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Who says winning is boring? -Chelsea are deserved Champions and Mourinho is a true winner.
Okay, it was a Sunday afternoon. I knew it was never going to be a sweet one. Our blue neighbors were going to be crowned Champions of the Barclays Premier League. Fine, it was meant to be. After all they had been the best all season – from the very first day of the season. Chelsea were going for it. Hazard did it and after the final whistle, wow! That feeling of “I wish it were Arsenal”. The last time I had such jubilation was 11years ago. And it was sweet. What made it even sweeter was that Arsenal went unbeaten the entire season. You don’t want to know what made it sweetest – well the celebration was at White hart lane, the home of the noisiest of our neighbors. Tottenham Hot Spurs.
Back to the Stamford Bridge. I heard Fabregas who had waited for this moment for over 27years (thanks to Jose Mourinho and Chelsea cos you could’ve waited for all your life) shout “……….we are champions…..” that’s the only part I still remember. It kept ringing over mind until I decided to publish this. Sweet moments. No doubt. I congratulate you Chelsea, I do. – Champions of England. Great manager you have in Jose. Great players too (Thibaut Coartois, John Terry, Nemaja Matic, Francesc Fabregas, Edin Hazard and Diego Costa would no doubt all feature in my team of the year list if I were to draw one – don’t ask me about the manager, you already know [Jose])
Then I recall just the previous weekend. I wasn’t really at the Emirates Stadium. I was just at a nearby pub watching Arsenal Vs Chelsea. I heard the sound of frustrated Arsenal fans (from the stadium) singing, “Boring, boring Chelsea” all throughout the game. From an honest point, Chelsea didn’t look “boring, boring Chelsea” that day. They could’ve scored on at least 2 occasions in the first 45mins. The 2nd 45mins was boring for either side. Chelsea didn’t try to attack and neither did Arsenal. Both teams tried to keep their possession on the ball without serious goal threats – Chelsea knew what they needed and they got it. Chelsea had over 40% possession and I don’t think that was really so bad considering that Arsenal had just below 35% when they had a 2:0 win against Manchester City earlier in the year. I thought Chelsea were boring a weekend before that [against Manchester United]. And I’m not going to change my mind about that.
Yes. They kind of were boring but all they needed was points. Mourinho may not be able to agree to many a description of his style of football but most pundits’ description of his methods against the better sides was as true of the Stamford Bridge’s win over Manchester United as it was of the victory over Liverpool that determined the destination of the title last season. Simple and clear philosophies:
The game is won by the team who commit fewer errors.
Football favours whoever provokes more errors in the opposition.
Away from home, instead of trying to be superior to the opposition, it’s better to encourage their mistakes.
Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake.
Whoever renounces possession reduces the possibility of making a mistake.
Whoever has the ball has fear.
Whoever does not have it is thereby stronger.
And they did it pretty well that day. Football concept is “Go try to score some goals and also try preventing the opposition from scoring – That’s the only way to win”. Chelsea did that and they got the three points against Manchester United. Modern or ancient, the concept remains the same – Try to win a game. Chelsea have scored as many as 69 goals (6 more than Arsenal’s 63). Only Manchester City (71) have outscored them. And they are still ‘boring, boring Chelsea’.
Mourihno could’ve been labeled by some pundits as anti-Barcelona football agent or a modern football [believed to have been invented by Barca in the mid 90’s – I’m not sure] rebel, but he is also trying to achieve the same great things the rest are doing – [wining trophies]. I look back at the players who featured for Barca in 1996 and I see them as some of the great coaches in some of the best clubs playing some of the best and wonderful football. Four of them were in the UEFA Champions League quarter finals of 2014/15 season. Pep Gaurdiola (Bayern Munich), Luis Enrique (Barcelona), Julen Lopetegui (FC Porto) and Laurent Blanc (PSG). Frank de Boer, Phillip Cocu as well as Louis van Gaal, and, Ronald Koeman were all at Barca during the same period. The last two are in the same league as Mourinho and still sit below him. Gaal’s Manchester United are currently 4th in the table, 18 points adrift of Mou’s Chelsea and stand a risk of losing a champions League spot to Liverpool who are just 4point away if they lose points their final 3 games. (I am not saying it will happen. I am only saying it is possible considering their current run of form – 3 consecutive losses and without scoring a goal) – so it’s totally dependent on them, while Koeman’s Southampton had a fine first half of the season and gradually moved out of top 4 (total free fall as one friend of mine describes it saying no one disobeys gravity) and currently in 7th position and 26 points of the top.
A lot of people call it modern football, I call it football. Some even call it the Barcajax football and according to the Daily Telegraph, this football is believed to have been seeded at Barca by Vic Buckingham, developed by Rinus Michels and taken to new levels by Johan Cruyff (I don’t have anything to prove it right neither do I have anything to prove it wrong). Fine, so they think Mou who’s hailed as the special one by the Chelsea faithfuls is now a fallen angel in the ‘Barcocracy’ of Modern football. Who cares? He is winning after all.
What’s my point? My point is irrespective of whether it is the proactive possession-based football (that Barcelona. Bayern Munich, Juventus, Ajax, Dortmund and Arsenal play) or the reactive and tactically defensive football (that Chelsea play), they all aim at achieving the same things:
Win Matches.
Win trophies
And please the fans.
Mou’s Chelsea are doing just that but in their own ways. Winning matches (the last came against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge just yesterday), they are winning trophies (2 already this season. They are BPL champions). Now find any Chelsea fan and ask if they are not pleased, excited and or happy with their performance. Objectives achieved. Find the Arsenal fans who were shouting the ‘Boring, boring Chelsea’ chant and ask them if they are pleased with their achievements in the past 10 years. Compare the two answers and you’ll understand what I mean. Attacking football doesn’t win you trophies and neither does defending football. Good strategies win you trophies. Mou is a coach who knows which tactics to play with against which team. That’s why he is the English Champion. That’s why won Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan. That’s why he won trophies with real Madrid and that’s why he is winning trophies at Chelsea. That’s why he is hated by fans of rival teams and loved by his club’s fans. That’s why he is a champion. That’s why Arsenal and the other 18 teams have to wait until next season to try and challenge him (not the touch line push and win but soccer matches). Mou changes according to his players and need or necessity. Look at earlier in the season, when Diego Costa, Cesc Fàbregas and Nemanja Matic were fully fit and in form. Chelsea were playing a more expansive and attacking football and they racked up goals and goals. Later, injuries hit them up and he had to change to another style – with just one aim. Let’s win the matches.
Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern play fantastic tipi-tapa style of football. Barcelona (except last season) and Bayern are winning trophies every season and so is Mourinho. Arsenal won one in as many as 10 years. Football is all about winning matches, trophies and then pleasing the fans. Period.
Win matches, win some trophies, please the fans and you are as good as that.
Congratulations Chelsea, Congs
Till then, Thanks for reading!!!