The Mourinho Thread

[Heisenberg 1,824]

In José we trust.

[Phil Driver 503]

Jose was superb in his interviews ,he has explained what so many managers have failed to from Scholari through AVB and Robbie ,this is a new job and a new way of playing and it is not happening overnight . He is implementing this and completely overhauling the style with a different breed of player you could see the determination in his face to get this right , You can see his brain working overtime on this and i am 100% sure he will take us to where Roman wants us to be.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

Annoyed that no one asks him about the double pivot. Media arent that sophisticated for those questions i guess. And well the English media see Lampard there.. they wouldnt speek about him too badly right? not when he scores goals at least.

Im a hugh Mourinho fan, probably one his biggests, but i think him ignoring the double pivot issues over the summer is the biggest disappointment i had from a manager in a transfer window. I was sure and said to myself "Jose comes, he had freaking Alonso in Madrid, and then even got Modric for the same role, he cant leave us with those Lampard/Ramires/Mikel combo's...he'll get a DLP or at least someone like Witzel". And well, seeing Mikel-Rami starting the game today got me thinking again - is this what Jose wanted to see this all summer? thats the big plan? talking non-stop about change, "change style", "be proactive, no reactive", with this midfield Jose?

Im not even talking about Lampard, because i wasnt surprised that Jose will put him as the main man in midfield and completely ignoring his huge failures in that role. Jose and Lampard is a love story, he cant bench him that quickly, he will sometime, but for now Lamps will get his fair share of game time no matter what. Back to the subject, im talking about Jose agreeing to the option that he will start the Mikel-Ramires DP many times this season. That could make me furious in a few weeks if it goes on. Starting Mikel-Ramires is like Jose would start Essien-Khedira in his Madrid days. IT NEVER HAPPEND. Not in the league or CL at least. Our central midfield is ok with no creativity and players to give the key forword pass and in Real it cant happen? i dont get it. Bollocks.

If KDB isnt going to move deeper in a few weeks-month or two, its a hugh shocker from Jose, huge.

[Fernando 6,388]

Annoyed that no one asks him about the double pivot. Media arent that sophisticated for those questions i guess. And well the English media see Lampard there.. they wouldnt speek about him too badly right? not when he scores goals at least.

Im a hugh Mourinho fan, probably one his biggests, but i think him ignoring the double pivot issues over the summer is the biggest disappointment i had from a manager in a transfer window. I was sure and said to myself "Jose comes, he had freaking Alonso in Madrid, and then even got Modric for the same role, he cant leave us with those Lampard/Ramires/Mikel combo's...he'll get a DLP or at least someone like Witzel". And well, seeing Mikel-Rami starting the game today got me thinking again - is this what Jose wanted to see this all summer? thats the big plan? talking non-stop about change, "change style", "be proactive, no reactive", with this midfield Jose?

Im not even talking about Lampard, because i wasnt surprised that Jose will put him as the main man in midfield and completely ignoring his huge failures in that role. Jose and Lampard is a love story, he cant bench him that quickly, he will sometime, but for now Lamps will get his fair share of game time no matter what. Back to the subject, im talking about Jose agreeing to the option that he will start "Mikel-Ramires" DP many times this season. That could make me furuios in a few weeks if it goes on. Starting Mikel-Ramires is like Jose would start Essien-Khedira in his Madrid days. IT NEVER HAPPEND. Not in the league or CL at least. Our central midfield is ok with no creativity and players to get the forword pass and in Real it cant happen? i dont get it. Bollocks.

If KDB isnt going to move deeper in a few weeks-month or two, its a hugh shocker from Jose, huge.

I think he hinted that he will eventually move Oscar to that role for the pivot.

But that Mata needs to do some work before he can go back to the number 10 role.

I believe that is his vision if I'm not mistaken.

As well with Van GInkel.

It would be Oscar-Van Ginkel in the double pivot role.

But for now they are not ready so it seems like Mikel will do.

That is the sense I got from looking the last game with the high pressing game and what he said afterwards. I hope it is cause it looks very exciting.

[Jase 43,479]

Some things Mourinho has said about Mata and overall performances have been contradicting. He said Mata hasn't been playing well in the last 2 games and needs to work hard and find that consistency but yet at the same time he continues to play Cole, Lampard (till recently) and even Hazard despite having played poorly in last few games.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

On fire today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DjBtGID37g

[nadavTKL 1,787]

I think he hinted that he will eventually move Oscar to that role for the pivot.

But that Mata needs to do some work before he can go back to the number 10 role.

I believe that is his vision if I'm not mistaken.

As well with Van GInkel.

It would be Oscar-Van Ginkel in the double pivot role.

But for now they are not ready so it seems like Mikel will do.

That is the sense I got from looking the last game with the high pressing game and what he said afterwards. I hope it is cause it looks very exciting.

You got it wrong. Jose was very clear about Oscar as the No 10, and he said Mata and him could play together when Mata (not Oscar) will get used to his new role AKA the wing.

In the summer, when asked about if he'll get another CM to the squad, he said 'no, i have Mikel, Lamps, MVG, Ess, Rami and also KDB can play there'. Thats the only glimpse of hope.

[Barbara 15,149]

Maybe last season, but finishing 6th in 2012 went much deeper than just not having a forward and a DM.

honestly my main problem with both seasons is how we played. The philosophy, style or whatever didn't feel right because we conceded too much, we couldn't play against certain kind of opposition and we were very weak in European football. The season before we just sat deep against better oppositions and prayed for dda to score some of his goals, or Lamps and for Luiz, Terry, Cahill, Iva, Cole and Cech to give their blood preventing us from conceding.

People say what they want, but when Rafa got here we were 4pts behind ManUtd and when we finished the league we were 14. That's making it almost 4x worse. I don't care about Mazacar and 4-4-1-1 if instead of closing gaps with the competition we are spreading them.

I hate how tactically poor and limited we've been for two years. that's what it was poor and weak. Didn't have options (tactical, I don't mean squad depth although it certainly made it worse). It was the same old, same old even if it clearly wasn't working out. Then after working 3-4 months Benitez at least improved the third final action of our team, by making we completely dependable one one guy and when that guy didn't have a good match we struggled a lot even if we had 2-3 other AM guys to work with and get them to give us answers. Then Hazard started to play really well, he was doing everything he doesn't do these days - although he plays in the same position and is supposed to do the same he did. He's work-rate actions have nothing to do with how he's been shy, rusty, un-daring and uninspiring in the attack. He played with his back to the goal today for some reason I can't quite understand!

And all the Mata+Hazard combo that I agree last season worked well it hasn't until when? March? April? But are we willing to wait until March or April with Mourinho or is it like he said to SSN today that any other manager people give them time to work, but with him they expect immediate results? Sometimes you can bring the results quickly, sometimes you can't. He just told today - something I've been wondering and that I was about to post a couple of days ago: if players continued to bring such poor displays on the pitch 'Daddy Mourinho' that keeps his eggs warm in the winter would leave and The Godfather Mourinho that demand results and is tough and harsh with them would come to play. He admitted today those players can't deal that side of him yet. He must have tried in any of the matches - maybe the Everton match and must have realized that if he pushes them and puts pressure instead of responding they freak out or crumble.

So we have boys that aren't ready to face the pressure of having to make us the result because there's a lot more pressure at Chelsea when Mourinho is the manager than there is after a UCL title or while we have an interim manager. The pressure the press (and part of the fans) have been putting on Mourinho is 100% absorbed by the players because it's pressure on Chelsea. It's Mourinho's Chelsea that is under pressure, but at the end of the day still Chelsea. Guys like Lamps, Terry, Mikel, Cech, Eto'o, Torres are ready to handle that pressure. They may make mistakes and the reasons vary, but it's not an emotional block because they feel pressured and the walls are closing in on them. We should take all those variables into consideration before we come and simply say: 'Mourinho out, he's destroying the club, he's destroying our best player' when the club and the best player before he arrived there didn't compete on high level against A-class competition (or B and C class at points because there way too many matches last season to show case the team struggling just as much as now - winning, drawing and losing matches where our displays were terrible - just like today's) and they didn't have as much pressure on them as they have now.

Also whenever Mata or Hazard struggled we did as a team - they're both struggling now and so are we as a team, that's the same thing that happened last year except they sort of took turns struggling and only for a small while [January if memory doesn't fail] they struggled at the same time. In addition to that we have young players not ready to deal with the pressure that comes with playing for Chelsea when we're high profile and right now we're high profile not because we won EL or because we finished 3rd in EPL, we're high profile because we have Mourinho... the level of pressure on them because of Mourinho alone is different and they aren't used to it.

Right now Mourinho is blocking the pressure from most of them, but Luiz and Mata who are more rounded and older aren't being protected by him because he knows he needs to expose them, to challenge them, to push them to get the results he's positive they can bring because now - for the profile of players they are [mature, hard workers, professionals] they won't be hurt and upset by being exposed publicly by Mourinho, they will want to shut him up - preferably emphatically. People management psychology basics and something that Stingray can probably talk better about than me. It doesn't work with all kind of temperaments, but it certainly does with Luiz and I'm positive will work with Mata too because although he seems such like a supine kind of guy [whereas Luiz is sanguine] he does aim to please [something big on supines]. It doesn't work with melancholics and it's hard to tell with phlegmatics [they never do anything to prove something to someone else, but they do it to prove it to themselves, the problem resides on making them believe they need to prove something to themselves].

It's actually simple to understand (the whole thing), it just requires patience... something most football fans lack. although I wasn't on the forum last season, the other fans I had contact with were PISSED beyond words on Benitez for the first few months and then a few of us - like me - who hold a grudge against the FSW - weren't happy with him not even when we improved the team [i'm biased]. I had personal problems with him - I can't stand him - but I also had tactical problems with him because we were sort of a one-pony trick team. Many people who are now saying they mister Benitez certainly were being just as impatient and hasty with Rafa last season. The grass is greener and more than the neighbor's grass, the past grass. There's no greener grass than the past grass.

[Fernando 6,388]

You guys want to know why our fans are so impatient?

Well because of this:

"History doesn't play. The past is the past and you have to be judged on what you do now," added Mourinho after Chelsea ended a dismal run of three consecutive defeats in three different competitions.

When even the manager we have says such a thing, of course our fans going to be arrogant and high demanding as the manger himself also demands it!

This is good cause we want the best of the best.

Don't want to be like Arsenal that holds unto their manager despite winning shit in years because of his past.

[Barbara 15,149]

@Fernando and what is he doing so wrong now? He's trying to find the best team! He's digging it, but he needs the players' help as well. He's making mistakes in my opinion, but the mistakes I think he's making others think aren't mistakes and what others think are mistakes I don't think it is. So who's right and who's wrong? He's trying to find the best way for us to play, he's not doing anything wrong by trying to do it, he's abiding to the orders he received from Abramovich

[Korea 734]

I think he hinted that he will eventually move Oscar to that role for the pivot.

But that Mata needs to do some work before he can go back to the number 10 role.

I believe that is his vision if I'm not mistaken.

As well with Van GInkel.

It would be Oscar-Van Ginkel in the double pivot role.

But for now they are not ready so it seems like Mikel will do.

That is the sense I got from looking the last game with the high pressing game and what he said afterwards. I hope it is cause it looks very exciting.

I never understood where people got the notion that Oscar was going to play the pivot. (maybe in his 30s).

[Fernando 6,388]

@Barbara No I was mad at him because I thought he was not good anymore after the Real Madrid last year.

Just like Mourinho view, I also feel the same. You are as good as your last few games.

So from Madrid till now I had not seen anything great.

Except in this last game against Fulham, where in the second half I finally got to see what he is truly intending to do.

The high pressing game against Fulham was a first sign of what is to come.

Mourinho truly is bent on shaping this team into an attacking team but with a balanced to it.

I was mostly worried that we had picked the wrong guy to shape our new philosophy but after today game and his last post match conference I'm excited again.

As I thought it was wrong to take this team and shape it into a counter attacking team, and this is not what Mourinho has in mind.

We will continue with what the club and the owner wants which is good.

[Barbara 15,149]

The first half was like what we witnessed the last few season's, but Jose done something at half time to change that and the second half we were superb.

That's the difference between Jose and other manager's, under any one else the 2nd half would have been just as bad and the game would have ended 0-0.

After WHL next week we would have played 3 of last season's top 6 away already, if we can escape from next weekend 3-4 points off the top, then we are in an great position.

ITA with this (I'm still behind in the thread, hahaha). Absolutely right.

I think there are two things now: results and improvement.

The results aren't too bad. We're at the top of the league and I never write Arsenal off from messing up - even if it's against Stoke and I don't remember who Spurs play, but they had been relying on set-pieces for three rounds to score... but even if they win tomorrow and we're third - along with one of the Manchesters [if any of them win at all] and Liverpool. But that's two points. Maybe we'll lose at White Hard Lane next week and be 5 pts behind them, but they - as well as ManUtd will have to come play at the Bridge when we'll probably be better settled in our tactics.

As for the tactics improvement itself I think we're taking snail steps. I think Mourinho has made a few judgment mistakes, but I think what contributed the most is the poor displays by our players so far, especially the AM and also the ST. Of course our defense looked anything but solid in moments against Everton and Basel, but I don't think they're a bigger liability (or is the pivot) than our AM and ST. We have high attempts on goal in some matches and some ridiculous shots that actually hit the target. We've been scoring too little and I blame it more on the players being poor than on Mourinho. On paper our AM + ST combo isn't that bad and that proves to be true when in a game like today we have 20+ attempts on goal - the same happened against Everton [away btw]. But the accuracy is bad and bad accuracy is basically players' technical issues.

The judgment mistakes - I won't be vague about them - I think Mourinho did so far:

• Kevin de Bruyne. I don't care if benches the RW or the LW, Kev deserves more chances because he played very well against Hull and he can be more creative than most our players
• Starting Lampard and Eto'o at all matches (although Lamps was on the bench today)
• Eden Hazard - something has to be done there. At first I thought it was benching him, but then Mou comes and says some of those players can't handle pressure put on them and I don't know if Hazard is one of them. If he's not, he should be benched, if he is hire a shrink.

[Heisenberg 1,824]

I never understood where people got the notion that Oscar was going to play the pivot. (maybe in his 30s).

Lampard is playing in that position, and to be fair, Oscar defensively is better than Lampard, is quicker, and does not interferes between the attacking lines to score his 200th Chelsea goal.I dont understand why we should not put him in that position, he has all the qualities and is younger than Lampard who must be played in the number 10 role.

[didierforever 7,349]

the best thing about jose is that he doesnot mince words.

when asked what he expects of mata and how mata can win his trust back, the answer was swift, straight and to the point.

if he so direct with the public, just think exactly how he would talk to the players. everything would be strainght from the heart. and each player would be knowing exactly what is expected of him and what he would get.

[The Mak 4,459]

Mourinho should've dropped Hazard for this game.

He has been average thus far, had his worst game ever against Basel and he simply didn't face any repercussion for it. And I severely doubt with our AM options he'd be playing if he was in anyway still injured. It seems to be simply down to form. Almost as soon as Schurrle switched with him he made the difference for the 1st goal. Hazard needs something. Whether it be the bench for a few games, a rest or a kick up the arse. It's one thing to have all of these quality AMs, but it's another to persist with an out of form player while the rest sit on the bench; It's asking for trouble.

Sure Schurrle didn't finish chances at Everton, but at least he was getting on the end of them - unlike Eden. KDB also sits on the bench but has performed well whenever called upon. I don't know how long they'll happily sit there.

The players on the bench will be relatively satisfied as long as the managers selection is somewhat justified, but Hazard just isn't justifying his constant presence in the team at the moment - especially since we have such strength in that department now.

For now it's just a niggling concern as it's early days still, but I hope José will be a bit more proactive in keeping the squad harmony for the rest of the season.

[edenhazard17 281]

He could put Jt Cahil or Ivo up front

Ivanovic in front would bang in goals for fun.

[Mong630 7]

he seriously is fucking up mata and KdB, 2 players who would start in any other PL squad.

And why? Just because he's a stubborn attention whore!

Same thing with lukaku. He's miles better than torres, ba or eto.