The Mourinho Thread

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I criticise him for his selection and negative tactics tonight, but we'll probably go through. He's just playing it safe. If we scrape through to the final I won't mind. José knows best.

[DYC. 7,542]

The good thing is it works against most of the rubbish in the Premier League so we should win the league.

The bad thing is we have to suffer games like tonight. Now people will say tough away game, first leg, decent result etc etc but let's be serious, we made a very average Liverpool team look 10x better than they are.

Agree. This was not good.

A lot of people complain about how Real and Barca have smashed the lesser gods in their league over the years and how that proves La Liga lacks quality. But I don't think I'll ever forget the Liverpool - Real game. Simply put, Real made Liverpool look just as bad as a Elche or Granada.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

That shouldn't be though. You have to wonder why Mou's teams can't defend without going ulra-defensive.

no, I believe it will. Our defenders struggle against fast AM. We have to sort our defense first before we could do perfect 4231 when away against big teams or the team that have fast AM.

[Pseudo 92]

To Jose's credit, I'm will to say that this team is still a work in progress.

But how Liverpool's flair players danced around our midfield was a scary sight. 'Our pressing might be better than 98% of PL sides, but that isn't really saying much. You just have watch how well La Liga sides close down teams to see how much more we have to improve.

[Styles 9,790]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4CBNy3enoQ

So much waffle it's unreal

"We played in the top of our potential"

[zolayes 14,489]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4CBNy3enoQ

So much waffle it's unreal

"We played in the top of our potential"

well with Mikel in the pivot we probably did

[zolayes 14,489]

To Jose's credit, I'm will to say that this team is still a work in progress.

But how Liverpool's flair players danced around our midfield was a scary sight. 'Our pressing might be better than 98% of PL sides, but that isn't really saying much. You just have watch how well La Liga sides close down teams to see how much more we have to improve.

our top pressers .. Willian and Oscar ,,,, one was missing today

[Pseudo 92]

How well at team presses is mostly down to how the manager sets them up and less about the personnel. We should be able to press without them.

[The Chels 2,502]

I criticise him for his selection and negative tactics tonight, but we'll probably go through. He's just playing it safe. If we scrape through to the final I won't mind. José knows best.

I would also be of this attitude if it was a one off but it is clearly not. I've lost count of the number of SFs Jose has lost because of the type of tactics we saw today.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Mourinho's style of attacking is to press the ball high with intensity and force the opponent to submission. This takes too much energy.

We have Liverpool, Bradford and Liverpool again, just before mancity.

Mancity have just 1 match in this same period.

So Mourinho picks mikel and we sit back and conserve as much energy as possible and hopes mikel and Matic can shield the back from being too open. Taking a draw and going for high intensity with Oscar in the 2nd leg.

He should learn how to hold possession, even if it's aimlessly to conserve energy, this our team can't sit back, unless we bench fabregas and mikel for ramires and oscar. That way everyone in the midfield is mobile and can tackle properly. Mikel is no David luiz and fabregas is no oscar.

[Barbara 15,149]

Let me just type my piece. I know some posters will accuse me of being anti-Mourinho but then again, I could care less. The way we're playing against Liverpool is all Mourinho. It's not Iva or Cahill. The unforced errors and misplaced passes is as a result of the negative tactics. Same thing at City. Even Cesc was misplacing them too. Even if we lost this game, say 2-1 and at least came out to play FOOTBALL, I won't be typing this now.

First and foremost, what some seem NOT to realize is that Mourinho is the one responsible for setting this team up offensively and defensively. In the latter, he's great, phenomenal even. His ability to organize a defense was almost revolutionary in English football in his first spell here. Let's remember in his first season here, we only conceded 15 goals in the league. First and foremost above anything else, he's a defensive minded manager. There's nothing wrong with that, but it seems a contradiction to the current group of players at his disposal.

In the former however, he's a one trick pony. That's what many people don't get and that's why I feel this group of players don't match his management style at all. Mourinho just doesn't know how to set up his sides to play decent, possession based football. We just press and hope for the best. When the press doesn't work, we retreat to our shell and play "counter-attacking" football. Except it isn't actually that, it's the football of cowards. And when defend and hope for the best doesn't work, we invariably lose or if we're lucky, draw. The only time we come out to play and express ourselves on the pitch is against mediocre sides and even that is once in a blue moon. That's the pattern I've seen in his second spell here, especially in the so-called "bigger" games and it worries me greatly. I hoped and prayed that Mourinho would have become more sophisticated with his tactical approach 2nd time around but it's the same shit over again. It's the worst football of any Chelsea manager I've ever seen in my life with the players at his disposal, both on the pitch and on the bench.

We might win the league, but we won't win the Champions league. Once we face a Barca or a Real especially, we'll get killed. We don't have the same defensive minded team that we had a few years ago and I can't imagine Cahill and a 34 year old Terry being able to defend for 180 mins vs the best attacking players in the world.

Did you watch us playing against Swansea on the weekend?

A one trick pony doesn't set a team like that. Don't you remember the way we played West Ham, the way we approached matches early this season in general?

Some of his choices has been making me wonder how long I really want him here, but to call him a one trick pony is ridiculous - with due respect to your opinion and the ones that liked your post.

I'm very disappointed with him lately about how he's been approaching some games and how he doesn't react earlier, but I completely disagree with some of the things you wrote there...

Also people suddenly forgot we won or drew all big matches last season in the league? what's this bullshit that we can't play 'big sides'?

We drew against both Mancs - while not great, but bad either. We beat this same Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs. The match at WHL was a collective brainfart... which happens in football.

and now Mourinho is labeled by the manager that always loses in the SF because he has 4 UCL SF in his resume in the last four seasons. As if that was bad... we aren't the only good side in the world and Ancelloti's RM was one and a half minute away of losing the final.

Mourinho isn't as good as he used to be imo, but the overreaction here is unbearable.

[The Chels 2,502]

Mourinho's style of attacking is to press the ball high with intensity and force the opponent to submission. This takes too much energy.

It wouldn't be if it wasn't so chaotic. The most frustrating thing is when we press high with 3-4 players, the opposition move it out wide and our next closest player (this is often Ivanovic) does not push up meaning that was all for nothing. Our pressing is easily bypassed and we've not nailed it once against a big team this season. In the majority of cases our pressing leave huge gaps and Jose would surely have fixed this by now if he knew how. The fact that he hasn't suggests he doesn't.

[The Chels 2,502]

and now Mourinho is labeled by the manager that always loses in the SF because he has 4 UCL SF in his resume in the last four seasons. As if that was bad... we aren't the only good side in the world and Ancelloti's RM was one and a half minute away of losing the final. Mourinho isn't as good as he used to be imo, but the overreaction here is unbearable.

He's won 2 out of 8 CL SFs in his career. Yes there are plenty of good teams in the latter stages of the CL but he's had some brilliant sides himself and that's a fairly awful record for someone who is often descirbed as one of the greatest (big game) managers ever. I posted on here when the draw against Liverpool was announced about how we'd struggle if Jose did his usual SF approach - an extreme fear of conceding that results in a lack of attacking ambition and ironically less defensive stability. I didn't actually think he would do that against this Liverpool side in the Capital One Cup but I really shouldn't be shocked by his tactics anymore.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

It wouldn't be if it wasn't so chaotic. The most frustrating thing is when we press high with 3-4 players, the opposition move it out wide and our next closest player (this is often Ivanovic) does not push up meaning that was all for nothing. Our pressing is easily bypassed and we've not nailed it once against a big team this season. In the majority of cases our pressing leave huge gaps and Jose would surely have fixed this by now if he knew how. The fact that he hasn't suggests he doesn't.

We can press well, Mourinho just played out the match exactly as he wanted. Conserving energy and nicking a draw away and wait for the return leg. The difference was last season the midfield was faster with ramires and David luiz in it. This season we're easily turned by chadlii, cabella, sissoko, and now sterling. No recovery speed in our midfield especially since we have the worst 1 on 1 centerbacks for a top team.

[GodZola 630]

Let's all just throw in the towel now shall we?!

Couldn't agree more that José got it wrong in selection, tactics, formation, lack of sub's & the shit we had to endure - the second half in particular.

However, as fortunate as we were & we can thank Courtois for that, the fact is (unless I'm missing something) the result was 1-1, it's still all to play for, advantage at home etc, sure cane the bloke if we go out after the second leg but give the guy some leeway til then ffs!

You can be sure if we go through then all the negativity will be replaced by 'best coach in the world'.......you can't make it up!

[The Chels 2,502]

We can press well, Mourinho just played out the match exactly as he wanted. Conserving energy and nicking a draw away and wait for the return leg. The difference was last season the midfield was faster with ramires and David luiz in it. This season we're easily turned by chadlii, cabella, sissoko, and now sterling. No recovery speed in our midfield especially since we have the worst 1 on 1 centerbacks for a top team.

Relative to the best we really, really can't. Honestly the number of times our press is overcome and the huge gaps in front of the midfield are exposed is staggering. If we could press well we would be creating more chances and wouldn't concede so many clear-cut ones in the big games. Just watch Atletico do it and it is extremely rare for a team to consistently beat their press within a game and if they do they are nowhere near as porous as we are. Only Barcelona are really capable of beating Atletico's press because they have technically incredible footballers and even they sometimes struggle whereas ours gets beat a lot, even at home.

[bababoom 4,478]

We really, really can't. Honestly the number of times our press is overcome and the huge gaps in front of the midfield are exposed is staggering. If we could press well we would be creating more chances and wouldn't concede so many clear-cut ones in the big games. Just watch Atletico do it and it is extremely rare for a team to consistently beat their press within a game, if they do at all. Only Barcelona are really capable of it because they have technically incredible footballers and even they sometimes struggle.

Our attacking players press very well including Matic on occasion. The main reason we cant commit to it fully is because of John Terry's lack of pace. Our defense sits far too deep to ever press in phases.

[The Chels 2,502]

Our attacking players press very well including Matic on occasion. The main reason we cant commit to it fully is because of John Terry's lack of pace. Our defense sits far too deep to ever press in phases.

On occasion yes, but we should aim for a higher success rate. I'm always screaming at someone (usually Ivanovic) to help out in a 1v1 or 2v2 situation when he's so near and us overloading would make it so much more likely that we gain possession from the press. Instead we often rely on 50-50s. Also Atletico don't use a high line to press and they have no issues with compactness.