Mourinho Creating Europe’s Most Complete Team?

Not only do Chelsea now look assured of their identity, they are playing some of the most dynamic, attacking football in the league. It is not far off to say that Mourinho is building one of the most complete sides in Europe.

When Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea last summer there was sense of feeling that after a tumultuous time at Real Madrid he was now seen as ‘damaged goods’, both in terms of his character and his style of play. United chose Moyes, City opted for Pellegrini and PSG went for Laurent Blanc. All three would have benefited from the quality of Mourinho’s coaching. However neither felt he was the ‘right’ choice. 

Chelsea on the otherhand had resorted to extreme measures to salvage their season by hiring Rafa Benitez and although Champions League and Europa League success had been forthcoming in 2012 and 2013 there was a sense that the club was lacking direction and vision. Bringing Mourinho ‘back home’ appeared a desperate attempt, or admission, that the ‘new era’ at Chelsea which Abramovich had desired had been a relative failure. Fast forward 15 months and the state of Chelsea, as well as the reputation of Jose Mourinho has taken a complete 180 degrees turn. 

The evolving game - a move to completeness

A couple of years ago Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final. It was a one-sided affair in which Chelsea used their defensive might to keep out Bayern’s attack. Somehow Chelsea overcame the odds to win in Munich. Yet the following season it would be Bayern who would return to the final again, this time at Wembley, while Chelsea would only be able to reach the Europa League final. Bayern proved in the 12/13 season to have added further layers to their armoury in terms of playing staff (Dante, Mandzukic, Javi Martinez), coaching staff (Sammer) and tactical approach (the embracing of gegenpressing a key aspect of their improvement). 

Jupp Heynckes had taken the side to another level, a level which had this blog consider that Bayern Munich side ‘the most complete team ever’. By this I meant that Bayern would be almost capable of dealing with any threat from the opposition; high pressing, counter-pressing, strong and physical or slight technicians. In possession they could play counter attack football as good as any side, or they could build up play through the thirds, or if required play a more direct style into Mandzukic or use the wings to exploit sides with the quality and speed of Ribery, Robben, Alaba and Lahm. Every opponent was pushed aside with relative ease and Bayern would dominate Europe that season. 

When Pep Guardiola came in to take Bayern to another level again, there was a sense that perhaps he had actually taken them backwards somewhat. The ‘completeness’ of the tactical setup was now replaced with a possession based game which was reminiscent of his Barcelona side. And as wonderful, captivating and splendid to watch Pep’s Bayern with their quick intricate passing, there was something lost in terms of the defensive might, power and ability to adapt to different opponents which meant Bayern would fall short of defending their European crown. Counter-pressing would win out once again with the Madrid derby being the final. 

So why are we looking at Bayern first? Well there road to greatness shares similarities with what Mourinho is seeking to achieve at Chelsea.

Chelsea's steps towards universality and thus dominance

Universality is a word I have used much in recent months, it is a philosophy which seeks to positional interchange and fluidity in a sides tactical setup. It requires 'complete' footballers who can adapt to different situations and play in a multitude of positions. In the modern game it is also a basis for a team to be able to play in different tactical setups and styles in order to overcome opponents. It is the ‘completeness’ of football and for myself this is the future of football. Bayern under Heynckes showed this move towards universality.

Pep Guardiola is seeking to achieve his own form of universality with Bayern, note his positional rotation of players like Lahm and Alaba particularly. He comes from the totalfootball school of thought passed on to him by Cryuff, who was in turn educated by Rinus Michels. Add in the influences of van Gaal and Marcelo Bielsa and you see the vision and philosophy which Guardiola possesses. 

Now Mourinho and Guardiola have become the protagonists of a philosophical battle in recent years. The Barca vs Real battle reached its crescendo with these two as the leaders of their respective sides and the clash of styles was truly fascinating. Yet these two coaches are not as different as is made out. Both are winners, both are great coaches and it appears that both see the game now and in the future as the same. Both are seeking to develop their sides in the guise of ‘universality’. 

What is evident this season however is that Chelsea appear the more equipped to dominate Europe. In fact they look more like Heynckes Bayern than Pep’s does.

What Jose Mourinho has done in the time he has been at Chelsea is impressive. He lowered expectations last season, pretty much writing off any chance of trophies (even though Chelsea had the league in their own hands and reached the semi-final of the Champions League) with his dismissive nature and mantra of his side not being ‘ready’ to compete. He knew he had inherited a talented group of players yet perhaps not a very well put together squad. 

As Mourinho says in the interview with Gary Neville in The Telegraph last week, 

“We had certain limitations in the team in terms of tactical qualities, technical qualities, and we were aware of that. My style of leadership is not a style. I try to have a leadership that is adapted to the reality. And last year I was feeling that they were not ready for what I call a pressure leadership – or confrontational leadership. The team as a team was mentally – and even tactically – unstable. We couldn’t cope with certain moments of the game. My feeling is that obviously this season we’re going to lose matches, but I don’t think we are going to lose matches because we couldn’t cope with a certain moment, or a specific [part] of the game.

There were issues which needed addressing and he would seek to spend the first season addressing the team’s needs and building for this present season. Tactical development came about in the form of his favoured 4-2-3-1 and the coaching of his now famous ‘low block’ defensive setup. Yet there was also a sense of developing a high pressing game (when warranted). In possession his side used and relied on the skills of Eden Hazard greatly, perhaps too much at times. Yet it appeared the team struggled mentally last season, losing games they shouldn't have. 

What was clear was the team needed a new centre forward, one with more strength, dominance and ruthlessness. Costa was the perfect fit for his style and approach, a Drogba type forward who had the killer instinct in front of goal. As Mourinho says,

"I think the team of 2005 had one plus in relation to this team, which was killer instinct. Every time we could kill matches, we killed matches. I don’t remember matches where we had the opponent and didn’t kill. It was a team that never gave a chance to the opponent to survive. This team is not there. We are more artistic, I believe. We have better control of the game by having the ball, and by knowing how to move between players – the circulation of the ball. We have some guys still in the line between the artistic side and the objective side. We need to kill more matches.”

What is clear is that Costa has brought that ruthlessness to Chelsea. He very rarely wastes opportunities in front of goal. And Mourinho has added steel in his midfield which was lacking in the early parts of the last season. He seeks a defensive midfielder in the form of a Essien type and Nemanja Matic is the perfect player for Mourinho's system and approach. He is dominant, strong and disciplined, a formula Mourinho's seeks in his players and teams. 

What was also necessary was a player who could be a link between midfield and attack in the way Lampard used to be in his prime and Mourinho knew there was much to do. Cesc Fabregas was the perfect signing and his understanding with Costa and Hazard has given the side what it lacked last season. 

The choices available in attack in the form of Hazard, Oscar, Fabregas, Schurrle and Willian is frightening. Add in the robustness of Ramires (a player Mourinho relies on greatly in big games) and the quality of Loic Remy in attack and you sense Chelsea are built to achieve great things this season. When you add in the quality of Courtois, possibly 2^nd behind Neuer as the world’s best keeper, the addition of Luis Felipe and the development of Azpilicueta at full back (modern wing backs who are capable of defending excellently as well as offering quality in attack) and you see the enhancement of the squad and the ability of Mourinho to provide different options based on the opposition. In the space of a year Chelsea have been transformed into a side lacking an identity when he first arrived to one which now looks built to deal with any threat the opposition can offer. 

His decision to allow Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata, David Luiz and Romelu Lukaku shows his ruthless side and highlights his decision making in terms of players ability to deal with his disciplined demands in terms of tactics. Cole and Lampard were players past their prime who needed moving on while Mata and Luiz in particular were tactically ill-disciplined for Mourinho. The fact Chelsea have made profit on players who were deemed surplus to requirements highlights the impressive business model Chelsea have created.

The genius of Mourinho - he is the special one

And what makes Chelsea so special? Well their coach of course. Mourinho is a genius, in terms of his ability to persuade his players to sacrifice themselves for the team and give themselves offer to the tactical strategy (Man City and Liverpool away last season were both ‘master-classes’ of preparation, strategy and execution), as well as being able to put in place the right type of players required to fill the voids in the side. 

And importantly, what makes Mourinho so impressive, and why he is capable of achieving so much in the game, is because he is a pragmatist. He is malleable, adaptable and versatile in his approach to games. He is not distracted by idealism, of philosophies like other coaches are. He prepares his sides to win, no matter what and how. In the interview with Neville Mourinho offers his thoughts on philosophies, 

“I am not fundamentalist in football. What I mean is that in football you have your ideas, you die with your ideas. No.” He is very animated now. “People ask me: what is your model of play? I say: model of what? Model of play against who? When? With which players? Model of play what [scrunching his face]? What is that? I don’t know. My model of play is to build from the keeper to Eden Hazard? My model of play is that I have to find where is the weakness of my opponent and where is his strength. Is Diego Costa stronger than this guy [a centre-back]? The model of play. What is that? For me the model of play is the principles I establish with my team as priority principles which give us a certain DNA, but that’s the depth.The same thing as ‘a project’. The project has to be flexible. The project is never the same from when we start to when we end."

There is perhaps no one else like him in this respects, at this level of the game. His flexibility and willingness to adapt and change his style and approach. He is not distracted by ideals of playing a certain way, or of entertaining the fans. His focus is to win. Which is what makes him fascinating to study, what makes him so successful and why he is often criticised. Is it ugly football? Sometimes. Is it successful? Most often yes. However this season we are seeing a new level to Mourinho’s style.

There is a genuine quality in the sides play and a growing appreciation or ‘trust’ in his side to retain possession, to circulate the ball and to dominate games with the ball. Mourinho's approach last season was an education for his players, a way to mould the young players to his ways and offer them a variety of approaches to achieve results. With the new additions Mourinho now has more options available to him to provide this tactical and stylistic flexibility. This is what makes this Chelsea side perhaps the most complete we have seen since Abramovich arrived. They are scoring goals for fun, playing delightful football, yet also looking disciplined, focused and defensively strong. This is not too dissimilar to what Bayern were under Heynckes, and we know what happened in that 2012/13 season.

Mourinho looks to be happy and composed at Chelsea. He sees himself in this one for the long term, and there does appear a sense that he believes this is just beginning. "in five years I’m going to have Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Azpilicueta, Zouma, in the best moment of their careers, and the fantastic players I have now, at 28, 29. A fantastic team with lots of solutions.” If Mourinho can prove his 'short term' managerial position wrong this time around then we may be seeing the beginning of something very special at Stamford Bridge for the next five years.

A few years ago it appeared Mourinho had been overtaken by a new generation of coaches, his reputation had been ruined while at Madrid. He looked to have lost that 'specialness'. Yet you simply cannot write him off, he adapts and evolves to stay relevant and now appears to be the coach leading the future game, seeking to develop a 'complete' team, a formula for success in the present and future game. Tactical flexibility, players who can adapt to different styles and strategies, this is the future game, and right now it appears it is Chelsea leading the way.

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

Following up from the acclaimed The Way Forward | Solutions to England’s Football Failings Matthew Whitehouse brings you Universality | The Blueprint for Soccer’s New Era, looking at the evolving game and pointing to what the future game holds. 

In Universality Whitehouse looks at the past two decades of the game assessing the key changes in tactics, philosophies and positions. Whitehouse lays down his thoughts on where the future game is heading. 
For those with an interest in the game, especially coaches, this is a book you will not want to miss!

You can get your copy of Universality here