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Mourinho’s Toughest Test
As Graziano Pellé struck for Southampton in the 72nd minute to put the Saints ahead 3-1 at Stamford Bridge the Sky Sports commentator remarked, “This is turning from a blip into a full blown crisis for Chelsea.” Southampton would win the match by that scoreline and keep Chelsea in 16th place in the table ahead…
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The Myth of Mourinho
I remember the first time I watched a José Mourinho team, and I think that’s very much telling. Usually, you don’t really focus on the manager, no matter how good he is, when watching a game. Back then, managers were a presence that, while very much respected for their importance, weren’t the focus of the…
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Offensively Blue
Arsene Wenger claimed his first win in fourteen tries against Jose Mourinho when his Arsenal squad beat Mourinho’s Chelsea in the Community Shield thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first half strike. While Mourinho will be quick to downplay the loss as one that occurred in a glorified friendly in August, there were a few issues present, especially…
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Raheem Sterling & The Evaluation of Wingers
Wingers: managers love them, pundits love them, we love them. Wingers have evolved from cross-launching specialists that weren’t fully involved in the game to the most dynamic players on the pitch. Modern day wingers run, shoot, pass, cross, and dribble at neck breaking pace and do it at a high level. They pushed out the…
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Balance At The Bridge
Before the season began, I wrote about Jose Mourinho building a squad that would contend with the best of Europe, and perhaps pick up a few trophies along the way. I still think Chelsea are a juggernaut, probably not on par with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, but definitely not too far behind. The additions…