The Mourinho Thread

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

I'd rather have Guardi ......oh wait

Judge Jose by the end of season

[Sheva. 5,373]

It's always the same discussion from the same people here, after every big game.

Personally i don't have a 'big' problem with defensive football, this is Mourinho - surely we knew what to expect. And tbf to him, he has delivered some good football in the lesser games at the expense of solidity at the back.

We should be able to create better even while playing defensive though, but we have some average players who Mourinho feels loyal to for whatever reason.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

PSG on the same bracket with Shaktar, Galatasaray and current MU. They're perform really well every time at home, but turn to shit when away.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Too pragmatic with tactics when it comes to big games, we have not won a big game all season which is a worry

[SpecialistsInFailure 68]

I think early in the second half I saw a straight backline of 6 consisting of Willian - Ivanovic - Cahill - Terry - Azpilicueta - Hazard. What's Willian doing at RB and Hazard at LB? Opposition fans don't sing 'Boring, Boring Chelsea' for no reason. I have no problem if we played like we did away to City last season when we won 1-0. That game we had the perfect balance of defending and counter-attacking football. I love Jose but he is a coward in these games, and so are some of the players which cower away from responsibility. This season we have taken the lead against the following and either drew or lost;

Schalke

City

United

Spuds

City

Bradford

Liverpool

PSG

We even made shitbox teams like Sunderland, Newcastle, Bradford and to an extent Spuds play like a world class team with 100 chemistry.

[Henrique 9,133]

To be honest the debate about defensive vs offensive football some people are trying to create here is nonsensical. Some people are suggesting Mourinho is getting criticized for playing "defensive football". Today Mourinho got his tactics wrong for 90 minutes.

In the 1st half Mourinho clearly was expecting PSG to attack, then he came with a team to counter. But PSG had different ideas. They came with 3 DM, no creative midfielder and 3 strikers and were sitting back expecting a chance to counter attack, thats why we had the ball for most part of the first half, but a mid with Matic-Ramires-Fabregas is not exactly creative, so for the most part of first 45 minutes Matic and Ramires were exchanging balls with our defenders,

PSG were solid at the defense and really dangerous in counter attacking. To be honest the result of the 1st half was unfair, since we created no chances at all.

Losing the match, PSG needed to attack. The team that was supposed to be solid at the defense and deadly counter attacking looked more like a bunch of players that never played together than a team thats is leading the PL by 7 points. Cavani and Ibra destroyed our defense, and its really hard to believe we survived the match with a 1-1 result (a good one after all). The team never had a chance to counter. Despite all the talk about Diego Costa returning, he was more concerned about making silly fouls than playing football. He was 100% useless. Fabregas left the game too late, Cuadrado looked completely out of place attacking and unconfortable playing the role of a second right back and his presence in the game was totally unnecesary.

To be honest, its no about playing offensive or defensive, its about playing solid football. Today the team could not attack and could not defend. Its easy to forgive the team for don't beating big sides in PL when you are 7 points clear at the top of the league, but you can't win the UCL without beating big sides. The UCL performance this season as a whole has been mediocre. I'm not that confident we will reach the next level. Saying we have the lead is a lie. Last season everyone was saying Jose's tactics were amazing and we had a foot in the Final after the 0-0 result in semi-finals first leg, untill the team got completely destroyed in the 2nd leg.

Even if we reach the quarters, I don't know if we are ready to reach the semis again. Mourinho became way too predictable and conservative, and I'm not talking about playing defensive football. Before this match, everybody knew he would come up with Ivan, Terry, Cahill, Azi; Ramires, Matic; Fabregas, Willian, Hazard; Costa. It was clear that, even if 90% of the season the team is Matic, Fabregas; Oscar, Willian, Hazard; Costa, he would never play an away UCL match in knockout stage with that line up. Luis is a better footballer than Azi, Cahill has been a disaster, but of course Jose would not play a defense with Luis and Zouma in such a game, he would favor the line up that have been playing together since last season.

I think this team will win the PL at the end of the season, but I dont fancy the chances in UCL. To win a tournament like PL you must be the most consistent team for the whole season. To win UCL you need something special. I hope we will see something new in the 2nd leg, but I don't hold my breath.

[Jase 43,479]

It's always the same discussion from the same people here, after every big game.

Personally i don't have a 'big' problem with defensive football, this is Mourinho - surely we knew what to expect. And tbf to him, he has delivered some good football in the lesser games at the expense of solidity at the back.

We should be able to create better even while playing defensive though, but we have some average players who Mourinho feels loyal to for whatever reason.

Mourinho certainly likes to play the 'percentage game' a lot in these big away games.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

My only problem with Jose is he doesn't practice counterattacks anymore.

Like Henrique said, he came to the match in the first half expecting PSG to hold possession and we counter but they sat back and the whole tactics was thrown under the bus. Because we can't pass the ball ourselves to create chances when big teams defend, and we can't defend counters like PSG and mancity.

These are aspects of the game that must be practiced:

1. defending counterattacks,

2. Attacking with counterattacks

3. Possession under pressure

Mourinho doesn't practice these 3 aspects of the game and I'm sure of it. We are not good at any of the 3 important aspects of big games and it's getting frustrating.

We can't even press press teams from the front again, so how does he expect us to counter when we stroll around when opposition have possession.

Our weakness is to attack ivanovic and cahill side, but Mourinho won't do anything about it. PSG kept on attacking our right side, that I lost count. The difference between this match and the tottenham match was tottenham scored their chances. Cahill is not a starting material anymore and I was shocked at how bad all our midfielders were at holding the ball under pressure except hazard, Matic and Willian.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Another realization is our team is not a team that fits Mourinho's tactics. He needs physically strong and athletic people in the midfield, (a midfield trio of Matic, matuidi, sissoko) and a striker that holds the ball under pressure and win long balls like drogba used to be. This current team is terrible at physically holding unto the ball under pressure bar hazard and Matic. Because of this, Mourinho's tactics in big games won't be at full potential. We miss the Matic-luiz combo more than I thought we would

[manpe 10,861]

Annoying thing is this is our strongest team too, NOT A SINGLE INJURY.

Mikel.

[edetarod 2,155]

Nothing new here, Jose going to Jose vs big games and of course the latest excuse (or lie) is "5 players didn't train" to cover for his team's non-footballing performance. Mourinho's one trick pony tactics being exposed again vs a big team who we can't easily beat with just quality alone. He and his marketing team have done a (very) good job branding him as this tactical mastermind when that couldn't be further from the truth. The myth of him being a tactical genius is simply that, a myth. He's very good in defensive organisation and improving players mentally, but he's very weak in the technical aspect of football. He's achieved a lot on those qualities so far in his career, but I'm not surprised he's struggled to put impose his managerial ethos on that Madrid team and to us.

We have regressed so much technically from 4-5 years ago, despite having better players now, so much so that we can't even build attacks anymore, or a play a passing game with any purpose. Against weaker opposition, he simply tells the players to go out and express themselves, with zero technical input. Hazards said that in an interview the other day, some other players like Robben have said something similar about Mourinho's non-existent "attacking philosophy". When we can't rely on our superior players, we're nothing and barring a miracle, I don't see Mourinho being able to win the CL with these group of players. We literally play the worst football in big games of any big team in Europe.

I can't pretend and say I'm not worried about the direction this team is going. Apart from of one or two minor issues, we have all the qualities to be one of the best teams in the world for the next decade at least, but we're never going to fulfill our true potential if we continue to play football like this. That was a disgusting performance. This team is due a hammering, worse than whatever Spurs did to us. That will be a wake up call to Mourinho and to the club. It's not the first time we've gone in at half-time with a positive performance and result and we come out playing like cowards in the 2nd half, scared shitless. Whose fault is that? The players, or the instructions they were given by their manager at half-time? Don't make me laugh.

Mourinho seriously needs to humble himself and consider building up his philosophy and approach, specifically the attacking aspect of it. I was expecting him to do it last summer, but it's obvious he hasn't. If he doesn't, the game will leave him behind. We've already the rise of new managers like Simeone who can do everything Mourinho does in terms of defensive organisation and also better it by improving his team technically. Even in the eyes of his deluded followers, how can Jose advertise himself as the best when he continues to do the same things that failed so woefully at Real Madrid? If he's unwilling to develop his tactics in the summer, then I maintain he's not the right manager to take this particular "profile" of squad to the next level, irrespective of whether we win the league or not. That's a competition in which you don't have to beat the best to be the best, instead you beat the teams you're clearly superior to. In the Champions League, there's no place to hide. Vs the strongest teams, there's no place to hide. It's important to give Jose credit here. We aren't losing many of these games, but neither are we winning any and neither are we showing any evolution in our style of play.

I maintain that we play this way vs big teams because Mourinho doesn't know any other way how. Don't be deceived by the excuses. Lastly and I'll keep this one short. Jose keeps saying he wants to stay at Chelsea for the next decade. That won't happen if he doesn't evolve tactically and if we continue in this manner in the big games. That's not the way Roman assembled this team to play.

"

perfectly summed up

[Tautvix 1,321]

To all people who talking shit about Mourinho: How Bayern played yesterday with the best attacking coach in the world? Did they create a lot? How many shots on target? Shakhtar must have been blown away by best team with the best coach...

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Just curious if you guys are not satisfied with Jose, whom do you prefer to be on his place at the moment?

[Special Juan 28,187]

He sets us up not to lose, now whilst that maybe all well and good in some cases we need to be far more attack minded in the bigger games. We have all the tools to do so in players like Hazard, Willian, Cudrado, Costa etc.

[Fernando 6,591]

To all people who talking shit about Mourinho: How Bayern played yesterday with the best attacking coach in the world? Did they create a lot? How many shots on target? Shakhtar must have been blown away by best team with the best coach...

That's just a once in a blue moon.

The people criticising mourinho is not for a one game thing is for a recurrent thing.

While they might have a point, I'm not too worried about it and happy with the draw and away goal.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Opposition fans don't sing 'Boring, Boring Chelsea' for no reason.

Who are they??? I didn't hear Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern singing this to be fair. Others, such as United, Arsenal, Liverpool are irrelevant.

United have invested almost 200m and they're playing worse than Chelsea U18s.

And then comes the usual suspects, the moral winners of every competition, Arsenal and Liverpool, the deluded teams with clueless managers/tactics that play fancy football and never win a thing.

What about Liverpool last season?? What about their all out attack tactics?? The stick Mourinho would get for blowing that lead... man, this whole forum would go into complete meltdown.

What you want is a team to entertain you the way Liverpool did last season and defend the "Jose way". That's basically the perfect football team and I'm afraid it does not exist.

And no, it is not called a balanced team. You can't score over 100 goals and allow only 20 with a balanced team. Not even Celtic could do it in SPL, nevermind EPL.

You guys talk about opposition fans, but half of United's fanbase would donate their left bollock to have Jose at Old Trafford.

This thread is quieter than a desert after a Chelsea win, but a mess after every other result. Even after a draw with an away goal that puts you in the driving seat, all you do is moan, moan, moan and fucking moan.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

To all people who talking shit about Mourinho: How Bayern played yesterday with the best attacking coach in the world? Did they create a lot? How many shots on target? Shakhtar must have been blown away by best team with the best coach...

Mourinho used to be the best counter-attacking manager in the world, and I'm a huge fast paced counter style fan. He has completely abandoned his main style and it's starting to get me worried. The last time we pulled off a proper counter-attacking performance was last season against City. Its too few nowadays.

In big away games we attack as if the players just met each other for the first time and there is no sign of a practiced attacking move during the match. Its only the defensive shape I see but no plans in place when city or PSG lose the ball, we just pass to hazard and hopes he runs to the 18box successfully or we send a long hopeful ball to costa and prays he is Drogba.

What has happened to those swift counterattacks of the old Mourinho teams? He needs to implement it here against the big teams. Our weakness can't be as easy as PSG letting us have the ball then we don't know what to do or PSG stopping hazard from running past players by fouling him. It's too easy.

I know our players have weakness of keeping balls under pressure, but I need to watch our team and see some of our attacking pattern once in a while, its looking like too much guess work.

[lionsden 4,689]

Jose said the draw was a fair result. In what world?

[lionsden 4,689]

before the game : PSG will see a different Chelsea from last season.

after the game : 5 of my players didn't train.

And of course, some people still naively buy it. Why wait till your side has been categorically outclassed in every facet of football till you then go on and contradict yourself later? That was the most lopsided 1-1 I've seen in a very long time. More like 5-1. And also, how many times this season have we averaged 1 or 0 shots on target in a match? 4? 5? That's unheard of at Chelsea.

Atleast he didnt blame the fans this time.why can't he just hire an offensive coach to direct attacking drills in training like fergeuson use to do, that way he can focus on what he's actually good at and the team benefits greatly from the balance it brings.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Atleast he didnt blame the fans this time.why can't he just hire an offensive coach to direct attacking drills in training like fergeuson use to do, that way he can focus on what he's actually good at and the team benefits greatly from the balance it brings.

This would make sense. He can focus on his defensive areas and managing the tactics during the game while the attacking patterns is done by the coach. Our counterattacks have been so bad this season and its not looking normal again.