Football news - Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge to face an unfamiliar foe
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Updated 19/10/2018 at 19:26 GMT
For the first time Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea to face a side that doesn’t bear any of the hallmarks of his legendary teams.
José Mourinho
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There are still those who will line the rafters at Stamford Bridge on Saturday who believe that Chelsea made a mistake just under three years ago.
In December 2015 Chelsea decided to dispense with the services of Jose Mourinho for a second time, following a disastrous start to the season.
For obvious reasons there is a desire to find parallels between that calamity of a season and the problems facing Mourinho at Manchester United right now.
There are similarities; the public falling outs with star players, frustration amongst fans, and strange decisions in the transfer market, but there are differences.
For one this United team never reached the high of Mourinho’s second Chelsea side. That team blew the league apart in the 2014-15 season, finishing eight points ahead of Manchester City and the year before nearly reached the Champions League final.
Their subsequent decline, all the way down to 16th in the table and one point above the relegation zone in 2015, was remarkable.
It was the second time the wheels had come off for Mourinho at Chelsea, and just as before it wasn’t too long before he was in situ at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
With both of his new teams, Inter Milan and United Mourinho has returned to his former stomping ground.
Saturday will be the ninth occasion he has faced Chelsea, his fifth return trip to Stamford Bridge. In the past he has spoken about his work building Chelsea or how the team he is facing still has echoes of his own sides.
However last season Mourinho changed his tone, looking to defuse matters following some feisty clashes with former Blues boss Antonio Conte.
He alluded to how things were different now, and how eventually he will be forgotten as a former Chelsea manager.
Of course he knows better than anyone he will probably never be lost to the history books at Stamford Bridge, but when he takes his place in the dugout this will be a new test for him.
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Maurizio Sarri
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Mourinho has never faced Maurizio Sarri before, as a point of reference the new man in charge of the Blues was taking Sangiovannese to promotion up to Serie C1 at the same time his opponent was winning the Champions League with Porto.
Their paths, much like their approaches to the game, have been different. Sarri’s attacking philosophy has lit up Stamford Bridge this season in a way that was rarely seen under Mourinho, in fact only Carlo Ancelotti’s 2010 side can come close to how Chelsea are playing this season.
At the heart of Sarri’s symphony is Eden Hazard; all smiles, flicks and dribbles, and the treatment of the Belgian by these two managers offers a good representation of their styles.
Whilst Mourinho took the tough-love approach, chastising Hazard and making him work harder, Sarri has looked to take the pressure off. The Italian has built his system around his star player, freeing him of defensive responsibility and putting the pieces in place for him to flourish.
Much has been made of the way Hazard’s relationship with his manager ended but it’s worth remembering that in Mourinho’s first two seasons with the forward he scored 14 goals, missing just three matches of a possible 76.
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Chelsea's Eden Hazard talks to Jose Mourinho
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Hardly a bad tally but after eight matches of this season Hazard is already half-way to matching that number, an example of what can happen when he is allowed to play to his real potential.
The constant knock on Hazard has been that he has never scored consistently enough, finally under Sarri it feels as if he will reach that elusive 20-goal mark.
There’s more to it than goals however: Hazard is controlling games. Under Mourinho it felt like he could flit in and out of matches, often seeming uninterested in proceedings.
This season is quite the reverse, Hazard has been electrifying, demanding the ball from all quarters and instilling fear into the hearts of opposition fans, players and managers when he drives forward.
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Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates scoring the equalising goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge on September 15, 2018 in London, United Kingdom
Image credit: Getty Images
He is part of a Chelsea team who are taking games to their opponents, with slick football that is a true joy to watch.
When Mourinho’s United were dispatched 4-0 two years ago it was more down to their own individual errors, than it was to Chelsea’s attacking brilliance.
This time things will be different, Chelsea will attack United from the off, they will look to press high and create chances as often as possible.
Of course Chelsea are from flawless, at times they almost go through Hazard too much, and defensively there are still big question marks.
In fact that high press and suspect defence might play into Mourinho’s hands. If there’s one thing you’d still back Mourinho to be able to do, it’s set up a team to catch their opponents on the counter.
But this team will keep going even if they go a goal or two down, that is the belief they have, justified by their attacking performances so far this season.
Times are changing at Stamford Bridge, the shadow of Mourinho no longer looms large. The toxicity around the club has gone, and if it returns on Saturday it will only be temporarily, before it gets on a flight back to Manchester…
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