FEMI TAIWO: WHY MOURINHO FAILED
STRATEGY WITH FEMI TAIWO ON MONDAY
Michael is a first class chemical engineering graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and a PhD holder in same discipline from the University of Arkansas, United States.
Last week, I offered my insights into how I believe Mourinho should play against Athletico Madrid. Let’s review the match again and see where he got it wrong.
The first half was like a chess game between two grandmasters: it was a very cagey affair. We are talking about Chelsea and Athletico Madrid here – arguably the two best defenses in Europe. Both of them are very stingy at the back. This was always going to be a game of who can do the better job of shutting out the opponent’s attackers. But even a stingy defense can make a mistake and in the first half both teams switched off once and it ended 1-1. The goal against Athletico Madrid by Chelsea in the first half and vice versa was uncharacteristic but this is football, stuff happens.
I said Mourinho should defend, defend, and defend against Athletico Madrid and he did that for the first 45 minutes. However, for no brilliant reason at all, he substituted a defender for an attacker just 8 minutes into the second half! It is hard for me to justify that decision. I get it that if the match ended 1-1, it would have been advantage Athletico Madrid…but the second half was just starting! He should have waited until late in the game before rolling the dice. Athletico’s defense had made a mistake before in conceding a goal; they could make one again. By deliberately weakening his defense, Mourinho committed a tactical suicide. The only thing stopping Athletico Madrid from rolling over him before was his defense and so by removing a full-back, he effectively shot himself in the leg. The gods of strategy won’t forgive that. In fact, they punished him by making the substitute attacker (Samuel Eto’o) the direct cause for the second goal. After that second blow, it was all Athletico Madrid and the entire Stamford Bridge turned to a training pitch for them. Like their city rivals just 24hours before, they have shamed a giant in his home and were enjoying it. Chelsea too knew the battle was lost and they fought with less intensity. The game ended 3-1 and had the referee’s whistle not intervened, Athletico Madrid would clearly have increased Mourinho’s misery.
Mourinho failed because he weakened his own defenses when he very well knew that his defense was the only thing separating him from disaster. Why he did that, only he can explain. But I knew it was a fatal mistake the very moment I saw Cole walking off and Eto’o walking on. I told the people around me jokingly that he wasn’t reading my column…if he had, he would have stuck with his defense and bid his time…who knows, Athletico Madrid might make a mistake again.
