5 matches that exposed Jose Mourinho's tactics
Jose Mourinho has long had this bravado about him. The Special One, the master tactician and sobriquets of similar ilk are now synonymous with the Portuguese manager. And to be fair to him, he has been able to walk the walk amidst all the talk with trophies aplenty to prove it.But there have been times, and this is true for every manager out there, when he has been played like a fiddle despite all his shrewdness. To quote Sam Allardyce from last season, Mourinho can be "out-tactic-ed" and "out-witted" despite all his technical and psychological gambits.While Sam Allardyce was unable to "out-tactic" Jose this time round losing 2-0 in the process, other managers have been able to outwit the Special One in the past and some have done so with aplomb. Here we will have a look at some matches that surely saw Jose Mourinho out-tactic-ed.
#5 Chelsea 0-0 West Ham, January 29, 2014
Jose Mourinho was left huffing and puffing after a cold January London derby saw a resolute Hammers side containing his team and consequently forcing a drab goalless draw. While he was left questioning his opponent’s approach, even going on to term it as "19th-century football,” the match was seen as Chelsea getting a taste of their own medicine, and that too in their own backyard.
West Ham had 10 men behind the ball throughout the game, which is more commonly known as parking the bus and Mourinho did not see any inspiration coming from his team, and couldn’t do anything to aid them either.
The Portuguese is well known for his pragmatic style of play and for the ability to grind out results but here he was competing against a stout looking side that were spot on with their tactics on the day, as they absorbed pressure as an away side against the top dogs of the Premier League. It turned out to be a tactic that even the great master of tactics had no answer to.
The game garnered even more eyeballs due to the colorful post game 'pot calling the kettle black' sort of press conference where he loathed Sam Allardyce's tactics to which the West Ham boss eloquently replied "I don't give a s**te, to be honest".