Despite Champions League Disappointment, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea Will Be Back

Jose Mourinho is a very complicated character, so his oversimplistic reasoning for Chelsea’s bad performance and ultimate Champions League elimination at the hands of a 10-man Paris Saint-Germain is disappointing. Mostly because he knows better than us what happened, but he prefers to focus on mentality, pressure, not talking about game plan or style. 

In football, Mourinho has always been the living embodiment of "the man with the plan"—outthinking, outsmarting and outtalking the very best in the world. But, unfortunately, what unravelled at a stunned Stamford Bridge was a plan that, in European terms, looked to be insufficient, perhaps even in need of reinventing, or at least of evolving.

After the game, the Portuguese coach cited poor defending from set pieces that ultimately earned PSG a fully deserved place in the quarter-finals draw. He knows better than most that just about every club in Europe—not least Chelsea themselves who scored the opener following a corner—place massive emphasis on set pieces.

The truth is, what really should be concerning him is the worrying lack of reaction by his side following the dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic after 32 minutes. Just why there wasn’t enough focus on how best to take full advantage of their numerical superiority is the real issue here.

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No one plans better and more thoroughly than Mourinho, and it is that attention to detail that will almost certainly bring the Premier League title back to Chelsea this year and could still see him triumph yet again in Europe. 

These days, however, when it comes to taking on Europe, his major preoccupation on not losing rather than going out there to win looks exposed. His contentment at securing a draw in the first game, confident in the knowledge that in the second game, the little details or things like set pieces—where his side can avoid conceding and perhaps nick a goal—will work in his favour is beginning to look suspect. 

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The trouble, of course, is such a philosophy contains elements not entirely removed from the "flip of the coin" school of thought, and in this match, it certainly ended up being, both literally and metaphorically, a case of "tails you lose" for Mourinho.

Chelsea will never have a better chance of going for the throat of their opponents as they did in this match, yet they never looked to have the desire, firepower and ambition to deviate from the original plan.

A plan that lacked variation and adaptability with Diego Costa coming in and playing like any other forward at Chelsea and with Cesc Fabregas running non-stop, often without the ball. A system that Mourinho has used for a long time, and one that has brought him success in the past.

Mourinho’s Chelsea have frequently controlled games without ever really having possession of the ball. But times are changing, and more offensive collective displays from sides across Europe have recently been more successful against rigid defensive formations

The irony that at the same time as Chelsea were labouring against PSG, Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich were simultaneously thumping a similarly depleted Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 will not be lost on the London club’s fans, either.

While Shakhtar can’t really be considered to be at the same level as PSG, this is neither about level nor even about performance, but rather about attitude and approach. 

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Guardiola’s side were merciless as they greedily chased the goals they knew would send a message to the rest of the European football elite while Chelsea stumbled around, playing a containing game in search of either a goalless draw or a fortuitous win.

Who’s to blame? Well, if you’re going to play the blame game, which I have never particularly liked doing, then everyone at Chelsea, apart from Courtois perhaps, should take their share of it—although, in fairness, you have to say this is a style that Chelsea have played for a long time now, and one that, to date, has stood them in pretty good stead.

Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge was almost certainly the end of an era, certainly from a European point of view, but all those rubbing their hands in glee over the demise of Mourinho’s Chelsea should remember one thing—he will be back.