The Mourinho Thread

[Jase 43,479]

This thread really does get embarrassing from time to time (the Costa one is becoming a joke as well). I don't dismiss all the points made to criticize Mourinho as some are valid. But others are made just for the sake of moaning. I also do wonder whether some of you lots here actually have lives outside the Internet or are trying to be keyboard warriors.

Every time after we fail to win a big game, it's the same old people coming in here to post the same old narratives, arguments etc, as though this is their first time watching Mourinho and his team play. What is worse, as some have pointed out, is when we do beat one of the big sides, the thread is silent and the usual fellas who criticise Mourinho are nowhere to be seen.

[Barbara 15,149]

this page - desperately needs a @supporter post homaging Mourinho's 1000th page - which is a lot, really.

I have a few problems with him, but he's still the man for the job. He had a couple of difficult years and being human as everyone else, he's struggling with a few things. He has a lot of credit, so I believe we can overlook a few things (and it's not like we aren't 7 points top of the league or in a cup final... as if that wasn't enough to give him some credit and a break) and I believe we're on course of winning the league. Hopefully it'll be confirmed in three-month time from now.

Hail The Special One - one and only - José Mourinho, THE Chelsea manager. Love this man.

edit: too late, not even my post was on 1000th... that yet again was wasted with some nonsense comments I didn't even read to know they're nonsense

[Heisenberg 1,824]

this page - desperately needs a @supporter post homaging Mourinho's 1000th page - which is a lot, really.

I have a few problems with him, but he's still the man for the job. He had a couple of difficult years and being human as everyone else, he's struggling with a few things. He has a lot of credit, so I believe we can overlook a few things (and it's not like we aren't 7 points top of the league or in a cup final... as if that wasn't enough to give him some credit and a break) and I believe we're on course of winning the league. Hopefully it'll be confirmed in three-month time from now.

Hail The Special One - one and only - José Mourinho, THE Chelsea manager. Love this man.

edit: too late, not even my post was on 1000th... that yet again was wasted with some nonsense comments I didn't even read to know they're nonsense

1000 is just a number, Supporter is preparing a mega post about da Special One, cant wait

Mourinho is Mourinho, a top manager, a leader, a born-winner, and loves to shut the mouths of his detractors, so hopefully, he'll lead us to the PL, which is the real objective this season.

[supporter 3,088]

this page - desperately needs a @supporter post homaging Mourinho's 1000th page - which is a lot, really.

I have a few problems with him, but he's still the man for the job. He had a couple of difficult years and being human as everyone else, he's struggling with a few things. He has a lot of credit, so I believe we can overlook a few things (and it's not like we aren't 7 points top of the league or in a cup final... as if that wasn't enough to give him some credit and a break) and I believe we're on course of winning the league. Hopefully it'll be confirmed in three-month time from now.

Hail The Special One - one and only - José Mourinho, THE Chelsea manager. Love this man.

edit: too late, not even my post was on 1000th... that yet again was wasted with some nonsense comments I didn't even read to know they're nonsense

1000 pages... 1000 Special times...

Now more than ever...

Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho!

Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho!

I trust totally in Jose. We all trust totally in Jose.

In May/June we will be celebrating trophies!

Sure!

Thank you very much Jose

Mourinho commands

WE followed HIM

Regards.

Regards to ALL.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,064]

Difference between constructive criticism and some of the stuff spouted after every bad result performance.

Not even the late days of AVB there was this much general moaning.

And maybe it would be more tolerated if

it happened in reverse after a great result/performance, the fact the West Ham and Swansea post match threads had only 4 and 6 pages off reaction respectively while the Mou thread was pretty quiet (certainly in comparison to last night and Bradford) frankly says it all.

I'm strongly in the pro Jose camp but I have to say that I think this criticism is unfair. Critical posts do happen after a win but they are met by various versions of the, "We won, just enjoy it can't you?", comment. People who post negatively get complaints about their timing whichever way they go. In that sense, they can't win.

At this point I should admit that I'm one of them. I frequently post negative comments. It's just that, Bradford apart, my complaints are about the players, not the manager; and about what I see as the lack of sufficient quality in the squad, not about an individual's form. I make such comments just as often after a good result, as after a bad one. For example, despite his positive stats, I was unhappy with Oscar in the 5-0 at Swansea and said so. Often.

[iseah100 5,612]

Extensiom coming?! Yaaaaaay!

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Ramires, who is not a winger, on the right wing against Man City; another example of disrupting the 'first choice' eleven to better suit whatever game-plan we were trying to implement. I just feel that if we didn't find ourselves needing to make such fundamental changes to the starting line-up when facing high-quality opposition, the team would play with a greater coherence.

Look at Atletico Madrid, for example; the first-choice line-up against most opposition (Moya, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Siqueira/Ansaldi (the weak links), Tiago, Gabi, Koke, Arda Turan, Griezmann, Mandzukic) is also the the line-up they use most frequently against the 'big teams' they face. It's currently the same with Barcelona now that Enrique has abandoned his previous habit of changing the starting line-up pretty much every game, with Bravo, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Neymar, Messi, Suarez starting all the most important games, whether they are against 'big teams' or not. I don't think that it's entirely a coincidence that these two teams just 'happen' to have been obtaining some of the most impressive results in European football since the turn of the year. Other teams that have been employing their most frequently-used line-ups in the big games (player fitness permitting) are Wolfsburg, PSG, Real Madrid, Lyon etc. The domestic performances of Wolfsburg and Lyon have been particularly notable this season.

Ultimately, the strategic and tactical compromises made by most of these teams to deal with specific opposition threats are often devised to work within the already-established framework of a starting 11 that is comfortable playing together. Most of their managers DO NOT tend to make changes that completely rupture the teams' usual systems of play, and so when they are in possession and attacking their moves are slick, quick, and generally effective (even when the attacking approach has been altered somewhat). In contrast with this, Mourinho DOES make such changes when faced with high-quality opposition (e.g. Ramires on the wing, moving our deep-lying playmaker away from his zone of influence etc.) and the team suffers for it. True, we haven't lost a 'big game' so far this season, but we are seeing far too many of them end in draws during which we've only managed a few shots during the entire game and many of our best chances have come from set-pieces. If we continue to put in these types of performances in such games, then we will eventually come across a 'big team' that is in genuinely good form on the day and we WILL lose (possibly quite heavily).

And no, this post is not dealing directly with the topic of Willian at Downing Street (it's related to that, but also close to being genuinely off-topic), so I haven't gone back on what I wrote at the end of my last post (yet) .

Very good point that the lineup change spoils our play. It must be mainly because fabregas is removed from the pivot for defensive reasons that causes it.

But how do we get a strong player who has almost the same vision as fabregas to control the game but still defend athletically like Matic or at least mikel???

When fabregas doesn't play, (against astonvilla) our teamplay suffers, when he isn't in the pivot we can't keep possession. We need to find a way to keep him deep and provide him with protection like Pirlo has.

Vidal - Pirlo - Pogba

Ramires - Fabregas - Matic

If Mourinho can't play a 4-3-3, then we need to find a replacement that can control the tempo and still defend like Matic in the pivot for big games.

We just need to find a way to get more than 6 shots against big teams. We've passed the level of getting only 2shots in a match and hoping one is a goal.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

The title is in reach.

We only have 2 more away games in the league against a top 8 team, and only 3 more against the rest, 2 of which are relegation teams.

We have 13 games left in the League overall. 36 points up for grabs, there are very few teams that on paper should cause us problems. Not at home.

League cup. One more match. Costa will be looking for blood against Tottenham, the whole team will be.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Jose Mourinho is rumored to be expected to sign a new contract in the summer

José Mourinho is expected to sign a new contract with Chelsea in the summer [...] the Barclays Premier League leaders are eager to secure his long-term future by offering him a new four-year package.

The finer detail and any increase on his existing annual salary of £8.5 million will be discussed in the summer, and may be contingent upon the west London club's success in the present campaign. The Portuguese failed to win a trophy last season and, while Chelsea have been delighted with his progress since returning to the club 18 months ago, they want silverware at the end of the term.

-source: The Times

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/football/article4359562.ece

[OhForAGreavsie 6,064]

... We have 13 games left in the League overall. 36 points up for grabs...

Oops?!

We take your point though.

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

Jose says he himself wants to stay at Chelsea but does not need a new contract just now. #CFC

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Oops?!

We take your point though.

not to sound incredibly naive but what did I do, lol? Count the amount of matches wrongly?

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Pretty much my sentiments exactly

[OhForAGreavsie 6,064]

not to sound incredibly naive but what did I do, lol? Count the amount of matches wrongly?

Now I'm not sure if you're not sure or if you're messing with me.

Either way it's a good one because it made me smile.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

But now I'm not sure if you're not sure of my sure determination because I genuinely don't see it, aha

"Tiredness kills, you can prevent it"