The Mourinho Thread

[The Chels 2,502]

Could anyone tell me of the last big away game where we looked defensively solid and created a good number of chances apart from City away last season? It is difficult to achieve a good balance in these games but after 18 months under Mourinho I'd have expected us to be a lot less imbalanced than we have been. It's generally been either one extreme (defensively vulnerable, e.g. United, Liverpool, Tottenham away this year) or the other (offensively poor, e.g. away to City this season & away to United, Liverpool, PSG and Atletico last season). To me the solution seems relatively obvious: defend with numbers - which means don't use the split of 6 in defence and 4 in attack that we sometimes see - and be more aggressive with a higher, more intense press.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Could anyone tell me of the last big away game where we looked defensively solid and created a good number of chances apart from City away last season? It is difficult to achieve a good balance in these games but after 18 months under Mourinho I'd have expected us to be a lot less imbalanced than we have been. It's generally been either one extreme (defensively vulnerable, e.g. United, Liverpool, Tottenham away this year) or the other (offensively poor, e.g. away to City this season & away to United, Liverpool, PSG and Atletico last season). To me the solution seems relatively obvious: defend with numbers - which means don't use the split of 6 in defence and 4 in attack that we sometimes see - and be more aggressive with a higher, more intense press.

433 > 4231 when away

When away against big teams we're always looking solid because usually we are using 433 formation.

Against Spurs, sadly they are not classified as big team, we use 4231 and when opponent keep pressing us with every chance they got it right, we're done.

I couldn't recall when is last time we play 433 away and then losing.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Jose Mourinho 'get me Roman Abramovich and you're my man!' The story of super-agent Jorge Mendes' rise

In a new biography published in Spain this week - The Special Agent - The key to Mendes, the secret of the biggest football agent in the world - Mourinho revealed the mechanics behind his move to the Blues.

'There were three agents who wanted to represent me,' the Chelsea boss said. 'Then a fourth agent appeared who was Jorge Mendes.

'I said to them, "The one who keeps me is the one who brings me Abramovich or takes me to him." Two days later, Mendes rang: "Abramovich is in Portugal and wants to see you".'

While the pair were meeting with the Russian billionaire, another agent rang Mourinho.

'He told me he was with Abramovich in Paris. And there I was, with Abramovich in front of me.

'Jorge had prove to me he wasn't lying.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2904455/Jose-Mourinho-Roman-Abramovich-man-story-super-agent-Jorge-Mendes-rise.html

Lol, that agent who are in Paris, doesn't have any clue with whom he is trying to mess around.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

He deserves all the credit for those great deals he has pulled last summer. The guy is a monster in the transfer market.

Lukaku's touch is simply pub level, I must admit I have never seen a centre forward worth that money with such a poor technique.

[HD3D 1,038]

Please Mourinho, just move on from this 'campaign' shit.

You're asking him to stop defending the club and say out loud what everyone saw.

Go to sleep mate.

[supporter 3,088]

Today Jose has shown that he is not a fool man who does not give opportunities to their good young players. Jose is very intelligent and he creates the best environment for their young players to be played slowly and gaining confidence in themselves until good young players that we have have demonstrated their great performance and then Jose gives them their big break in the starting eleven at the time of the season with little risk for them to become major players in our team. Go step by step with young kids is the best way. But without him give away free anyone. We are Chelsea and can only play on our team the big players, and therefore can only play the great young players. Zouma and Varane are two good examples. They were playing slowly with Jose, increasingly minutes, and when they were in their prime (by the way, they both did in the quiet games January) Jose put them in the starting eleven and gave the final step in their careers.

Jose is very intelligent and knows how to manage well the different stages of young players. Without giving anything away, but he is an honest man and when a young player has great performance he gives them their chance to be important in our team.

I trust too much in Jose. He is honest, nothing fool, and he is very intelligent. Someone you can trust. ONE OF US.

[STEVE666 13]

Jose is tried and tested and will only improve, its in his make up as a human being not to fail. Most of all, he is one of us. I can see us marching on now.

[Fernando 6,585]

You're asking him to stop defending the club and say out loud what everyone saw.

Go to sleep mate.

And I saw cahill kicking a Tottenham player and not get banned.

So there is no campaign against Chelsea. Is just mourinho usual nonsense of deflecting from the truth.

A. Our defense is our weakest link

B. Our lack of rotation is costing us.

So it seems mourinho has finally noticed that our defense is our weakest link. Just only took a beating from tottenham to figure that out.....

Now is zouma our answer?

I don't know, but if he's not good enough then let's buy a new cb and put cahill as a sub.

But if we are not going to buy a cb I rather gamble more on zouma then cahill as he's younger and might have a lot of potential.

[The Chels 2,502]

And I saw cahill kicking a Tottenham player and not get banned.

So there is no campaign against Chelsea. Is just mourinho usual nonsense of deflecting from the truth.

A. Our defense is our weakest link

B. Our lack of rotation is costing us.

So it seems mourinho has finally noticed that our defense is our weakest link. Just only took a beating from tottenham to figure that out.....

Now is zouma our answer?

I don't know, but if he's not good enough then let's buy a new cb and put cahill as a sub.

But if we are not going to buy a cb I rather gamble more on zouma then cahill as he's younger and might have a lot of potential.

Cahill has actually had a lot of luck. He should have been red carded against Arsenal for his horrible challenge, QPR for his dive (2nd yellow) and Tottenham for his kick on Kane. We also somehow didn't concede a penalty against Liverpool in spite of 2 clear Cahill handballs. This isn't to mention all the technical and tactical mistakes he's made. Huge liability.

[Tomo 21,751]

And I saw cahill kicking a Tottenham player and not get banned.

So there is no campaign against Chelsea. Is just mourinho usual nonsense of deflecting from the truth.

A. Our defense is our weakest link

B. Our lack of rotation is costing us.

So it seems mourinho has finally noticed that our defense is our weakest link. Just only took a beating from tottenham to figure that out.....

Now is zouma our answer?

I don't know, but if he's not good enough then let's buy a new cb and put cahill as a sub.

But if we are not going to buy a cb I rather gamble more on zouma then cahill as he's younger and might have a lot of potential.

Far far too much is made of this supposed lack of rotation, a lot of teams have been successful by picking a best Xl and sticking to it.

Infact I would say rotation does a lot more harm than supposed tiredness can ever do. Infact look at the way we played vs WBA, Schalke and West Ham, would we have put such high level displays if we constantly rotated the team? Not a chance.

[Fernando 6,585]

Far far too much is made of this supposed lack of rotation, a lot of teams have been successful by picking a best Xl and sticking to it.

Infact I would say rotation does a lot more harm than supposed tiredness can ever do. Infact look at the way we played vs WBA, Schalke and West Ham, would we have put such high level displays if we constantly rotated the team? Not a chance.

The entire season? Especially in pl with Christmas fixtures and all that?

I remember saf was very creative and changed up players here and there.

It help a lot his team.

[Tomo 21,751]

The entire season? Especially in pl with Christmas fixtures and all that?

I remember saf was very creative and changed up players here and there.

It help a lot his team.

There was a season, I think 06/07 or 07/08 where SAF basically stuck with the same team all season, Arsenals "invincibles" barely rotated neither did Peps Barca, our double winning side also was the same team for most iff the season.

Also Rafa would have won the title in 2009 if he didn't piss about with the team leading to constant home draws to mid table teams.

[iseah100 5,612]

Best manager in the world

[The Chels 2,502]

Best manager in the world

He was but currently? Not so sure. I personally reckon that by the end of the season Simeone will have fully established himself as the current number 1, if he hasn't already.

[iseah100 5,612]

He was but currently? Not so sure. I personally reckon that by the end of the season Simeone will have fully established himself as the current number 1, if he hasn't already.

What if we win the PL and FA cup?