Comment deleted by Site Moderator

I think setting up not to lose away from home is the way set up against the big teams in the league anyway.

If we did have Cech, Terry, Hazard, Eto'o available, I think there was good chance we would have used a mixture of both first and second team like we did Sunday. Our first and second team are both capable of beating Liverpool.

After last weeks defeat we are not in the race anymore. Even with yesterdays win, we are not in the race anymore. Would take something stupid from both teams above us to win it now. City will not throw it away again. I think Mourinho knows that.

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He went for the win. No question. I've said this on previous article and in today's paper Schwarzer confirmed they were there for the win.
What people need to get their heads round is its 90mins and you don't need to go gung-ho to win a match. Slowly slowly catchy monkey. He's done it before and will do it again

With the exception of United away Jose tactics in the big games have been justified. My main criticism of him for this season is that he got tactics in the smaller games wrong - especially at Palace

comment by Kevin De Bruyne #ETO'OOOOOO (U14678)
posted 30 seconds ago
I think setting up not to lose away from home is the way set up against the big teams in the league anyway.

If we did have Cech, Terry, Hazard, Eto'o available, I think there was good chance we would have used a mixture of both first and second team like we did Sunday. Our first and second team are both capable of beating Liverpool.

After last weeks defeat we are not in the race anymore. Even with yesterdays win, we are not in the race anymore. Would take something stupid from both teams above us to win it now. City will not throw it away again. I think Mourinho knows that.
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True, we have played quite reserved against the big sides all season but Sunday's game was a lot more reserved than usual. I think that must be our lowest percentage possession all season.

Also looking at the MNF analysis, we played ridiculously direct. Mostly just long balls up to Demba hoping for a knock down. In other games against the top sides we've been a bit more measured.

I definitely agree that we probably would have seen a few more first teamers had they been fit. I just wonder whether we would have approached the game slightly more attacking.

I'm still harbouring a slight hope we can steal in on the last day. Liverpool and City's games against Palace and Everton away are easy ones in the slightest and there's a strong chance that they'll be dropping points.

Looking at our results this season against the big teams, you could say that away from home he wants a point but at home he wants all three. Not ludicrous to suggest he did go for a draw.

We had the best chances in the game. Ba had a few opportunities to put players in. Schurrle had a good shot, when Willian came on we were such a threat on the counter.

Plus many seem to forget that was a second team, we were expecting nothing and hearing for weeks that Liverpool will play our first team off the park.

comment by Bovrilgate (U6696)
posted 1 minute ago
He went for the win. No question. I've said this on previous article and in today's paper Schwarzer confirmed they were there for the win.
What people need to get their heads round is its 90mins and you don't need to go gung-ho to win a match. Slowly slowly catchy monkey. He's done it before and will do it again
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Possession certainly doesn't win you games, I was just commenting on how reserved we looked in comparison to other games against top teams this season. You could easily compare our performance to the Atletico game in which I'm pretty certain Jose was playing for a draw in.

I think the way we approached the game was probably the best way to nullify Liverpool considering the way they attack. I just think we sat relatively deep compared to other big games. That was most likely to prevent being caught on the counter by Liverpool though - something they've been particularly adept at this season.

Our first goal came from an unforced error from Liverpool, of course we went for the draw.

comment by minididi (U17584)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Kevin De Bruyne #ETO'OOOOOO (U14678)
posted 30 seconds ago
I think setting up not to lose away from home is the way set up against the big teams in the league anyway.

If we did have Cech, Terry, Hazard, Eto'o available, I think there was good chance we would have used a mixture of both first and second team like we did Sunday. Our first and second team are both capable of beating Liverpool.

After last weeks defeat we are not in the race anymore. Even with yesterdays win, we are not in the race anymore. Would take something stupid from both teams above us to win it now. City will not throw it away again. I think Mourinho knows that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

True, we have played quite reserved against the big sides all season but Sunday's game was a lot more reserved than usual. I think that must be our lowest percentage possession all season.

Also looking at the MNF analysis, we played ridiculously direct. Mostly just long balls up to Demba hoping for a knock down. In other games against the top sides we've been a bit more measured.

I definitely agree that we probably would have seen a few more first teamers had they been fit. I just wonder whether we would have approached the game slightly more attacking.

I'm still harbouring a slight hope we can steal in on the last day. Liverpool and City's games against Palace and Everton away are easy ones in the slightest and there's a strong chance that they'll be dropping points.
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I think if we played our first team with all players fit, we would have played the game we did against City. Which was almost perfection on how to play against big title rivals away from home. It was a very well drilled counter attacking game, where we pressed from the top, and when they managed to pile forward, we countered from the ground.

Given the situation we were against on Sunday with the players being out and the match on Wednesday, I believe we approached the Liverpool game correctly.

My frustration is against the smaller teams, where we have not been able to kill teams off. I don't think it's tactics at fault here, more to do with the finishing, as we have created enough chances to win them. E.g Sunderland last week. Should have won that game long before their penalty.

What would Lil' Chris say?

TBK

Was it unforced ? Ba was closing down. Jose planned to hit them second half. The Ba goal was an unexpected bonus but all the same he got his rewards for his chasing. If Ba wasn't doing that Gerrard would not have slipped surely

Anyone who goes for the win against Chelsea loses.
And anyone who goes for a draw against Chelsea wins

Our performances against the lower teams have definitely been frustrating this season.

We've created quite a few chances. Even the Swansea game where we were criticised by quite a few pundits for only winning 1-0 and playing too reserved. We're just not finishing off the opportunities we make in front of goal.

And as much as we blame this on the lack of a world class striker, our midfielders should be good enough to finish off these chances anyway. Maybe we need to do a few more shooting drills in training...

Ba was pressing no harder than any striker will do for any team in the PL these days, he was yards away and just jogging towards him before he slipped. I wuold say it was unforced. Like KDB said with that team away at Anfield nothing wrong with playing for the draw. Two goals coming from Liverpool mistakes were a massive bonus.

Maybe we need to do a few more shooting drills in training...

Been saying this for 3 seasons

do you think you would have won if gerrard didnt slip?

i understand you scored a 2nd goal but that was in injury time and we just had to chuck even the cbs forward

Borvil, Ba wasnt pressing, he was just to the right of gerrard(who if got the ball, had plenty of time to get it away if ba did try to press)

our midfielders should be good enough to finish off these chances anyway. Maybe we need to do a few more shooting drills in training...

__________________

********************** THIS ***********************

Jose has never thought you were out of the race. Not for a second. He knew what he was doing when he said you were the little horse ect. earlier in the season. It's all set up to make his job easier and create the "us vs the world" mentality that all the great managers have used.

Under Jose, you will be successful, and you will win things. He may at some point even turn you into the best football team in the world for a period. He is a truly great football manager, and he has a very clear "Jose Mourinho" type of football. But also under Jose you will never play the way that you would expect the best team in the world to play. He is defensive, cautious and prefers 1-0 to 5-4.

There is NOTHING wrong with that, in so far as the glory is in the victory, and history remembers the victors. But you won't ever see Chelsea fly out, dominate and demolish a top side with fantastic football and flair players like Bayern did last season, Manchester United did under Ferguson at times, like the Real Madrid and Liverpool teams of the past did or the Dutch pass masters and at times Guardiola's Barcelona. You will beat top sides with resilience, strength, discipline capitalization, because that is Mourinho's way, and what makes him a great. Everyone has their own path to glory and Jose's is through defense and impenetrability > attack and style. Many will call him cowardly and such for his methods, but that is born from their own frustrations of not having an answer to it.

To sum up, Jose is a winner. He will always set out to win, whatever the situation, whatever the game, whatever the competition. He will never give up until the last breath, but he will never be openly brave or committal, on or off the field. A cracking manager, with a style and method that you should embrace as your own, because by the end of his time with Chelsea, he will have given you a footballing identity, that he, who will go down as a footballing great, has defined himself with. In many ways, he is already your Alex Ferguson, because his way is the Chelsea way, just like Sir Alex with United. All he has to add is sustained success over a long period with the foundations he has laid. It's everybody else's job to stop him, not Jose's to change because people don't like it.

do you think you would have won if gerrard didnt slip?
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No, and I don't see a problem in admitting that, we still won anyway of course. There was one time we were on the counter attack and Schurrle fecking passed it all the way back to Schwarzer. I think that was before the first goal.

Set out to not lose, frustrate the opposition and hope this leads to you getting a chance you can win the match from.

I don't think he'll have been playing for a draw just cos he wasn't gung ho - he simply would have looked at the players available to him and decided this was the way they were most likely to win the match.

The Number 4.. wow good post

TBK

I remember that pass. I was fuming

Possibly the most negative pass I've seen all season.