Boring, boring Chelsea! What lowly scoundrels of asinine, archaic, and acerbic anti-football. How dare they let down the neutral fan with these putridly pedestrian performances! Don’t they know? Soccer is all about entertainment; bringing bread and circuses to the hungry masses, not serving self-interest and chasing silverware. How stinking selfish!

If you’ve forayed in to the murky depths of social media, this is probably a familiar narrative for you. There were more tweets bemoaning Chelsea’s tactics than there were fans in the Vicente Calderón on Tuesday. I can honestly say that if I see one more meme about bus parking, my head will explode. I will admit, though, my time on social media during and after the match has led to some interesting and valuable reflection.

First and foremost, a few thoughts about Chelsea’s tactics on Tuesday:

No manager in their right mind would set up against Atlético in any other way. Seriously, any side who wanted a prayer of advancing to the final would have adopted the exact same tactics as Jose Mourinho. It has boggled my mind that so many people have criticized him for employing a defensive minded formation. While I enjoy beautiful football as much as the next fan, there is a time and place for pragmatism. It was common sense, plain and simple. Disagree?

Let’s look at a few key facts about Atlético Madrid—

1. They have yet to lose a single game at home in both La Liga and the Champions League this season.
2. Their starting striker, Diego Costa, has 35 goals in all competitions. Seven in the Champions League alone.
3. They just dispatched free-flowing Barcelona in the last round, matching them tit for tat offensively.

Now, let’s look at some key facts about Chelsea—

1. The second leg is at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea recently came back heroically and beat PSG 2-0.
2. Their three strikers combined Champions League goal tally is nine—a mere two more than Costa’s lone total.
3. Their best attacking player and leading goal scorer, Eden Hazard, is out with an injury.

So, with those facts in mind, why in the hell would Mourinho not play defensively? Going to the Vicente Calderón with an attacking mindset would be stupid and suicidal. Why would Mourinho employ a style that would destine his side to failure? If Barcelona, of all clubs, failed to beat Atlético with a free-flowing and expansive style, then what club could succeed? That is the beauty of Jose Mourinho. He is not shackled by ideology. If he has the right players, he will play open and attacking football (setting goal, points, and goal differential records at Real Madrid in 2011-2012 most recently) but if he does not have the personnel to do so, he will not sacrifice results for spectacle.

Having said that, calling Mourinho’s Chelsea displays anti-football has become a lazy and shallow platitude in and of itself. In the age of information, every football result in the world is at your fingertips. However, searching Google and perusing through social media is a vapidly shallow way to analyze a sport as intricate as soccer. For example, I cannot count the number of times I’ve seen Chelsea catch flack this season for only managing to score a single goal. It is simply easier to hop on the social media bandwagon and make a joke about their “negative tactics” than it is to view the match in full. Were people to do that, they’d realize that such low score lines have been born out of poor finishing and not cautiously defensive tactics. Don’t believe me? Another little factoid for you…

Chelsea has the highest shots per game average in the Premier League at 18.

Despite that stat, they are continually maligned for being negative and boring. The old adage “don’t let the truth stand in the way of a good story” is certainly alive and well with modern football supporters. Let’s also ignore the fact Chelsea has scored beaten their top rivals while scoring 2 vs. Liverpool, 3 vs. United, 2 vs. City, 6 vs. Arsenal and 4 vs. Spurs.

The reality is, it is easier (and more fun) for fans to hop on social media and lob potshots and platitudes with no real thought or reflection on the actual performance. The idea that Mourinho is defensive and negative is firmly ingrained in the football fan ethos at this point; facts and statistics be damned, that is just the way it is. It is an easy and safe statement to make, despite its shallow nature; it fits in with the status quo football narrative. After all, social media is about attention and hollow praise, not accurate analysis, right? Considering the Internet is a medium making globalized communication and idea sharing a tangible reality, it is a shame it has become a hotbed for lazy, reductive thinking about the finer points of soccer.

Soccer fans need to get over the idea the sport is eye candy for neutral observers. Why is there no praise for gritty, blood-sweat-and-tears effort, and tactical acumen? Why are common sense tactical decisions met with derision and disdain? Why must fans have such a one-dimensional view of such a complex sport? Will I deny that Mourinho utilized very defensively focused and conservative tactics yesterday? Absolutely not… but can you honestly say, were your club playing Atlético Madrid the Champions League semi-finals, you’d want them to do differently?

Read more of Trevor’s work at http://premierpunditry.com

Most Chelsea fans from London to Lagos are dancing, chanting, and cheering the appointment of Jose Mourinho. After the six and half years since he left, the man, the myth, the Special One has returned from his stint on the continent to his beloved Blues. While his return to Chelsea may have been the worst kept secret in football, it has been met with no less joy from Chelsea fans. Many see Jose’s return as a chance to finally give the club some much needed stability and continuity. It seems the revolving doors of SW6 may finally remain shut. Smiling and admitting it is difficult for him to not get too emotional, Mourinho revealed himself in an exclusive Chelsea TV interview. Naturally, he looked as comfortable as ever in front of a camera.

While his return has been met with deserved approval and jubilation, it is important to reflect on the task Mourinho has in front of him. Chelsea has a young squad and, stylistically, it’s very different than the one he left in 2007. The well oiled, power machine of the mid-late 2000’s has been replaced with a flashier, speedier, less powerful model. The new squad is not better or worse than its predecessor, merely different. An industrial workhorse midfield has been replaced with a creative fulcrum of three playmakers. The dour and defensive displays that irked Abromovich towards the end of Jose’s reign will no longer be an issue with the likes of Hazard and Mata in the squad. Chelsea will be a different beast for The Special One to tame. That said, after leaving Chelsea he proved that he is not a one trick pony. Success with Inter and, to a lesser extent, Real Madrid has shown him to be a capable and flexible manager, regardless of his squad.

While his time at Inter can be seen as an undeniable success, some skeptics cringe at his recent departure from Real Madrid. While his season was less than ideal, I personally think a fracture between himself and the club was inevitable. Mourinho is a manager whose emotions and relationships define his style. He is the modern man manager. Whether it’s Essien calling him “daddy” or his tearful goodbye to (the rather unlovable) Marco Materazzi, Mourinho has a special bond with his players. For this, his players love him. Mourinho creates a familial atmosphere within his squad. While, unavoidably, there are starters and squad players it is always a “team first” mentality. This ideology is at odds with the ‘Galactico’ mindset at Real Madrid. During the past decade, the club had postured itself as a home of super stars. They’ve been guilty for appearing a collection of talented individuals more than a team. I’ll admit, inferring too much about Mourinho’s fallout with club legend Iker Casillas was a slippery slope. However, it seems clear enough Casillas did not buy in to the ‘club first’ mentality that is so central to the Mourinho ethos. From this thread of dissension, the squad’s ability to buy in to the “Mourinho way” began to fray. With defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey, it had finally unraveled.

That all said, that will not be the case at Chelsea. Their lack of managerial consistency in the Abromovich era has left them ravenous for identity. They got a taste of direction under Mourinho in his first managerial stint, and haven’t come close since. With Chelsea, Mourinho does not need to peddle his ideology to the club or its fans. They’ve bought in to it years ago and have craved its return ever since. Similarly, they have no divisive characters in their dressing room. The infamous “old guard” that has (allegedly) been responsible for so many managerial departures were Mourinho’s original go-to players. Best of all, the squad is filled with young and unshaped talent. Chelsea’s current side begs for Jose’s leadership and relational managerial style. It is a mouthwatering prospect to imagine how the likes of Hazard and Oscar will develop under his tutelage. This is a squad that he has an opportunity mould in to something special; something in his own image.

During his interview, Mourinho made several comments alluding to his extended future at the club. Since first taking the helm at Porto, he has failed to stay at a club for longer than three years. Mourinho is returning to Chelsea after winning what he has dubbed, “The Triple Crown,” a self-made term for winning league trophies in England, Spain, and Italy. He has accomplished what he set out to do on the continent, which was to win trophies with Europe’s biggest clubs. This go-round, however, Mourinho referred to his return to Chelsea as a “different kind of project. One with a different dimension;” a marriage, if you will. This seems a logical next step in Mourinho’s career arc. He has proven he can win anywhere with any squad in any league. Now he must prove he can succeed in the long term.

His admiration and begrudging respect for Sir Alex Ferguson is well known. The managers are both equally knowledgeable and talented. However, there is one thing Ferguson has that Mourinho lacks: a legacy. Sir Alex is synonymous with Manchester United. He brought them success, and with that he has become synonymous with their success. Ferguson had a dynasty. The growth and success of this Chelsea dynasty is the next sensible step in Mourinho’s quest to become the best manager of all time.

For Chelsea fans, there can be nothing more thrilling than The Special One at least intimating this type of long-term dedication to the project. As a club searching for direction and stability it makes perfect sense for Chelsea. For a manager who’s looking to take the next step up in the pantheon of managerial achievement, it makes perfect sense for Mourinho. With a squad as talented as Chelsea and a manager as talented as Mourinho, it is truly a special time to be a Chelsea fan.

This was a season of disappointment for Chelsea. Since the dawn of the Abramovich era it isn’t common for words like “dismal” and “depressing” to become synonymous with the teams exploits. However this year, bar an end of the season resurgence, was a fairly painful one for fans of the West London club. Despite starting the season in blistering form the team quickly faded into mediocrity and from there dropped in to a spell of stagnant ineptitude for months.

Carlo “The Don” Ancelotti, our once highly praised manager, had basically resigned himself to defeat by season’s end. Was this slide in form the Italian’s fault? In part, yes. Ancelotti’s team selection was spotty at times, his ability to motivate the team was questionable, and he had no backup plan. However, personally I believe Carlo’s firing was part of a bigger plan being calculated by Abramovich. As I groggily logged on to my Twitter account several weeks back my newsfeed exploded with news of his dismissal. It wasn’t too surprising. He’d been on the outs for some time now, but the more I thought about it the more his dismissal and our incessant transfer rumors smacked of change. Not minor changes, but a smaller scale Blue Revolution. It was a sign that Abramovich was ready to give the club a facelift.

Essentially, the squad is still Mourinho’s Chelsea; maybe not in terms of style but in terms of personnel. With a few small additions the spine of the team remains the same as it was the day “The Special One” walked out of SW6 for the last time: Terry, Lampard, Mikel, Essien, Drogba etc. If at least half of these transfer rumors are to be believed, Chelsea is attempting to change the face of its squad and bring in some new players to evolve out of the “Mourinho’s ghost” phase the squad has been in the past few years. Despite experiments with Scolari’s wing back driven offence and Carlo’s 4-3-3, our squad has never really developed a new post-Mourinho identity. Our game plan has largely remained the same: get the ball to Drogba. This stratagem worked wonders when the large Ivorian was in form. The goal hauls of his previous seasons and our trophy cabinet are testament to that. However, what do we do when Drogba, as he did this season, hits a rough patch? What is our game plan then? That was Carlo’s greatest failure this season. He didn’t have one.

It was embarrassingly apparent how lost Chelsea’s strike force looked when it got around the box. There were no incisive passing or runs and more importantly no player who could dribble at the defense. That is what made Malouda, and subsequently, our attack so dangerous last season. He had magically learned how to dribble outside from the wing. It made things happen and it kept the defense guessing. We’d finally gained a sense of unpredictability. Sadly that skill seemed to have vanished with his samurai hair cut. This is why we need a player like Neymar. Chelsea have lacked a pacey dribbler since Robben left years ago. It’s reached the point where the only game plan was to slay the ball up to Drogba and hope he could create something out of nothing. That tactic is one of the several reasons Torres wasn’t effective. He’s not the sort of player you boom the ball to in hopes he’ll turn and beat his marker with pace. Torres needs to have service that gets the ball on his foot facing the goal. With Drogba aging and with Torres seeming to be the new star of our line-up, it is time for some changes. Were I in the new manager’s shoes, most likely those of Guus Hiddink, I’d make it a priority to bring in the aforementioned Neymar and a creative midfielder ala Wesley Sneijder.

Young Sturridge has more than proved himself with his spell at Bolton that he can score in a withdrawn role and Neymar’s goal tally also shows that he is more than capable of carrying some of the goal load. More importantly however both Neymar and Sturridge have demonstrated excellent touch and skill on the ball. They posses a sense of creative flair Chelsea has lacked for quite some time and that flair could finally endow us with the air of unpredictability the squad so badly needs. It simply makes sense bringing in a more withdrawn, width focused player. Torres has demonstrated time and time again he functions best as a lone striker who can get the ball at his feet and find gaps to run through. He was average during the World Cup whenever he was called on to partner Villa and he’s been average with us whenever he has partnered a like minded target man like Drogba. It simply makes sense to bring in Neymar or at least a player like him. Those three up top could be a feared strike force for years to come.

Equally as important as the players playing off of Torres is the man slotted behind him. Players like Fernando need service. Good service. It’s no secret that Benayoun played a big part in his success at Liverpool and certainly had at least a small role in bringing him to Chelsea. If Chelsea are going to build an offense around Torres it needs a player in Benayoun’s mold; clever on the ball, quick to find an incisive pass, and creative with his decision making. Unfortunately Benayoun himself struggled with injury all of last season and is getting older. Similarly Lampard is no spring chicken and usually lurks a little further back in the midfield unless he is poaching goals from the top of the box. Essentially what this means is we need to sign a player to sit in the pocket behind our front line. We’ve been linked to Sneijder for around €35 million and reports are going back and forth about the likelihood of Modric leaving White Hart Lane. While both signings may be a bit of a stretch I take it as a positive that we are at least linked to players in a mold we desperately need.

Summer has only just begun but something tells me it will be an eventful one for fans of Chelsea Football Club. On top of links to Sneijder and Neymar each day seems to bring us closer to signing Belgian wonder-kid Lukaku from Anderlecht. Clearly it would be a signing for the future though. Most likely he’d be given some time to grow under the tutelage of his idol; Didier Drogba while Torres leads the current line. Here’s to hoping it’s the type of eventful that will see us finally give our beloved Blues a much needed new identity.