Two years ago, when they were still regarded as master and apprentice and their different statuses were reflected by the fact that they managed Real Madrid and Swansea City, respectively, Jose Mourinho texted Brendan Rodgers his advice.
Take the Liverpool job, he told the Northern Irishman.
During Liverpool’s magnificent rise, it threatened to be the most costly piece of guidance Mourinho ever offered. He seemed likely to finish behind his former subordinate. Pupil looked to be outwitting teacher. Yet dismissing Mourinho is a dangerous tactic. The most-decorated manager of his generation takes a strange delight in being an underdog.
In pictures: Chelsea beat Liverpool to tighten title race in English Premier League
He thrives as an outsider. It brings the best from Mourinho. This is the paradox of the superstar manager: the galactico of the dugout derives most pleasure from clean sheets against the elite. He highlighted his skills as a defensive strategist at Anfield. Liverpool had scored 96 goals this season, 38 of them in an 11-game winning run. The sharpest side in England were blunted by Mourinho’s weakened team. A master plan was executed with meticulous precision and unwavering determination. It was eerily similar to Chelsea’s February win over Manchester City, except that it was accomplished with lesser players.
This was a first-class display from the second-string side. Chelsea had a 20-year-old debutant defender, in Tomas Kalas, and a 41-year-old goalkeeper, in Mark Schwarzer. Each excelled when called upon. They were shielded superbly. John Obi Mikel, Nemanja Matic and Frank Lampard were the most restrained of midfielders.
“They were very deep,” said Rodgers. “There were two buses parked today, never mind one.”
Rodgers was on Chelsea’s coaching staff when Mourinho coined the phrase about “parking the bus”. Earlier this season, in another original description of negative tactics, he complained about West Ham United’s “19th-century football”.
Yet Mourinho, when not propagating conspiracy theories and beneath the bluster, is a brilliant realist. The frustration on each occasion was that his team was unable to break down defensive opponents. He is perfectly prepared to adopt a similar approach when it makes sense. He knows it is illogical to take a 96-goal team on at their own game, especially lacking several of his premier players. More than any of his peers, he specialises in finding ways to negate attacking talents. Wonderfully as Liverpool have played this season, Mourinho illustrated how naïve other visitors – Arsenal and Manchester City in particular – have been.
Chelsea’s initial task was to ensure Liverpool’s blitzkrieg tactics did not give them yet another early lead. It was accomplished, aided by some tactical time-wasting. Thereafter, Chelsea showed a perfectionist’s zeal in eliminating errors. Liverpool committed a costly one.
Nine years after Mourinho’s Chelsea lost a Uefa Champions League semi-final at Anfield because of Luis Garcia’s famous “ghost goal”, they scored through a gifted goal, presented to Demba Ba by Steven Gerrard. Ba, Chelsea’s third-choice forward for much of the campaign, has turned into a centrepiece, with a vital goal against Paris St-Germain preceding another against Liverpool. Shorn of stardust, he suits Mourinho’s narrative that Chelsea are the underdogs.
“Teams are the image of their managers,” said Lampard, the midfield sentry. Chelsea may not be quite as unpredictable or as charismatic at Mourinho, but they can realise his vision of football. They share his bloody-minded enjoyment in stopping and stifling.
The quintessential Mourinho player is not the maverick the manager often appears, but one who can follow orders. He is Nemanja Matic, who again showed why his mid-season capture looks inspired, or Lampard, the expert in efficiency.
At their best – and, minus Petr Cech, John Terry, David Luiz, Ramires, Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto’o, Chelsea nevertheless were at their best – they are a wonderfully economical side. They defend with solidity and resolve and break with pace and purpose. They do not need to dominate possession or deliver artistic frills.
“It was about winning,” said Mourinho, who has a PhD in the subject. His qualifications include home and away victories against both City and Liverpool, Chelsea’s two title rivals, this season. “Now we can say we won both matches against the champions,” said Mourinho, maintaining his stance that it will not be Chelsea.
It might not be, but the reality is that City and Liverpool have only lost three home league games this season. Two were to Chelsea. They were Mourinho’s masterpieces.
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