelevant to me. Just hit the road.

Yeah, it was clear who the hypocrite was. Like I said, idiot

[The Skipper 20,593]

I get what you guys are saying but my point is Madrid were overmatched. Simply put: in an open game of football Bayern are comfortably better and would win because of their superior ability. There aren't many teams Madrid will play like that against. Why that's relevant to us is we're lower in the food-chain and will have to play like that against more teams than Madrid will need too.

Let's not kid ourselves and overrate our players; in this moment in time Atletico Madrid are to Chelsea what Bayern are to Madrid. They are comfortably better and we need to play against them in a way that allows us to compete.

The only difference between Madrid and Chelsea's game plan is they have Ronaldo, Benzema and Di Maria to make better use of their limited possession.

Except Atletico aren't a possession based side, so you can't really compare them to Bayern in my opinion. Whilst Real's style of football and players they have at their disposal is a great match up against Bayern's style of football (so do ours but to a lesser extent obviously, providing we implement the right game plan), you can't say the same about Atletico in regards to their comparison to Bayern, who are just as uncomfortable in possession as we are from what I've seen from them.

Of course because Real have those players at disposal they can play on the counter more comfortably, I mean they are obviously the best counter attacking team in the world, we on the other hand didn't even really attempt a true counter attack in the game though even though we are capable of it and have shown that we can be devastating i.e. against City. To me, there is a notable difference between counter attacking and merely parking the bus. Real did the former, we did the latter, against a side that isn't even good in possession. I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot but in my opinion it was far too conservative and we aren't that inferior to Atletico; we showed them too much respect in that regards even though we had a few players out; in fact we aren't inferior at all when we have our full squad available, we're slightly better because of the effect an on form Hazard can have on a game.

[bushman 2,043]

Yeah, it was clear who the hypocrite was. Like I said, idiot

Get lost asshole!

[darrus 422]

It´s meaningless from Chelsea´s point of view.

We still can finish 5th by the way.

[Styles 9,790]

Except Atletico aren't a possession based side, so you can't really compare them to Bayern in my opinion. Whilst Real's style of football and players they have at their disposal is a great match up against Bayern's style of football (so do ours but to a lesser extent obviously, providing we implement the right game plan), you can't say the same about Atletico in regards to their comparison to Bayern, who are just as uncomfortable in possession as we are from what I've seen from them.

Of course because Real have those players at disposal they can play on the counter more comfortably, I mean they are obviously the best counter attacking team in the world, we on the other hand didn't even really attempt a true counter attack in the game though even though we are capable of it and have shown that we can be devastating i.e. against City. To me, there is a notable difference between counter attacking and merely parking the bus. Real did the former, we did the latter, against a side that isn't even good in possession. I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot but in my opinion it was far too conservative and we aren't that inferior to Atletico; we showed them too much respect in that regards even though we had a few players out; in fact we aren't inferior at all when we have our full squad available, we're slightly better because of the effect an on form Hazard can have on a game.

If we had everybody available and in good form I think we're a hell of a lot closer to them.

Fair enough we were far more conservative than Madrid, but we didn't have the attacking ability on the night to be more of a threat on the counter. If Eto'o, Hazard are available and Willian can play through the middle then I think we will pose far more of a threat.

Don't get me confused guys, I hate that we can't go toe to toe with these teams and have to park the bus but we're just not that good no matter how much we've spent.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I'm really confident, I always am on big nights when we know what we have to do. The Jose factor, our attitude and the crowd being right behind the team tells me it will be our night.

I am too. I'd give us a chance against anyone in the world at the bridge. That said, I do think you always need a few things to go your way to win a CL semifinal.

[bushman 2,043]

We still can finish 5th by the way.

No, way. Chelsea will field B team on Sunday. Gears all energy for Wednesday & the two remaining games in the PL.

After Wednesday, the schedule is acceptable & Chelsea will be in the CL for next season.

[Special Juan 27,485]

I am too. I'd give us a chance against anyone in the world at the bridge. That said, I do think you always need a few things to go your way to win a CL semifinal.

Ref, Ref and Ref. That for me is more worrying than Atletico.

[darrus 422]

No, way. Chelsea will field B team on Sunday. Gears all energy for Wednesday & the two remaining games in the PL.

After Wednesday, the schedule is acceptable & Chelsea will be in the CL for next season.

Just like no way we were losing to Sunderland, right?

[bushman 2,043]

Just put him on the ignore list, most on the forum have.

I am happy you have done that. Lol.

[bushman 2,043]

Just like no way we were losing to Sunderland, right?

Chelsea was robbed, then.

Just one little thing here. Chelsea lost 6 games out of 35 & you think, they will lose 3 straight games now?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Ref, Ref and Ref. That for me is more worrying than Atletico.

I'll feel much better if it is Proenca who's officiating. We always get amazing results with him. Wouldn't mind that Turkish ref either.

[Jype 6,398]

Just put him on the ignore list, most on the forum have.

Must get lonely for Bushman, just talking by himself and no one ever reads his posts.

[bushman 2,043]

Must get lonely for Bushman, just talking by himself and no one ever reads his posts.

Not worried about the likes of you, at all.

[The only place to be 11,313]

That obviously goes without saying? But if you think that we'd be so defensively vulnerable if Torres had support from two more guys on the counter and if you think we simply can't risk that because Atletico are so dangerous going forward then bravo, because I don't. We're just going to have to agree to disagree on that one here.

OK.

Yes, decent, considering he was up there on his own. It might have been good or excellent if he had a couple of players that supported him when going forward on the counter.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Oscar has generally been good in Europe for us. This would've been a decent game for him to play in.

Good away to Steaua and Schalke, fairly anonymous away to PSG and got less than a minute against Galatasaray.

OK.

Well you're wrong if you think we don't have any sort of disadvantage because the away goal rule is clearly there for all to see. If you were an Atletico fan or rather yet, if we were at the Bridge in the first leg and we played out a 0-0 draw would you say that we have no advantage at all going to the Vicente Calderon with the away goal rule there? Of course you wouldn't.

No, but I'd have expected us to have got a goal at home to take to the away leg. That's the beauty of two-legged ties. At the moment it's half-time and we're level. Lamenting the shoulda, woulda, couldas of a goalless draw away to a top European team is the point at which I'd probably find something else to moan about.

You don't have to patronise me on that, can we not just debate as two intelligent Chelsea fans? I'll say it once again, I seriously don't think committing an extra two men going forward on the counter whilst the rest of the team remain deep would make us so vulnerable that Atletico would punish us. They aren't that great going forward when there's still that many men behind the ball. We'd have enough men to close off any spaces Atletico might attack whilst the rest of the team that went forward on the counter come back and recreate the shape we had started the game with. Simple.

I wasn't patronising you....well actually I was earlier with the timeout comment.

Here I was just repeating your own analysis back to you. But it's interesting you now just want to commit just a couple of guys forward and leave everyone else deep. That's a brilliant way to create holes for teams to exploit and was essentially the root of a lot of problems when we had Mata in the side and had a disconnect between attack and defence.

As a designed tactic it seems like a good way to lose a game.

Apparently say anything that doesn't remotely praise Mou on here and you're instantly seen as the enemy by some. You don't need to remind me of his achievements, we're not discussing his ability as a manager in the CL as a whole. Of course it's a difficult trophy to win, that's not the debate here at all, but to say he usually does well in the CL semi finals isn't correct. I'm not knocking Jose in any way, just stating the fact that he has lost five of his seven CL semi final ties. I'm not talking about winning CLs back to back, I'm talking about his CL semi finals record. That's not knocking him as a manager or knocking his CL record, it just is what it is. You can't try and spin it and say he's done well in CL semi finals because he hasn't.

It's how in the same way he's won every CL final he's been part of. That means he does well in CL finals. I don't know why you're trying to spin it into me saying something sinister or bad about Mourinho.

I'm not trying to spin anything. I think the comment you made was stupid enough without me having to apply context to it to make it patently obvious how absurd it was.

As for the victimisation point, give it a rest. You have a right to post what you want about Jose and so do I. I simply think there's a narrative being built where he's being criticised for his ability to get teams attacking when the truth is that he's not had the right resources at this point in time.

You're bitching about us getting a 0-0 draw in a Champions League semi-final. That's like a 10 year-old being taken on a spending spree at Hamleys and crying because they aren't allowed a Happy Meal on the way home.

It has now somehow conveyed into a unnecessary discussion between us both, you think that Mourinho's plan was 100% perfect and has given us a great advantage and no disadvantages, whilst I think that his plan was very good defensively, but that we could've played better on the counter, not as conservative - instead of sending just Torres and maybe Willian or Ramires forward, we could've sent one or two more because Atletico aren't good enough to punish us with the rest of our team sitting deep - if we leave back 6 men for a few seconds we really won't be as open as you're trying to portray we'd be - and that could've perhaps nicked us an away goal because I think Atletico are capable of grabbing an away goal at ours themselves. I think it's best we just leave the discussion where it is because it's spiralling into a needless, repetitive argument now.

Well that's a simplistic way of viewing my argument. Every gameplan has advantages or disadvantages - the best managers weigh up the risks associated with both and make a judgment call that tends to favour them. That's what Jose did, that's what Jose does and I think on the balance of things he got it about right although if he didn't and we lose the tie I'm sure you'll be amongst the first to point out his mistakes.

Of course because Real have those players at disposal they can play on the counter more comfortably, I mean they are obviously the best counter attacking team in the world, we on the other hand didn't even really attempt a true counter attack in the game though even though we are capable of it and have shown that we can be devastating i.e. against City

When we had Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o and Nemanja Matic available.