Confessions of a Chelsea fan

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

It’s all over. The Champions league is lost and the Premier League has all but slipped away. The frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Norwich could prove to be the final nail in the coffin. It has been a less than average season especially considering Mourinho’s fixation with results.

Every football fan looks ahead to two things, winning silverware and enjoying watching the games. And as long as the first need is satisfied, we may forget about the second one.

Yes, football is a glory sport, you win and all is forgotten, you lose and all hell may break loose. And Chelsea has not won anything this season. To add to that there have been a large number of games, which haven’t exactly been a joy to watch.

“Great teams are built from the back”. But it’s the attacking flair and creativity that they are remembered for. In this season, Chelsea have won too many matches by clutching onto straws, without the flair or dominance of Champions.

Every team that aspires to become Premier League Champions, must dominate at home. In all the games Chelsea have played at home, they have led by a margin of more than one goal for only about 20% of the total time played, and only 32% of the second half time played. Hardly dominance.

When Roman Abramovich gave the Chelsea reins to Mourinho for the second time, it was common knowledge that he wanted Jose to adopt an attacking philosophy. Even the ‘Special One’ said so himself, that this season was not about trophies but about establishing a style and brand of football. The ‘little horses’ were to learn how to jump this season.

But Mourinho’s winning mentality and deep desire for silverware has lead him down his usual path of defensive football. He masterminded brilliant victories against Manchester City and Liverpool by switching to a counter-attacking approach, but the lack of creativity against weaker opponents has led to his downfall. As a result, neither has he managed to establish a style of play nor win any silverware.

As a Chelsea fan, I love the tenacity and winning mentality of the team in tough situations. It has given us some really great moments over the past few years. Nor am I undermining the importance of a solid defence.

But not unlike Roman himself, I too yearn not only for silverware but the flair and dominance of Champions.