Arsenal faced Chelsea in what turned out to be an interesting affair on Sunday. It was much expected that Mourinho would line up his side similar to how they have in most games they’ve needed a result from this season, with the usual four at the back and Kurt Zouma in midfield next to Nemanja Matic, but to everyone’s surprise the French defender was on the bench to start the game.
Did Jose Mourinho genuinely think his side could take the game to Arsenal and go for the win? Kind of, but not really. Despite having the option to, Mourinho started the game without a striker, deploying Oscar as the man furthest forward for Chelsea and this meant that all the players in his side were used to defending and ‘doing a job’.
Arsenal dominated the game, boasting higher possession, more shots and generally played better than their opponents, but once again Jose Mourinho’s side came out on top as Chelsea got the result they came to play for, a draw that put them one step closer to the title.
Mourinho was scared of Arsenal’s offensive threat
Arsenal dominated the game and should have won. But the truth of the matter is that the team couldn’t get the job done and it wasn’t due to a lack of creativity or lack of a pacey outlet for the Gunners, it was due to Jose Mourinho being Jose Mourinho.
The Chelsea manager knows how to win a game and isn’t afraid to use his biggest and strongest players to do so. Chelsea started the game without a striker, deploying Oscar in the false nine with the freedom to roam in and around the penalty box, while Hazard and Willian spent large parts of the game being utilised defensively rather than offensively.
Arsenal dominated the first half and Mourinho knew that Arsenal would see more of the ball and was happy to allow that so long as his team had enough men behind it.
With creative talents such as Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez, Mourinho knew that his side would not dominate possession on the large Emirates pitch and thus allowed the opposition to do exactly that.
The Chelsea Manager said in his post-match news conference: “The team was very compact and we went to the game plan. The game was under control we played really well in possession. Defensively we played really well as well.”
Mourinho also realised that this pressure could eventually lead to an Arsenal goal and so at half time Didier Drogba was brought on for Oscar. This could be construed as an attacking move maybe, but Drogba is another player who is happy to defend at set pieces, and one who could dominate Arsenal physically, signalled Mourinho’s worry.
Chelsea however put on an impressive defensive display throughout, with 20 tackles, 19 interceptions, 41 clearances and 3 blocked shots being made within 90 minutes.
John Terry is still by far the league’s best
At the heart of Chelsea’s defence was club legend John Terry. The English centre back is not everyone’s favourite player, but if you’re a football fan it is certainly easy to appreciate the array of defensive talents that John Terry boasts.
The 34 year-old made two interceptions and 13 clearances yesterday for Chelsea and if it wasn’t for Terry, his side would likely have lost the game.
Pundits and general football fans will have no doubt in their mind that John Terry has been by far the best defender in the league this season despite ageing and supposedly being at his peak over 10 years ago as he was awarded the PFA Player of the Year award in 2004 and should have arguably been at least nominated for the honour this season.
John Terry stands as one of if not the best defender the Premier League has ever seen and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher agreed: “We talk about Chelsea being a defensive team, but sometimes you’ve got to say they defend brilliantly, and Terry is the best.
“There have been a lot of great centre backs in Premier League history, but I think he has been the best that we’ve seen.”
As a defender, Terry has always had a lack of pace and has never had to rely on it, because his natural positioning and ability to assess a move before it happens ensures that he stands amongst the best.
Francis Coquelin stood up to the test and proved he is up there with the best in his position
Francis Coquelin is a great defensive midfielder. Many say that he has been prematurely assessed and lauded as such, but with the level of consistency that the Frenchman is providing, there is no reason why he should not be given the praise.
Coquelin adds a balance to the side that it had not seen for a long time, he is comfortable on the ball and is always happy to allow the creative stars to work ahead of him whilst he waits to take care of any loss of possession.
Statistics are at times often overused to state just how important a player is to a side, but with a defensive midfielder it is difficult to assess their contribution without using facts and figures.
The 23 year-old made five interceptions, won three aerial duels, won two tackles and cleared the ball on one occasion as Chelsea attacked with danger. The Frenchman is not only great defensively, but he is as previously mentioned; comfortable on the ball and showed that with a 90% pass accuracy.
Coquelin has stood up to the test on a number of occasions for the Gunners against top sides; he dismantled David Silva at the Etihad stadium and yesterday tamed the threat of Eden Hazard.
Arsenal boo boys achieved nothing; Cesc will still go on to win the league
Cesc Fabregas got exactly the reception he would have expected yesterday; a chorus of boos every time he touched the ball. It’s sad that so many are still bitter about him joining Chelsea, but the truth of the matter is that despite any previous words, Fabregas will win the league with Chelsea, something he couldn’t quite do with Arsenal.
The want to boo footballers is something of a red herring; it doesn’t achieve anything, usually only motivating the player to prove doubters wrong. Fabregas was subbed off late in the game yesterday and despite being booed off by some fans he was applauded by a number who recognised his contribution to the club.
Football is a bitter sport at times and it proved that way yesterday; but Fabregas will move on and continue to play fantastic football for Chelsea.
Arsene Wenger has still not beaten Jose Mourinho
Much of the pre-game talk was whether or not this would be 13th time lucky for Arsene Wenger, who has still not beaten his counterpart Jose Mourinho in what has become a fierce and well reported rivalry.
Whether or not Arsenal play football ‘the right way’ against a defensive Chelsea is not the issue that needs addressing because the truth of the matter is that Wenger has still not picked up three points against Mourinho despite numerous attempts and it will only ensure that Mourinho grows in confidence and Wenger’s decreases.
Arsenal went toe to toe with Chelsea yesterday and dominated the game, putting on a good footballing display, but the blues did not concede and therefore did not lose the game, meaning that they remain within an arm’s reach of winning the Premier League title.
Jose Mourinho certainly went home the happier of the two Manager’s and will not care about what people or certainly Wenger have to say about their performance.
