Mourinho's Tactical Failings

For the past decade this is a coach who seems to have planned every move and action meticulously, yet this season Mourinho has been guilty of one bad decision after another, is he doing this on purpose?

This year hasn't been great for Chelsea. The first day involved a 5-3 defeat to Spurs which alerted us to the vulnerability of this ‘dominant’ Chelsea side. Mourinho learnt his lessons from this game and Chelsea went back to being a bit more Mourinho-esque in their approach. This open attacking football may have been providing ‘entertaining’ football, yet it was leaving Chelsea exposed defensively. 

Up until this point remember Chelsea were one of the best sides in Europe in terms of their attacking brand of football. It appeared Mourinho had evolved his own style to fit in with the desire of the owner to play a better brand of football. However that Spurs game, in which Chelsea’s midfield was tore open and their defence exposed rather worryingly, put an end to this attacking approach. 2015 saw Mourinho revert to type and Chelsea became ‘boring’ once again. 

Chelsea would go undefeated until the title was officially won, where they would lose 3-0 to West Brom. Yet inbetween the Spurs game and West Brom on 18^th May Chelsea won 11 games, drew 5 and conceded just conceded just 9 goals. This was Mourinho football, and it won Chelsea the league. He realised his error in that Spurs games, realised that perhaps as good as his side were with the ball, they needed to be better without it. They needed to be more functional and organised in their tactics. Chelsea played ‘winning’ not ‘boring’ football and ended with the league and cup. 

Now the PSG game interspersed with these games did highlight some worrying aspects, such as fitness and fatigue, yet Chelsea didn’t lose either tie. This blog defended Chelsea’s approach in 2015, it even proclaimed that they could become a dynasty! Yet it did state that Chelsea choked the tie vs PSG away out of fear. 

A lack of leaders, a lack of additions and a lack of fitness

What Chelsea required was extra re-inforcements in the summer. The year previous saw ruthless precision in the transfer market; in came Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis and the re-called Thibaut Courtois. What additions! And Chelsea thrived from these players. Yet the squad needed more! And it’s fair to say that the summer of 2015 was nowhere near good enough for Chelsea or Mourinho. 

A quality centre forward was needed, yet they brought the 'past his peak' Falcao in on loan. A centre back was required, yet they couldn’t land any of their targets. A centre midfielder to support Matic was essential, yet they let the obvious choice of Schneiderlin move to United. Sami Khedira who ended up at Juve on a free would have been a good addition also. The key positions weren’t filled effectively. Who they did sign was interesting. They signed Kenedy who arrived from Fluminense for £6m and made late additions of Pedro (a good buy – yet another right winger – a position which Mourinho has failed to make work in recent seasons – with players like Salah, Schurrle and Cuadrado not cutting it for Mourinho’s tastes) and Baba Rahman (a player with potential - after letting a world class Filipe Luis to return to Atlei) pointed to a rather un-inspiring transfer window. It seemed that he was also advised to give Ruben Loftus-Cheek more opportunities. The plan seemed 'potential over proven quality'. 

Yet of course Mourinho, who is of the mentality in immediate results over long term ‘planning’, this window was disastrous. Did he want these young players? Does he want to help bring through youth? I am not sure. He often criticises young players for their shortcomings and naivety. He never seems to trust them. So, when the club advises him to invest more into the young players, has he thrown his toys out after not getting his way in terms of new signings?

And it wasn’t just the arrivals which Mourinho would have been frustrated about, out went Petr Cech and Didier Drogba, two of the most important players in Chelsea’s recent history. Only one now remained, John Terry. The core of the team this past decade, the players who had been the leaders of the team, especially with the managerial changes, had now departed. The core which had taken Chelsea to Champions League success; Terry, Lampard, Cole, Drogba, Essien and Cech, had now left the club. This point is hugely significant and a reason for why Chelsea are struggling this season. 

Before, if the team fell on tough times, would fall back on these leaders and they would pull the team through. They had the experience and mentality (instilled from when Mourinho arrived in 2005) which made Chelsea winners. Now all that was left was an ageing Terry. And as it has shown, Chelsea look devoid of leadership right now. The signs of this weren’t  necessarily clear early in 2015, it seemed a smart move from Mourinho to close out the league. Granted the game versus Hull away highlighted some worrying moments, especially from Ivanovic, and the PSG games made Chelsea look tired and fatigued. 

So the lesson here was clear, Chelsea had started the previous season too quickly, they had aimed to have an explosive start and take the league on early, and it had worked. But it had cost them in Europe. Therefore this time around they would begin with less energy, would work their way into the league, have a gradual development physically, with the aim to ‘peak’ mid-February to April. But this has cost them dearly. 

The loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield was a terrible performance, yet you can put that loss down to potential dis-interest but it was actually evidence of deeper issues. The league started and this slow start has been terribly costly. The problem with trying to periodise the season is that you will have to accept a slow start and a gradual build up, but it seems the players and coach seemed confused about what is happening. They don't just look slow, they look unfit. Perhaps it hasn’t been periodization but negligence? Did Mourinho take his eye off the ball this summer? Did he allow complacency to appear in his squad? 

We don’t expect this from Mourinho, a coach who for a decade has been exceptional, and while some don’t necessarily like him or like how his teams play, they can’t argue with his record. But so far this season this has appeared a very un-Mourinho type team. They look like they lack intensity, energy and consistency.

Now the off-field issues haven’t helped, whether the Eva Carneiro situation has become a major distraction and has led to divisions within the squad between players and Mourinho is unknown, but it does seem to have correlated with poor performances. And it hasn’t helped Mourinho at all. All his talk about referees and decisions going against his side are more typical of Mourinho in his deflection tactics. Yet they are simply making him more and more delusional as people are seeing a capitulation of a championship side. Deflection won’t work here.

Tactical issues which bring more alarm than anything off-field 

The Man City game was a chance for Mourinho to put his doubters quiet and show them that when they wanted to Chelsea could still compete and show their quality. But it was a shambles. Possibly the worst performance I’ve ever seen from a Mourinho side in a ‘big’ game. He got it all wrong tactically, yet the players also executed terribly. We had become accustomed to see Mourinho dominate these type of games both tactically and mentally, yet this was disastrous. And then he threw John Terry under the bus by subbing him. I’m not saying it was the wrong choice tactically, but it made such a significant impact on what was happening with Chelsea, and the mentality of Mourinho. He took his stalwart out, his reliable general was removed. This was massively significant  

Since then we have seen Mourinho mis-treat his other two best performers of last season, Matic and Hazard. It seems he is punishing players who he relied on last season to succeed?! The question is why? Did these players let him down with their attitudes in the pre-season? All three look un-fit. Or did they disagree with his handling of the Carneiro situation? If it is simply performance based, surely he needs to instil in these players confidence? Not take them off in big games, or sub them after coming on as a sub in the case of Matic versus Southampton, or after 55 mins for Hazard in the game versus Liverpool who was replaced for a 19 year old. What is Mourinho doing? 

Is he playing a game? Is he trying to get himself sacked? For a man who has been so in control of his actions, words and overall control of his teams this past decade, this really does like he is falling apart. For me the issue is what is happening on the pitch. 

Mourinho is a coach who is up there with the best when it comes to making substitutions or tactical alterations which help to improve his sides chances to close out games or win games. However this season these decisions have been baffling. He appears to be jeopardising his team rather helping them. It just seems madness to me, because this is so very unlike Mourinho. Has the pressure got to him? Is this a protest to the owner for not getting the players he wanted (and needed) in the summer? Is he forcing himself to be sacked? 

Let’s look at the Liverpool game. This was a massive game anyway, yet even more so for Mourinho. The pressure has never been higher on him for a game in October. It seemed he was coaching for his job. He set up with Mikel and Ramires in midfield, and put the midfield liability Fabregas on the bench. 

I think Cesc is a good player and is one of the best for creating/scoring goals, however he is liability defensively and was covered a lot by Matic last year. However with Matic struggling badly this year, Cesc and thus Chelsea have been exposed even more. The fact he persevered with him as long as he did was confusing in itself.  Similar with Ivanovic, who had been getting exposed and targeted by teams because of his woeful start. Yet of all the players to show loyalty to out of Terry, Matic and Hazard, it seemed strange to keep trusting Fabgreas. To drop him in this game highlighted a realisation that he couldn’t rely on him to deal with a Liverpool side who deployed a number of playmaking 10’s. 

Chelsea took an early lead and sat back quite quickly, allowing Liverpool to have much of the ball. This was more like Mourinho. Yet a lapse in concentration in the final minute of the half, again something you don’t expect from a Mourinho side, they allowed Coutinho to score. Perhaps 1-1 would be acceptable for Mourinho, yet he seems intent on trying to win games, perhaps understandable because of their situation, but the Spurs game on Jan 1^st highlighted his teams vulnerability when they play too open. 

His decision to take Hazard off at 55 mins was significant – yes Hazard hadn’t done anything of note in the game, but this was your teams best player, surely you trust him to find that moment to help win the game? But it was the 70^th min change which determined the game. Benteke had come on in the 62^nd min and Klopp’s strategy was clear. 1-1 in the final 30 mins, let’s go longer and get Benteke flicking on and bullying the Chelsea defence. So when the 70^th sub was made, one thought that if Mikel was coming off, only understandable because of him being on a yellow, perhaps Matic would come to provide front cover for the defence? Wrong. On comes Fabregas. Meaning Chelsea’s midfield cover was Fabregas and Ramires. Incredible! 

And on 74 minutes the damage was done immediately. Amazingly Azpilicueta came out of defence to press in the midfield with Kenedy covering for him at left back, was this part of the pressing strategy? Or was it players doing their own thing, playing against orders? It seemed a strange choice and Chelsea were punished for it. Benteke couldn’t believe his luck and pulled out to the winger and headed across the 18 box with ease, no-one could get close to Coutinho and it was 2-1. A long ball could have been dealt with had there been a more commanding presence in the midfield. 

And the third goal again was because of the flaws in the midfield. It was a shambles to be honest. Three players tried to deal with Benteke, who pulled 15 yards deeper than Chelsea’s defence. Terry was one of those who went with him and got pulled out of position, would he have done this with better midfield cover? Azpilicueta also came out of position (again!) and left a huge hole, and when Benteke won the flick on Chelsea were in trouble as Ibe had possession and little pressure on him. Terry couldn’t get back as the gap was too big and he quite frankly can hardly run. Chelsea couldn’t get close to Benteke who took Ibe’s pass and finished easily. 

It was shocking from Chelsea, a team who’ve we come to rely on for defensive organisation and strength. They were all over the place here. Was there seriously no strategy to deal with Benteke? To deal with long balls from deep? And when Mourinho did have the chance to make a change to counter this threat, he took off Mikel and put Fabregas in there? Are you kidding me? 

Mourinho's game playing - is he purposefully jeopardising Chelsea? 

There are only two viable reasons for these decisions; Mourinho has lost his mind, the pressure has got to him and thus his decision making has become seriously affected. Perhaps the players have simply stopped listening to him, stopped working for their manager. This seems a possibility, and there has been a trend with Mourinho that often in his third season cracks start to emerge and players start dropping off. The issue appears to be players being unable to keep the high standards and intensity in their play. 

But this seems to be the worst we've ever seen. Conceding an average of two goals per game, being exposed time and time again. This is the opposite of what we've come to expect from a Mourinho side. The mentality of the team seems weak, seems frail. They look scared almost, playing with fear. It goes back to the issue regarding a lack of leaders and the inability to bring in the quality of players required to replace certain players in this squad who had past their peak. 

When watching Chelsea, and when analysing Mourinho's tactical set-up and also his substitutions in games, there is a genuine concern that Mourinho is purposely jeopardising his team. To expose his team so obviously in the game versus Liverpool is quite amazing to me. He did similar in the game vs Southampton by taking off Matic. In the loss to West Ham Bilic brought on Carroll and Chelsea couldn't/didn't deal the new threat. 

Are these decisions sending a message to the owner regarding not being backed to get the players he wanted in the summer? Has he embarked on another 'battle' within the club like he did at Madrid? 

For a coach who for a decade has been one of the best tacticians going, especially in terms of defending and denying the opposition chances to score. His tactical decisions simply don’t make sense. The casual pre-season, the lack of fitness and sharpness in his side, and the way he has treated his key players, all points to Mourinho seemingly jeopardising his teams results. The only valid reason for all this is that he wishes to be sacked. 

Perhaps the lack of quality additions in the summer annoyed him, perhaps allowing Cech to join Arsenal was blow to him, perhaps he obsessed too much about the PSG tie that he planned on succeeding in 2016 and took his eye off the ball in 2015. Perhaps the Eva Carneiro situation has led to a toxic situation within the club. All these factors appear to have culminated together to produce a major crisis at the club. Chelsea right now are a mess. And Mourinho is the reason for this. 

This is a coach who I have respected for a decade, yet he has become an embarrassment, not in terms of his interviews and personality, that is little different to previous times, yet in terms of his tactics. I am appalled at what I'm witnessing. If there was one thing you could rely on with Mourinho it was his ability to plan and strategize in games, to have tactical masterplans to outwit the opposition, to be defensively organised, to work hard to press as a team. Unfortunately, this is not the case this season, and that is extremely disappointing. 

If Mourinho does manage to get to February perhaps he can turn the season and go and win the Champions League as per his strategy for this season appeared to be. But the way it’s looking it doesn’t seem as though Mourinho has that much time left, the players appear to be playing at 50% of their level and not many managers in the past decade have survived this kind of season. And unfortunately I feel he is happy about this. He looks like a man who wants out and has jeopardised his teams performance to make this happen. This is a terrible thing to accuse a top coach of, however it seems the only explanation. 

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address