Team Focus: Wily Mourinho Waits for Liverpool's Mistakes to Win
One of the problems with José Mourinho is that he says so much, in such a range of tones, with such a range of intentions, that it’s never easy to separate out the truth from the bluster. He has, though, consistently spoken of his dissatisfaction with his striking options and it may be that, ultimately, that’s what costs him in the league. This has been a strange season for Chelsea: excellent against the top sides and indifferent against those lower down the league.
Of 12 games against the other teams in the top seven, Chelsea have won eight, drawn three and lost only once, away at Everton. Even more significantly, since drawing at Arsenal on December 23, Chelsea have won seven in a row against those top sides. Those 12 games have yielded 27 points, or 2.25 per game; the other 24 so far have brought just 51, or 2.125 points per game. There might not be a huge difference in those figures, but there is a huge difference in terms of those figures against expectation. Put simply, when Chelsea have faced teams who have defended deep and in numbers against them, they have struggled to make the breakthrough and – at times – have become frustrated and defensively ragged as a result.
According to Diego Torres, at Real Madrid, Mourinho came up with a code for big games, particularly away from home: “1. The game is won by the team who commits fewer errors. 2. Football favours whoever provokes more errors in the opposition. 3. Away from home, instead of trying to be superior to the opposition, it’s better to encourage their mistakes. 4. Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake. 5. Whoever renounces possession reduces the possibility of making a mistake. 6. Whoever has the ball has fear. 7. Whoever does not have it is thereby stronger.”
A view more diametrically opposed to that which prevailed in La Liga at the time is hard to imagine. Both sides of the debate wanted control, but while Pep Guardiola and the devotees of tiki-taka sought to achieve it through possession, Mourinho looked to do it through position. He would defend his own goal, pack men behind the ball, wait for the error, then pick off the opposition with carefully regulated counter-attacks.
In that regard, the statistics for Chelsea’s away wins at Manchester City and Liverpool are telling. At the Etihad this season as a whole, City have averaged 58.7% possession. Against Chelsea, they had 65%. It was a similar story at Anfield. Over the whole season, Liverpool at home have averaged 56.6% possession. Against Chelsea they had 73%. Chelsea, in away games as a whole have averaged 52.3% possession. Against the other two members of the top three, though, they have self-consciously allowed the opposition to dominate the ball.
Perhaps even more startling is the shots on goal stats. Liverpool at home have averaged 19.9 shots per game over the course of the season. Against Chelsea they had 26. City have averaged 19.4 shots per game at home over the season. Against Chelsea they had 24. So Chelsea’s approach, their means of taking control, paradoxically allowed more shots on goal. Only three of City’s shots were on target, though; only eight of Liverpool’s. And that hints at the hidden statistic: these weren’t good chances. A lot of them were speculative long-rangers: Steven Gerrard alone attempted 9 shots for Liverpool as he desperately sought to atone for the mistake Mourinho had known would come at some point.
Weaker teams than City and Liverpool, of course, don’t mind if Chelsea sit back. The majority of sides would be happy with a draw even at home against Chelsea – and when Chelsea come forward, they make mistakes, as they did – twice – against Sunderland, failing to pick up Marcos Alonso from an obvious corner ploy to give Connor Wickham the first, before Cesar Azpilicueta twice slipped, first to give Jozy Altidore the ball and then to concede a penalty.
Liverpool could have sat back. A draw would have been fine for them. But Mourinho, with his talk of weakened teams and his own side’s blatant time-wasting, goaded Liverpool to come forward – as, given they’d won their previous 12 games and seemed to be marching to the title on a euphoric tide of attacking abandon, they were always likely to. They could have waited for Chelsea to make a mistake; instead they made their own.
What do you make of Mourinho's successful tactics? Let us know in the comments below
Fuck Mourinho, coward
Mourinho went mad when Big Sam used same tactic against Chelsea you should forget that.
In Kosovo we say "ma mire o me ta dasht se me dit me lu"
Often there were 6 in the last line particularly from 65 mins on. How do you get round this. They tried and couldn't play through the middle so the answer must be wide players and getting crosses in? Why didn't Liverpool do this?
Mourinho is good in defending not many top manager can do dat.
In venice we say "piu culo che testa", more luck than ability.
Nice article. It's amazing how Mou's need to beat Pep allowed him to perfect the art of bus parking while winning. Those 7 points perfectly describe how his sides play against top opposition. Though I personally don't admire Mou's style it certainly works, and makes me wonder how does one defeat a team that plays such football - none of the managers so far has an answer.
@rust.cohle That's why you see Chelsea struggle against the teams on the bottom half, who invite Chelsea to leave their goal and make Chelsea eat their own medicine.
@rust.cohle By letting them have the ball. It's impossible for them to get into defensive shape when they are attacking.
@linden139 I dont think that would work when the team is consciously aware it has to defend - like for example against Liverpool. I think currently it is very difficult to beat a team that has 10 players in their own half with 7 of them in the box only playing on the counter. You need a moment of extraordinary skill from a player/team or sheer luck to get the ball in the net. I don't think any manager has tried-and-tested tactic to beat such a team - but we will get there soon I hope, for the sake of the game ;)
@rust.cohle Fair point. Yea at the moment, the best tactics against such a team is not footballing tactics but off-the-pitch tactics such as labeling it as anti-football, 19th century, or Bus-Parking. That might be discrediting too much, but they need to understand that it is definitely not "joga bonito".
In 6 days, Chelsea stopped 3 strikers that have 77 league goals between them reducing them to a single shot on target. Not every 'parked bus' could pull that off
@jenny and that's why everone is jealous of mourinho playstyle they just cant admit that it's so goddamn powerful , even simeone play with a parking bus but when diego does it it became holy and amazing but when chelsea does it they say oh thats so boring and way defensive !! Even so atleti have one of the best strikers in the world atm ( Costa ) something that chelsea is lacking
@jenny And this is the most telling stat of all. Yes you could go on about defensive football but stopping Costa, Suarez, and Sturridge from scoring against Chelsea? Impressive stuff
Everyone knew how Chelsea would setup, but Liverpool just didn't have the cutting edge to break them down. Gerrard in particular has to shoulder the responsibility for the loss, not just for his mistake, but his countless efforts to atone for his error from distance rather than looking to find a teammate in a better position.
@WilliePete finally , someone that can critisize on a neutral way , other than blaming the winner because he make the champs suffer
19th century tactics with no efforts at all. With all the multi-million spent on quality players you still play like a small depleted club is a failure for a coach and cringeworthy for wise players. Bus-parking is something every coach can do , line-up 5-6 players on the box , 3 in front and keep a striker roaming around like a knob. Even a hoax like Di Matteo did it and to be honest such negative tactics are destroying football but some jose's callous chums would cherish it gullibly calling him special one and look upto him because they have no one to look upto in real like. But every footy fan knows jose is no sepcial at all and extravagantly loathsome hypocritical character. Its sad to see such negative boring and spineless football triumphing.
@commandozap In 6 days, Chelsea stopped 3 strikers that have 77 league goals between them reducing them to a single shot on target. Can di matteo do that ?! You must be insane if you think so ! Even that your comment based on hate and not logic
@commandozap @blamer why we dont see such comments when ancelotti or simeone is parking bus ?! Real madrid spend way more than chelsea !!
@commandozap life* in first comment
@commandozap For once I agree with every single word that you said! :) But honestly now, did you feel the same way about Mou and these tactics when he used them to strong effect to beat Barcelona?
@wsamara Never really liked his tactics , he just knew counter-attacking style and in his final season he got pulverized. It was more Ronaldo show than Jose tactics during his time at madrid. Cr7 bailed him innumerous times from farce and predicament. When Jose despite players 100% efforts made them culpable , he was deported for his lunacy
Congratulation to Mourinho he is a better parked bus driver than Big sam......
the special one :) special parking bus....hihihi
@blamer why we dont see such comments when ancelotti or simeone is parking bus ?!