Team Focus: Pragmatic Mourinho Proving Hard to Predict

Not for the first time this season, or indeed his entire career, it was a little difficult to accept that José Mourinho actually believed what he was saying. The comment about the “little horse” already looks set to become one of his more memorable quotes, as he insisted the pressure remained on Arsenal and Manchester City in this title race after Chelsea’s 1-0 win at the Etihad.

In that, it was vintage Mourinho. The Portuguese remains the arch-pragmatist, and an incorrigible wind-up merchant, who will pretty much say and do anything if it is to the benefit of his team and the detriment of the opposition. The remarkable thing is that, in spite of that, so many people still get so riled by him.

It is arguable, however, that the victory over City came precisely because no-one expected Mourinho to stay true to his word. It could have been a double-bluff. On the eve of the game, the Chelsea manager was asked how he would stop City scoring. At that point, on the back of another five-star thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur and Manuel Pellegrini’s side threatening to break all manner of scoring records, it seemed like Mourinho would necessitate the kind of extreme defensive performance that he had so castigated West Ham United for at Stamford Bridge.

The Portuguese dismissed such suggestions. “We don’t do that.” [We] play our game - and they have also to stop us.” The comments were met with a certain amount of derision, especially given December’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal. 

In the match, however, Mourinho made a mockery of any doubts. Chelsea did indeed play their game, and City struggled to stop them. Although Pellegrini’s team did miss two chances early on that might have changed the entire pattern of the fixture, the away side ended up changing entire perceptions. Chelsea were full value for the victory. In a performance that was pretty close to a masterclass, Mourinho's side frequently surged forward on the break with the kind of exhilarating attacks City might have been proud of.

The surprise at that, and the contrast with some of Chelsea's more constrained displays, does raise further questions about the exact football “identity” of Mourinho’s second Stamford Bridge stint. It has been one of the issues the manager has mentioned most since he first returned, but it does finally feel as if this new Chelsea are beginning to properly develop their own distinct personality.

While it is still a little difficult to tell the exact traits, one thing seems certain: it is rather different to the 2004-07 side. That earlier side had a suffocatingly controlling nature in virtually every match and, although this Chelsea currently possess the best defensive record in the division - and certainly illustrated that against City - they do feel a looser outfit. A structure that isn’t quite so monolithic is offset by movement that has more mercury to it.

The fact that Mourinho has relaxed the grip is reflected by the stats. This Chelsea are actually a rather balanced team. In virtually all of the main approach-defining attributes, they find themselves ranked in the middle of the Premier League: for possession, short passes, crosses, long balls.

The net effect, however, is that Chelsea are near the top in the qualities that tend to end up counting most: shots per game, shots conceded per game, goals scored, goals conceded. The two stand-out stats are offsides and dribbles, with Chelsea getting caught offside 2.7 times per game and attempting 10.8 jinks. That reflects the manner in which the likes of Eden Hazard regularly attempt to run in behind the defences, both with skill and sheer stealth.

Overall, however, the stats point to Mourinho’s pragmatism - and that is not pragmatism in the sense of simply being opposite to the purism of ultra-attacking sides. That Chelsea find themselves mid-ranked in so many elements of the game illustrates how the Portuguese will try and lean on whatever is necessary to win any game, be it defensive or attacking. It is not about that. It is simply about what works.

New signing Nemanja Matic revealed a little of this after the City game. “We prepared very good, the coach showed us some videos of Manchester City and of course they were the right videos to show the quality but also where they make mistakes... we can prepare against every team.”

This has always been Mourinho’s greatest quality beyond motivation: the ability to meticulously study an opposition side’s flaws and then try and fully expose them. That is also the most defining trait of his latest Chelsea team: not the durable defence, not the dynamism of their attacking midfielders, but the readiness to switch between the two depending on the opposition. The manager’s ‘philosophy’ is as fluid as the runs of Hazard. There is always the possibility of a double bluff. It means it’s difficult to believe what is the best way to approach Chelsea, as City found out to their cost.

What do you think this Chelsea side's best quality is? Let us know in the comments below