Chelsea

[Sarb]

Samuel was calling him a great manager last week for beating the best in England and Spain. Funny how he is lauded for jamming a win with **** negative tactics that this country was derided for for years. Its embarassing the football they play

Ingham was funny. Fell for his bull****

Saw a funny comment on bbc saying he had performed a miracle having no defence, midfield or attack. Wtf. Where did Romans 100m get spent?

[Fredo]

I think he's losing it and has been since his last season at Real. His ideas and tactics don't seem to work anymore in the grand scheme of things, so he's resorting to defence mechanism, that is defend his record. Only thing is that football has changed and his methods does look antiquated now.

[Sarb]

I think his methods have gone backwards. I am sure he was never this defensive in playing style in his previous stint

[Muddled]

The siege mentality he tries to install in his teams is faltering.

Terry, Lampard, et al fell for it. Casillas, Ronaldo (to an extent), probably Hazard (now) and a number of others can see through it.

He's picked his positions well to boost his CV but it's short-termism and his longevity is short and diminishing.

[RichC]

His first season with Robben & Duff was pretty attacking if I remember rightly and was probably the best football I'd seen any of his sides play, after that he moved to a more defensive set up and he's not evolved his style of football at all.
It's always a war of attrition when playing one of his sides and it's awful to watch, case in point was the game yesterday vs Norwich where he's got a team of superstars unable to create almost anything against a side that's been put together on a shoestring budget, now you can have games like that from time to time but it happens time and again with this Chelsea side.

[Shaggy]

War of attrition is right. It's the only way he knows in big games. Before the Atleti semi-final 2nd leg, these were his CL semi-final results as Chelsea manager.

0-0
0-1
1-0
0-1
0-0

1 goal scored in 480 minutes (inc extra time)

[Sarb]

I am agreeing with you again Casemore . Probably worrying you

Think its spot on. His first sesson was attacking. But he seems to be regressing into a defensive style. He slated Oscar, Luiz and Hazard. His most creative players. Football has moved on but he has gone the other way

[Sarb]

War of attrition is right. It's the only way he knows in big games. Before the Atleti semi-final 2nd leg, these were his CL semi-final results as Chelsea manager.

0-0
0-1
1-0
0-1
0-0

1 goal scored in 480 minutes (inc extra time)

Thats because he has no strikers

[RichC]

Wow, that's awful isn't it.

He turns CL football into the worst kind of match play sport, I get the concept of what he does but for me football is supposed to be entertainment and they offer none whatsoever (unless you count when it goes tits up for them)

[RichC]

Yup, none at all

[Fredo]

Think his first season was attacking due to Roman Abramovich's influence. He wanted an attacking team and always have. That's one of the reasons they fell out a few years later. Wherever he's been, Mourinho has devised defensive tactics - a we can't lose mentality, rather than we will win mentality.

[wiw]

Think his first season was attacking due to Roman Abramovich's influence. He wanted an attacking team and always have. That's one of the reasons they fell out a few years later. Wherever he's been, Mourinho has devised defensive tactics - a we can't lose mentality, rather than we will win mentality.

I see what you're getting at there, but come on...he's won trophies wherever he has gone.

[Fredo]

Oh don't get me wrong, it works. His greatest quality is his man management, not his tactical nous. It's easier to set up and coach that kind of system. It's all about selling it to his players. Never really worked at Madrid for example.

[wiw]

I would agree, but he is no slouch tactically either. I don't mean to sound like a Mourinho apologist, because i'm not , but tactically he is excellent. By that i don't necessarily mean formations etc, more that he is happy to do absolutely anything to win a football game. Don't get me wrong though, he is a cunt

[john316]

Where does tactically excellent end and defensive football start?