The Mourinho Thread

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Atletico dominated us at Stamford Bridge after half time even though they were already ahead on away goals. Would Mourinho have done that if the situation was reversed? Absolutely not. Also did you not watch Atletico's last encounter with Real Madrid (completely dominated the 2nd half) or their first leg against Barca in the CL last season where they could have scored 2-3 goals in the first half. Simeone, like Mourinho, doesn't particularly like having possession in the big games but a big difference is that he doesn't give up on attacking after taking the lead.

Naaa that 2nd leg can't really be used a great example imo. It was a all out battle because we already played the other leg, that is why he encouraged his team to get that early 2nd half goal to basically kill the tie off and it worked. Once we went behind we had to go full on attack to score 2 more goals, they barely hanged on thanks to Courtois saves and then obviously at the end we are so committed we left lot of spaces for them to counter attack and eventually score that 3rd goal.

Usually like last week against Real, they scored an early goal then did full on plane parking. Same with yesterday against Barca, hard defending from the start with no intention of trying to get a winner. Against Barca last season in CL they barely hanged on? Diego with that wonder goal, I remember Courtois making like 5 world class saves to deny them getting that 2nd.

I've had conversations with people who blamed him for the quality of football whereas I always argued that it was the lack of creative technique in our players that was to blame. I know that you, or others, will disagree but I think that view has been vindicated. Give him the players and he can give you the football you want. My belief is that if we replace Willian & Oscar with more capable players, if we strengthen the back line so it does not require quite as much protection and if we add depth in the CM positions so that our two starters need to play every game or we drop many levels of quality we will be able to go toe to toe with the big teams, where ever, whenever.

Meanwhile I simply do not believe any other manager could have taken as close to a title win last season as Jose. We handicapped him last time with too many ordinary players then blamed him for the inevitable result. It would be criminal if we were to blow it again when we are on the verge of getting it right.

All the above, is just my opinion of course. Other points of view are available.

Oscar not flair enough for you? WTF best Brazilian no10 is apparently not good enough for attacking football, who do you think is better and we can get? Gotze? Isco? James? whoever they are there are very few in world football that we can get for a reasonable price that is better than Oscar atm. Willian I agree, but then 1 out of 5 world class attacking players in the team shouldn't have hindered it that much(Costa, Hazard, Oscar, Fabregas and Willian).

Bayern 04/05

Yep something 10 years ago. Tbh that game was more like the Everton 6-3 in Sep last year. They kept on scoring so we naturally had to attack to take the lead back...hence leading to the ridiculous 4-3 or whatever it was in the end.

[The Chels 2,502]

Bayern 04/05

Any examples from his 8 SFs?

[ZOS 580]

just ignored a couple of Simeone lovers here .. I'm loving the peace

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Any examples from his 8 SFs?

Off the top of my head...Liverpool 1-0 Garcia goal, Liverpool won on pen 4-1...after 2 games of 1-0 to each team, Inter hardcore bus parking at Barca...but needed so not gonna judge him on that, Dortmund 4-1 rape, Barca 2-0 at home because trying to park it in the 1st leg...etc

Basically not a single one where I can think of his team DOMINATED the other away from home, even at home there was none really. Maybe that Inter 3-1 Barca but it helped by an offside goal too.

[Tomo 21,751]

Any examples from his 8 SFs?

I have examples of managers going for more and coming unstuck.

[The Chels 2,502]

Naaa that 2nd leg can't really be used a great example imo. It was a all out battle because we already played the other leg, that is why he encouraged his team to get that early 2nd half goal to basically kill the tie off and it worked. Once we went behind we had to go full on attack to score 2 more goals, they barely hanged on thanks to Courtois saves and then obviously at the end we are so committed we left lot of spaces for them to counter attack and eventually score that 3rd goal. Usually like last week against Real, they scored an early goal then did full on plane parking. Same with yesterday against Barca, hard defending from the start with no intention of trying to get a winner. Against Barca last season in CL they barely hanged on? Diego with that wonder goal, I remember Courtois making like 5 world class saves to deny them getting that 2nd.

That's exactly my point. He encouraged his team to go for a second and even a third. Mourinho would not have done that and we all know it. Sorry I meant the second leg at home against Barca and you're right about this season - without Costa and Luis, their two biggest attacking threats, they have lacked the attacking qualities they showed last season but apart from that 3-1 against Barcelona they haven't been dominated by either of the two giants unlike us vs. City and Liverpool. After building his team (with much less money, mind) Simeone's side were unreal in the big games last year. They've been forced to rebuild this year and are not as good attacking-wise but defensively they're still strong. Mourinho has now built his team with substanstial financial backing and we have still not been very good in the away games against sides inferior to those Atletico have to face.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,062]

Like kdb?

Just wrote a longish reply to this which has been gobbled up by the system. I'm watching the 21s at the moment but I'll try to do it again later.

By the way Charlie Colkett is once again enhancing my view that he is very much one to watch. Love the way he plays football. Mind you I remember saying the same about KDB while at Genk. We lead 3-0 at half time btw.

More when I can.

[The Chels 2,502]

just ignored a couple of Simeone lovers here .. I'm loving the peace

Lol I do apologise for constantly turning this into a Mourinho v Simeone thread but I feel the need to address suggestions that Simeone is as conservative (or as vulnerable to conceding) as Mourinho in the big games and that Mourinho's CL SF record is just bad luck.

I have examples of managers going for more and coming unstuck.

I don't doubt you do and nobody is asking Mourinho to be all gung-ho about it. Just a little more courage, a little more adventure and a little less fear would go a long way in these ties.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,062]

Oscar not flair enough for you?

I would rephrase the question to read is he good enough and I am on record as saying that I don't think he is. I know of course that others disagree.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,062]

Can we have a Charlie Colkett thread in the player database please? He's putting on an absolute master class at the moment against West Ham's 21s. Love this footballer.

Steve Holland is at the game but I hope Jose's watching. Big hopes for Charlie.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Lol, I can't believe people are actually talking about sacking Mourinho.

Name one better manager in Chelsea's history...Some of you are so fickle.

[Barbara 15,149]

Lol, I can't believe people are actually talking about sacking Mourinho.

Name one better manager in Chelsea's history...Some of you are so fickle.

The worst is considering currently Pep better than current Mourinho... sorry..., I may ignore the Simeone love - as someone else did - but the Pep argument is completely invalid. He DESTROYED that Bayern team, absolutely destroyed it. It came from the best team in the world by a very long distance to being spanked by RM (who they normally spank themselves)... they look nothing like the Jupp team - which was nearly unplayable. God's sake, didn't City beat them twice in one year?

If Mourinho destroyed a team like that I'd love to know what some fans enticed by the neighbor's grass would say.

They pile up excuses for their 'fave' and nitpick and judge Mourinho for everything...

[zolayes 14,489]

I really dont like Jose but we couldn't get a better coach/ manager

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Mou is one of the very best. He makes teams, as they say, Pep inherits them.

I do think his lack of silverware and his RM spell still haunts him, though. He doesn't look quite as ambitious anymore when it comes to lineups/subs.

Wouldn't have any other manager, though. @Barbara

[Liquidator 5,176]

Would love to see him go to Manchester if we sack him and f**k us in every encounter

Do you support Chelsea or Jose Mourinho?