Jose Mourinho added to his highlight reel of self-awareness fails, throwing in an extra bit of martyrdom for good measure. Never change, Jose, never change (trust us, we know you won’t).
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho conceded that his club will not be able to cover the ground between them and Premier League-leading Chelsea. The five places and 13 points that separate the two are only superficial barriers. The insurmountable obstacle is philosophical, it seems.
According to Mourinho, Chelsea is simply too willing to play defensive, negative football to see out games. His United, on the other hand, is committed to their culture of attacking football.
No, really, he said that.
"It’s not just the difference in points, it’s also the Chelsea philosophy of playing. They score one goal and they win. They defend a lot. They defend well. They are winning and, in the last 20 minutes, they bring defenders in. They don’t care what people say, what people think. They just want to win. – Telegraph"
As the Telegraph points out, Mourinho’s Chelsea won 11 games – over one-third of their total league wins – en route to his first Premier League title. In each of his subsequent two title-winning seasons, Chelsea had five 1-0 wins.
Chelsea’s ratio of goals scored-to-goals allowed declined in each of Mourinho’s championship seasons. The Blues has a 4.8 ratio in 2004/05 on the back of Petr Cech’s record-setting year where the Blues allowed only 15 goals. The following season the Blues again scored 72 goals and conceded 22, for a 3.3 ratio. Upon his return and title in 2014/15, the Blues scored 73 goals for a 2.3 ratio.
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Chelsea currently have a goals for/goals allowed ratio of 3.2. Over the course of the current 11-game win streak, the Blues have outscored their opponents 23-2. That’s an 11.5 ratio, if you’re still keeping track. Of those wins, four were 1-0.
Prior to the first of those 1-0 wins, Chelsea defeated Everton 5-0. In Mourinho’s three title-winning seasons, Chelsea scored five or more goals against Premier League opponent only twice: against Bolton in 2005 and against Swansea in 2015.
All these stats are great. But as Antonio Conte says, once you start playing with stats then you have to make a story out of them (like we just did).
Even neutrals would acknowledge that Chelsea are playing a more offensive, fluid and high-pressing style than any time in recent history. Chelsea are playing across the entire pitch, using players like N’Golo Kante, Pedro, Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses to create space and speed like never before.
More laughable is Mourinho’s implicit disavowal of his role in any such “Chelsea philosophy.” Mourinho has spent more time at the helm than any other manager in the Roman Abramovich era. Just as Chelsea began emerging from the shadows of his first stint, he returned for another go-around. Tactically as well as culturally, if there is a “Chelsea philosophy,” Jose Mourinho is the godfather of it all.
Mourinho sounds a bit like Sam Allardyce, who complained that he would receive more accolades and offers if his last name was “Allardici.” “When I do it people sneer, but when he does it people think it’s genius.” Sean Dyche launched a similar tirade earlier this season.
Next: Chelsea Crimbo: Who's been naughty and nice around Stamford Bridge?
At the end of it, Chelsea have a record and a style that any manager would envy. Mourinho clearly does, and he’s handling it the only way he knows how.