Mourinho Master Class Stifles City Slickers

Article by e-Chelsea Correspondent Robert Wake

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Sky called it ‘Showdown’, not the most inventive billboard they have come up with when trying to promote a game that really needed no promoting. Post game, they referred to it as a Mourinho Master Class, and I cannot argue with that. As a Chelsea fan, we knew that we would not suffer the type of heavy defeat that had befallen United, Tottenham and Arsenal amongst others this season. We knew Chelsea would be resilient, organised and strong-willed – they invariably are, and nearly always in the big games. Many pundits expected Chelsea to ‘Park The Bus’ and try and grind out a draw. There were no buses on show, but one exceptional coach.

Mourinho comes alive for this type of game. Tactically, he as good as anyone in the game today, and better than most. He respects the opponent’s strengths, and attempts to neutralise them, but is also aware of any weaknesses, however small, that may give his team an advantage. On Monday he believed Manuel Pellegrini would stick rigidly to his favoured 4-4-2 formation, because he always does. With that in mind, Mourinho selected an extra man in midfield, as he had done in securing draws away to Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal earlier in the season.

That Chelsea went one better this time was the result of a well-drilled team performance in which Nemanja Matic excelled. Many scoffed when Chelsea paid £21m to bring back Matic from Benfica last month, but Mourinho knew what he was getting, a technically gifted footballer housed inside a 6ft 4 frame. Just the type of player to go toe to toe with the likes of Yaya Toure, as he did on Monday to great effect. Mourinho realised that against City you need pace and power. It meant he had to sacrifice one of his ‘untouchables’ in Oscar for this game, as Hazard and Willian are better suited to the swift counter-attack that Chelsea utilised on numerous occasions at The Etihad. Whether Chelsea line up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, it is effectively a 6-4 formation. Six players stay behind the ball, and the other four are allowed pretty much carte blanche to roam wherever they want in the opposition’s final third. On Monday, this tactic rather negated the usual threat posed by City’s full-backs, Zabaleta and Kolarov, as they needed to be aware of Chelsea springing quickly from defence with the pace of Hazard and Willian a constant threat. David Luiz and Matic were the springboards for these attacks, harrying, chasing and winning the ball before releasing the front four players on lightning counters. City were not helped by the loss of Fernandinho alongside Yaya Toure in midfield, and were forced into playing the cumbersome Martin Demichelis, which in turn forced Toure to play a little deeper than normal, allowing Chelsea’s excellent centre-backs to concentrate on nullifying the threat posed by Negredo and Dzeko.

This was an excellent performance by Chelsea. Masterminded by Mourinho on the training ground in the days before the game, and carried out brilliantly by a group of players who are growing stronger by the week. Mourinho claims that Chelsea are the ‘Little Horse’ in the title race this season, but should City or Arsenal suffer a Devon Loch moment, then Mourinho’s course and distance winners will be ready to take full advantage.

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