No place for Blues to hide in this clash
TIME was almost up for Mourinho at Stamford Bridge when he made that claim after a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City. Chelsea’s dreadful form had seen them relinquish their Premier League title but he wanted to plant a seed.
As he prepares to return to the place he once called home for the first time since his sacking, the evidence points to Mourinho’s assertion having substance. Did Chelsea over achieve with the man who is now guiding Manchester United? Or is this a lull which will soon end?
I thought Chelsea would dominate for a period of time after they turned the 2014-15 Premier League into a procession. I tipped them to retain their title, as I looked at the spine of their team and saw quality running right through it.
Look at them now. Thibault Courtois has been playing like he wants to leave. Nemanja Matic looks like a little boy lost. Eden Hazard has only scored nine goals for Chelsea since they were crowned champions. Only Diego Costa has shown reasonable form but even he has had issues.
There is much riding on the outcome of this clash for Mourinho. When he arrives at a club, he usually applies the finishing touches and helps teams make that final step to win titles, like at Chelsea and Real Madrid, or the Champions League with Inter Milan and Porto.
His task at Manchester United is different, trying to get them from fifth to first place, and the way they have started under him has been different, too. There have been some early bumps in the road and results have been unspectacular.
He is still looking for that first convincing win and the change may take longer than some would anticipate, even if some United fans fancied their chances of winning the league this season.
But what about Chelsea? I thought they had potential to be title challengers under Antonio Conte, yet if you dissect their results, you can begin to see why Mourinho wanted to illustrate the role he played in the run to the title.
Chelsea have played 30 Premier League games since Mourinho was sacked, winning 13 of them. In eight matches against their traditional rivals: United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal, they have scored six goals and won one fixture, at The Emirates Stadium on January 24.
They have looked terrified in the big games they have contested so far. Is that to do with Conte’s tactics or does it show a bigger problem?
Mourinho will have concocted a plan and it is likely that will be along the lines of what happened at Anfield on Monday. That was his 17th 0-0 draw in the Premier League and it would be no shock if we got No 18 tomorrow.
He couldn’t resist throwing some barbs after that game, referring to Liverpool as ‘the last wonder of the world’ but Mourinho treated them that way at times, with a 6-3-1 formation and his wingers playing as full-backs!
There is an understanding of his methods. Having endured two years of Louis van Gaal, they are prepared to show patience but what happens in 12 months if they are still going to their biggest rivals and seeing Mourinho’s tactics stifling his own team?
With players such as Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford, United fans won’t accept the idea they won’t try to attack. Mourinho suggested last month he is more inclined to play with an ambitious style at United and claimed it was the personnel at Chelsea that led to his style.
He used Juan Mata to illustrate what he had left behind to where he is now but can you see Mourinho using a free spirit such as him if he wants to grind out a point? No. The reasons Mata never played big games at Chelsea for Mourinho still apply now.
And the big games are coming thick and fast for United, with a League Cup clash against City next week and a trip to Arsenal next month. First, though, there is business to take care of against Chelsea and the result will dictate how the last seven days are viewed.
A defeat, particularly if he uses stifling tactics again, would look bad and lead critics to ask why he never made more use of his attacking options. A draw would be reasonable but a win would put United on track. Not only that, it would shine a light on the Chelsea players he left behind.
Sometimes I find myself thinking last season I did an amazing job, brought players to a level not their level. That is one possibility JOSE MOURINHO, DEC 2015