Jose Mourinho - The modern master of anti-football

Jose Mourinho is unbeaten against the current EPL top four in his second spell as Chelsea manager

The city of Barcelona in the heart of Cataluña has somehow contrived to contribute much to world football. Within the quiet town lies the infamous La Masia which has given birth to some of the finest footballing minds and talent on the planet with Leo Messi its latest product.

Some argue that Barcelona is the place where modern football was conceptualized, practiced and invented. Although Arrigo Sachhi and his Milan team of the late 1980s will argue otherwise, while at the same time in the not so parallel universe Ajax Amsterdam and its youth system laid the basis of what would go on to be called ‘total football’. Yet we are more familiar with its latest rebirth in the name and form of tiki-taka.

‘Total football’ and its tactical concepts were familiarized and ingrained into Barcelona football club by Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff both part of Ajax’s school of thought with Cruyff the most masterful exponent of it, with his all-conquering Barcelona team of 1988-1996.

Ask any Barcelona fan and they’ll tell you that Cruyff’s team which later went on to be called ‘The Dream Team’ was the best team they have watched play and the best era of the club. Zubizaretta, Koeman, Stoichov, Eusebio and Romario were few of the star names on that Dream Team from the early years.

In 1996 though on the team sheet were none other than four of the current UEFA Champion’s league quarter-finalists’ managers Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola, Laurent Blanc and Julen Lopetegui.

The formation of Mourinho’s style

After Cruyff’s departure, Sir Bobby Robson took the helm and with him came a little-known man from Portugal named Jose Mourinho, brought in as a translator. A man who had worked with Robson in his stints at Sporting CP and FC Porto. Although Robson’s time was limited to just one season at Barca his replacement Luis Van Gaal and his assistant Ronald Koeman began to re-assemble that team with the additions of Phillip Cocu, Frank DeBoer and Rivaldo, while Jose Mourinho stayed on as translator.

Jose Mourinho spent his early years primarily as a translator at Barcelona

The latter were proponents of the more pro-active, possession based form of the same ‘total football’. The same brand of football was being played on the pitch from the previous years in the manager’s eyes and to those of the spectators, but not the young Portuguese translator, he was different, he saw something else.

From his defensive tactical schooling in his formative years and in those under Robson and with his keen eye for detail and meticulous approach to preparation Mourinho came up with a unique form and brand of football, his own form of winning football. One which was the anti-thesis to Barcelona’s style of play.

While Van Gaal and all those before him professed the active form of football, Jose Mourinho began to develop reactive football. One which incorporated the exact opposite of what he was watching unfold in front of him on the greatest stage of club football. Like an outcast he was shunned and shown the door out of Barcelona and fled back to his home in Portugal only to return as the manager of FC Porto and win the club a Champions League and the rest, as they say is history.

The growth of reactive football

Reactive counter attacking football is the opposite of possession based football. It involves more of positional sense and defensive organization rather than possession of the ball. Such teams playing a reactive strategy usually sit deep in their own half, well organized, soak up opposition pressure and tire the opponents out by giving them more of the ball and then use incisive one touch football to hit the opposition on the break while they are depleted in numbers and overcommitted in the reactive team’s half.

While one team looks to fight to retain possession the other is happy to give the ball to the opponent and tire them down while trying to create more space on the counter attack.

Such a clash of styles was very much apparent in the 2010 Champions League semi-final second leg between Barcelona and Inter Milan at the Camp Nou. A clash of ideologies, each on extreme ends of the footballing spectrum.

That night a 10-men Inter team with 19% possession lost the match 1-0, only to win 3-2 on aggregate and then later go on to win the Champions League trophy. None other than Jose Mourinho masterminded and orchestrated that victory and in his customary manner went about his business of deploying the same strategy from the get-go.

The outcast from Barcelona once again showing them that football is all about evolving strategies in which one form of play cannot be the be all and end all and the ultimate or ‘total football’.

Chelsea’s implementation of Mourinho’s tactics

Fast forward to last weekend in the Premier League and it was a similar picture. Louis van Gaal got a harsh reminder that his former translator and youth team manager was happy to concede possession to them and kept an in-form Manchester United at bay. Despite having the lion share of possession, and despite all their efforts in Chelsea’s half, United managed only one shot on target from around 35 yards out by centre-half Paddy McNair.

Chelsea with Kurt Zouma a centre back in midfield mainly to stifle the direct pass option to Marouane Fellaini used by United in the previous games and with 28% possession walked away as winners at Stamford Bridge in one of the most crucial fixtures of the season. Also, remember United were on a 6-game winning streak and very much in form while Chelsea were struggling for rhythm in their previous fixtures despite winning by 1 goal margins.

Chelsea often defended at the edge of their own box to neutralise Manchester United’s attack

Jose Mourinho knew exactly what he was doing and so did his players. A football match is many times watched with a biased perspective without understanding exactly what is unfolding behind every kick of the ball. While United overlapped on the left flank, Chelsea stayed compact and narrow with numbers in the box to block even the half chances.

On the break, they hit United with a couple of deadly counter attacks one which hit the post and the other a sublime finish by PFA player of the year nominee Eden Hazard.

People must realise that Chelsea did not play this way all season, in fact in the first half of the season they often dominated possession and played expansive football while the scorelines were reflective of that as well. Since the 5-3 loss against Spurs in January, Chelsea have been unbeaten and conceded only 7 goals in 13 games. Since Jose Mourinho returned back as the blues’ boss in 2013, Chelsea are unbeaten against top four opposition.

At the same stage last season they faltered and handed the title over to Manchester City, this time around Mourinho was prepared and ready with his gameplan.

Tough to break down, strong, sharp and decisive passing and deadly on the break with speed are classic characteristics of a Jose Mourinho team. This Chelsea team showed exactly that this weekend in London.

A stark contrast of football ideologies and school of thought was on display at Stamford Bridge and a much misinterpreted and misunderstood form of football was the one that triumphed in the end.

It seems that playing possession-based football has become a norm. It is something that is expected and the only form understood by supporters and neutrals alike who do not quite appreciate the dynamics of present day football and the art of football with less of the ball.

Position vs Possession. The age old debate rages on... Anti-Football is what they call it and Jose Mourinho is its flag bearer.