Win at all costs or entertain the fans?
The annoying thing about Chelsea is that they could do both at a canter.
They have the best side in the league, they have the best balance in the league, and they have the players that could go out and entertain whilst putting teams to the sword.
At the start of the year, they were rampant. They were ripping through sides, racking up the goals and doing what they do anyway; winning.
Then, as they got into a lead to protect, Mourinho became more conservative. He started controlling everything he could control and he put the shackles on his men. Less risk.
In a way, it has been mightily effective. They’re cruising to the league title he was drafted back in to win.
In another way, it has crippled them. It’s why they went out of the Champions League in the second round and why they’ve attracted wild criticism.
But Blues skipper John Terry has hit back. Just like Mourinho turned the boring chants from the Arsenal fans around on the Gunners’ lack of success in the last decade, the centre back remains defiant, too.
“We are definitely not boring and if we do go on to win it, nobody’s going to remember the performances when perhaps it’s not been that exciting,” Terry, who celebrated like a mad man after their goalless draw on Sunday, explained. “We’ve dug deep and other teams haven’t, and that is why they are so far behind us.
“Possession is great. We could see that from the Manchester United game last week. Possession and tippy-tappy football’s great, but if you are not winning games you’re not going to win the league.
“Let’s not forget the first half of the season, up until Christmas, when we were the best side by far. The football we played with [Cesc] Fàbregas and his assists. The play was different class.”
185 – Chelsea have fired in exactly the same number of shots on target as Arsenal in the Premier League and scored two more goals. Boring.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 27, 2015
50 – Chelsea have scored seven more goals than Arsenal from open play and five fewer than the Gunners from set pieces. Expansive.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 27, 2015
He did stop short of blaming Fabregas for their more pragmatic approach in recent months but Chelsea are, in fairness, undefeated in the league since New Year’s Day and, with that, you can’t argue.
“Things went against us and the manager, being him, came up with the way to get us through games. That’s where he’s at his best. Now we are one step from where we want to be.”
We’ll just send him a gentle reminder that they’re actually five points from where they want to be.
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