The Mourinho Thread

[Jase 43,479]

Well Mourinho actually said that a couple of weeks back.

The difference between this Chelsea and Chelsea of 04 was actually that, a killer instinct.

That Chelsea was a killer and amazing in defense.

The fact that we are still unbeaten with a team not as good as 04 just speaks volumes of how poor this league has gotten.

United, Arsenal and Liverpool was in a much different level then today.

The league today has an influx of foreign players and a lot of money but quality managers are lacking.

That's a bit nonsensical. What does our lack of killer instinct gotta do with whether the league has poorer or not? This team may not be as good as the one from 2004 but it is still a good team and one that boast a reasonably solid defence. We are still unbeaten because of the good/great performances we have been putting in this season, not because the others have been poorer than before. The other teams arguably have better a team than they did back then and the only issue now is they aren't firing on all cylinders, with some of them still finding their feet and trying to get their season going on an upward trajectory, like City for instance.

[Madmax 9,219]

The fact that we are still unbeaten with a team not as good as 04 just speaks volumes of how poor this league has gotten.

Oh so now we are 6 points ahead of our nearest (realistic) rivals, the league has gotten poor? Weren't everyone wanking themselves silly over 'how competitive the league is' for most of last season?

If Arsenal and Liverpool truly were on a different level a few years ago, why is it that only us and Man U won titles between 2004-2011?

Truth is it's not the league that's gotten poor, there is simply a more even distribution of talent around the division. That's levelled the field a little bit since the top sides aren't guaranteed a win anymore against the mid and lower table sides.

[Muzchap 8,964]

Oh so now we are 6 points ahead of our nearest (realistic) rivals, the league has gotten poor? Weren't everyone wanking themselves silly over 'how competitive the league is' for most of last season?

If Arsenal and Liverpool truly were on a different level a few years ago, why is it that only us and Man U won titles between 2004-2011?

Truth is it's not the league that's gotten poor, there is simply a more even distribution of talent around the division. That's levelled the field a little bit since the top sides aren't guaranteed a win anymore against the mid and lower table sides.

Great post - summed it up exactly

The increase in TV monies and FFP are closing the divide... The bottom 5 teams now are definitely better than the 04 bottom 5...

It's like International football. You used to be able to spank countries 5-0 all the time - those days are gone for 75% of International Teams...

[stroey 2,525]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2810757/Jose-Mourinho-make-Shrewsbury-fan-s-night-greeting-11-year-old-cancer-Capital-One-Cup-clash.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

This makes Mou such a fantastic person.

[Fernando 6,374]

Oh so now we are 6 points ahead of our nearest (realistic) rivals, the league has gotten poor? Weren't everyone wanking themselves silly over 'how competitive the league is' for most of last season?

If Arsenal and Liverpool truly were on a different level a few years ago, why is it that only us and Man U won titles between 2004-2011?

Truth is it's not the league that's gotten poor, there is simply a more even distribution of talent around the division. That's levelled the field a little bit since the top sides aren't guaranteed a win anymore against the mid and lower table sides.

Well not just me but even Mourinho said it as well before.

That in this league there's not been a very good team.

That teams that won has been Okay and basically because the rest haven't been that great.... I think he said something like that, I have to find it then I will post it.

[Fernando 6,374]

That's a bit nonsensical. What does our lack of killer instinct gotta do with whether the league has poorer or not? This team may not be as good as the one from 2004 but it is still a good team and one that boast a reasonably solid defence. We are still unbeaten because of the good/great performances we have been putting in this season, not because the others have been poorer than before. The other teams arguably have better a team than they did back then and the only issue now is they aren't firing on all cylinders, with some of them still finding their feet and trying to get their season going on an upward trajectory, like City for instance.

This:

The league is probably stronger because more teams can fight for the trophy, but a few years ago the better teams were better," he said.

"You think Manchester United won the Premier League last year because they were an unbelievable team? I don't think so. The other contenders didn't have a very good season. It was the same the year before when City won the title. Were they an extraordinary team? I don't think so. Others made so many mistakes that City eventually won the competition.

"In previous years you've had a fantastic Arsenal who were champions without a single defeat [in 2004]. You had a Chelsea with a points record in the Premier League [of 95 in 2005]. You had a United side who won the title after our two wins and had an unbelievable season [in 2007]. I think the champions, in other seasons, were magnificent. And especially in the last two seasons, I've felt they weren't.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/16/jose-mourinho-chelsea-premier-league

Reading that, I concur with Mourinho. We are good but our team ain't nowhere near as good as it used to be.

Back then teams were really good.

That Chelsea of 04 would clearly spank this Chelsea of 14.

[chelseafc9010 224]

Back track 10 years ago and we had our strongest team ever and probably the strongest premier league team ever, Arsenal still had their invincibles, United were a top team as always, and Liverpool were a top team who knocked us out in the semi finals of the UCL. Either the league has gone worse or the other leagues have gotten better, I personally believe our league has just gotten worse, especially if you compare the teams of liverpool and arsenal of then to todays, big difference.

[tiby2979 175]

Yes you're right, you are boring the fuck out of me now, basing your argument on players getting tired and yellow cards is bollocks, we ended with a fucking RED anyway Sherlock, because because because we sat back and invited them to score putting unnecessary pressure on our defence, when we were in the ascendency and completely controlling the game BEFORE the Mikel change, you can see for yourself the possession stats before and after meaning that we are NOW chasing the ball therefore players are getting fatigued instead of keeping possesion and making the opposition run after it - IN THEIR HALF, meaning we making the ball do the work. Hazard was destroying Raphael and its pretty sure he would of gone if we would of continued attacking but but but we lost our momentum with a completely needless change.

Thanks for the tutorial it was riveting.

Is funny you say that when United had more shots and created chances in the first half than in the second half after the Mikel change.

[Madmax 9,219]

The quality of the top teams in the league doesn't decide the overall quality of the league. Otherwise Bundesliga was the greatest league around in 13-14, seeing as Munich won in record time and La Liga is the default best league ever since Ronaldo moved there. Create a competition with the bottom 5 teams of England, Spain, Italy, Germany. Who'll win? Do it for the ones finishing 8-15. Who'll win?

Chelsea's record points total and Arsenal's unbeaten season are unlikely to be replicated not because Chelsea and Arsenal's current sides are poorer than before, but because back then you didn't have such quality in the middle and lower-middle reaches of the table. Would you ever have seen Sigurdsson playing for Blackburn, Bolton or Middlesbrough in 2004 to 2008? The clubs are wealthier, the wealth is distributed somewhat evenly and that has raised competitive levels.

P.S. Fernando, we'll see if Mourinho extends his logic to us this season if we do end up winning at a canter. I thought even Chelsea fans would've started to take his words with a pinch of salt by now, but apparently not.

[Chelsea? 892]

"People aren't interested in personal matters, but Pep got it wrong and I'm surprised by his comments," Vilanova told AS. "No one on the board used my illness to attack him. The club tried to help me as much as possible.

"He visited me once in New York when I'd just arrived, but during my recovery from the operation I was there for two months and I didn't see him. He's my friend and I needed him, but he wasn't there for me. I would have done things differently. I won't say anything else about this."

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/jul/16/barcelona-tito-vilanova-pep-guardiola

Maybe Jose0711 used some harsh words to describe what Pep did, but it's true what he said. He abandoned Tito while he needed him.

Pep is a manager I never want to see at Chelsea, the guy is such a fake gentlemen and control freak.

wow if that quote is true then i'm lost for words. Pep was actually my preferred candidate for the job over Jose 2 years ago but wow.

i don't wanna get into someone's personal life though

[Styles 9,790]

Good analysis by Neville and Carragher on MNF:

After we take the lead we completely abandon the tactics that allowed us to go ahead in the game. Neville is being way too kind to Mourinho when he says it's the players making those decisions themselves. It's almost certainly instructions from the coach; there's no way you go from 55% possession to 25% against a 10-man team without instruction or what happened on Sunday (was it the players who bought on Mikel and took off Hazard etc? No. It was Mourinho.)

[iseah100 5,612]

The quality of the top teams in the league doesn't decide the overall quality of the league. Otherwise Bundesliga was the greatest league around in 13-14, seeing as Munich won in record time and La Liga is the default best league ever since Ronaldo moved there. Create a competition with the bottom 5 teams of England, Spain, Italy, Germany. Who'll win? Do it for the ones finishing 8-15. Who'll win?

Chelsea's record points total and Arsenal's unbeaten season are unlikely to be replicated not because Chelsea and Arsenal's current sides are poorer than before, but because back then you didn't have such quality in the middle and lower-middle reaches of the table. Would you ever have seen Sigurdsson playing for Blackburn, Bolton or Middlesbrough in 2004 to 2008? The clubs are wealthier, the wealth is distributed somewhat evenly and that has raised competitive levels.

P.S. Fernando, we'll see if Mourinho extends his logic to us this season if we do end up winning at a canter. I thought even Chelsea fans would've started to take his words with a pinch of salt by now, but apparently not.

This. Yes, Bundesliga and La liga have 3 of the best, strongest, and richest clubs in the world, but that doesn't make them the best leagues. From top to bottom EPL is stronger, Swansea would beat more than half the teams in La Liga and Bundesliga. It probably has to do with that tv deal that gives those lower table teams more cash.

[the wes 7,212]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDEFneze8VY#t=40 hahahaha

[Fernando 6,374]

Good analysis by Neville and Carragher on MNF:

After we take the lead we completely abandon the tactics that allowed us to go ahead in the game. Neville is being way too kind to Mourinho when he says it's the players making those decisions themselves. It's almost certainly instructions from the coach; there's no way you go from 55% possession to 25% against a 10-man team without instruction or what happened on Sunday (was it the players who bought on Mikel and took off Hazard etc? No. It was Mourinho.)

Like said before we don't have the players yet to set up shop easily like in the past.

If anything instead of being all attack or all defense, wouldn't it be better if we have more possession of the ball?

Since that seems to cater to the players we have in the mid?

So this is the little mistake that Mourinho is making now and more then likely it will give further pain later down the road like semis in CL or what not.

Yes we are in first place and what not, but you also look at the "red flags" so that they don't become a major pain later down the road.

When you winning you want to improve not rest on your laurels.

[Melanicus 5,208]

Shrewsbury fan Lloyd Burton, who's been fighting cancer, poses with his painting of Mourinho next to the man himself.

[Madmax 9,219]

"If Baker and Izzy Brown aren't playing for England in 3 or 4 years, I will consider myself a failure"

Gives them a combined total of 0 minutes against 4th tier opposition while half the squad is injured or completely exhausted. It's okay though, because with our great experienced players we forced the said fourth tier opposition to score an own goal.

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

"If Baker and Izzy Brown aren't playing for England in 3 or 4 years, I will consider myself a failure"

Gives them a combined total of 0 minutes against 4th tier opposition while half the squad is injured or completely exhausted. It's okay though, because with our great experienced players we forced the said fourth tier opposition to score an own goal.

Mind games.

Tricking other managers into thinking they'll play.

GOAT.

[Viper22 2,418]

"If Baker and Izzy Brown aren't playing for England in 3 or 4 years, I will consider myself a failure"

Gives them a combined total of 0 minutes against 4th tier opposition while half the squad is injured or completely exhausted. It's okay though, because with our great experienced players we forced the said fourth tier opposition to score an own goal.

Usually a staunch defender of Mou, but can't argue with what you said about today....