LIFE OF SHAYAN
  • Blogging
    • FOODIE HOME
    • BASE
  • Top 5
  • Interviews
  • FOOD CHALLENGE
  • Food Club
    • Burgers
    • Life of Shayan - Curry
  • FOODIE HOME
  • Blogging
    • FOODIE HOME
    • BASE
  • Top 5
  • Interviews
  • FOOD CHALLENGE
  • Food Club
    • Burgers
    • Life of Shayan - Curry
  • FOODIE HOME
• LOVE FOOD, LIVE FOODIE •

YOUR SOURCE FOR WHAT TO EAT

The Special One: Is there a right way to win?

1/5/2014

3 Comments

 
Before, during and after the Liverpool v Chelsea game I went through a range of emotions. I knew the game would be tough, I knew that Jose Mourinho would have the correct tactics to counter Liverpool, I even knew that their would be some crazy antics by the so called 'Special One', but I wasn't prepared for what happened.

The game was a tactical master piece for Mourinho but only in the sense that Chelsea won the game. This is where result becomes King. Until the Demba Ba goal, Chelsea rarely threatened and sat back, sat deep and wasted time from the off. The tactics employed were long balls to Ba and long throw ins to Matic in the box.  The real aim was to stop Liverpool playing the way they do; this aim was successfully achieved and now has made the title race that bit more interesting.

Four across the back and a defensive midfield trio forced Liverpool to the wings and when the crosses were emphatically cleared Liverpool became desperate. This was especially evident in the second half and as the game wore on the tactics and game plan by Chelsea became easier to control too. It worked but to me it wasn't a great ploy and did not look pleasing on the eye. Earlier this season West Ham employed the same tactics and were criticised by many people including Jose Mourinho, with talk of 19th century football.

After last nights result I personally do feel a lot better and I think it was a sign of justice in the end. Football has been the winner this week and the way Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid played showed that there is an art to defending and when done properly it can prove to be a great tool for attacking. The great saying goes however, in that attack is the best form of defence.

After the defeat last night, the 'Special One' or the 'Happy One' is close to go two consecutive seasons without a trophy and this is after spending millions of amazing players but playing a defence game. Mourinho will always be a legend in the game for what he as done with some unfancied teams, however this lack of success is not something he is used too, or Chelsea are used too either. They have had teams in the last few seasons who were a lot worse but still managed to win a trophy most seasons.

Is possession 9/10 of the law? Do stats even mean anything when your team has just lost a close game. Brendan Rodgers last year stated that if you control possession you are more likely to win games; but this season has shown that it is what you do with the ball that is more important. Five yard passes between centre backs do not equate to championship winning football, nor does a long ball to a big striker help either.

All fans are happiest when their team wins and we would all take 38 clean sheets and dogged defending to win every game 1-0. But to play, solely not to lose means that you are inviting pressure and fundamentally that you don't trust your team with the ball. Tika-Taka was the rave a few seasons ago and it is definitely easy on the eye, but a blend of attacking directness and controlled possession is more effective as Bayern Munich showed last season and Real Madrid have this year.

Is there a correct way to play and win; not really. Just win and the fans will stay happy.
3 Comments
Brendan Rodgers
1/5/2014 09:37:57

I used to like mourinho, I thought he was witty, funny and highly skilled. He brought an entertainment factor to football, and ultimately football is first and foremost a form of entertainment.

This season has changed my views on him. He was hated and maligned in Spain and it is difficult to get perspective on the if you were not in the country. I expected the mourinho of old to return and put it down to the Spanish not understanding his acerbic wit.

Mourinho has been despicable this season. He has been unprofessional towards fellow managers, has chastised and bad mouthed his own players

Reply
Brendan Rodgers
1/5/2014 09:44:24

Cont.

He has been ungracious n defeat and boring in his football. His 'mind games' as so often referenced by the media have been nothing but playground level child like psychology. When wenger said he was 'afraid to fail' he meant to say he put himself into a position where 'he could not fail'- saying you are not competive means when you win your opponents are humiliated and when you lose you are proven right.

Brendan Rodgers only fail safe was that he had a previous friendship with mourinho and prefers to keep him sweet, otherwise mourinho would have run his mouth off for his very true post match commentary.

Park the bus, it's a tactic, Greece won the euros doing it- but you are wrong when you say that football is about the 'winning' no matter what style you do it in. Football is about entertainment, and mourinho has not been entertaining on or off pitch this season. He has soured his image and reputation.

Liverpool for the league, and I'm not even a Liverpool fan.

Reply
Shayan link
1/5/2014 10:19:33

Great post and thanks Brendan.
Maybe you should write a guest blog once the season is up sharing your thoughts

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Follow @lifeofshayan

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

Foodie Home

Blogging

Top 5

Serious

Food Challenge

Photos used under Creative Commons from *_*, donwest48, cchana, Random Retail