3 Things Jose Mourinho Should Do To Bag His First UCL With Chelsea

As Chelsea muscled their way to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League after a commendable comeback against PSG, they have managed to establish themselves as the dark horses of the Tournament. With Real Madrid and Bayern Munich the two massive favourites to lift the trophy whereas Atletico Madrid have been rated higher than the Blues this season based on form and consistency, Mourinho has the perfect scenario of actually being the underdog in the race. As we all know, Chelsea thrives under the “underdog” tag which acts as a clever decoy. Everybody fears an upset when Chelsea plays against the big Bayerns, Barcas and Madrids.

So going by the logic, Chelsea have a strong squad and the underdog tag that removes most of the pressure from them. Mourinho has smelt blood here and here are three things that he should do in order to get this trophy back to Stamford Bridge.

3. Improve the team’s away performances

Chelsea’s recent away performances have been the cause for their downfall in the Premier League. They almost bowed out of the Champions League after the 3-1 loss at Paris. Now it is the semi-final stage of the UCL and the last 5 matches in the Premier League, which means Chelsea will have to start preparing for some key away games. They start of by facing Swansea away, a fixture that is easy on the paper but very important for the Blues. Chelsea will have to be in their best away form while going into the UCL Semi-final away leg.

2. Utilize cup-tied players in the Premier League

 

Matic has been a regular starter for the Blues ever since his big money signing, hence giving Mourinho the option of saving Ramires or Luiz for the UCL. As Chelsea don’t have him in the UCL because of him already playing for Benfica, they have become heavily dependent on the Brazilian duo. But since Mourinho has established Matic as a first team regular, one of the central midfielders can take a breather alternatively.

Now, however, the time has come to utilize Mohamed Salah fully. Salah’s performance against Stoke where he had contributed in all three goals speaks for itself. Salah can effectively replace Oscar, Willian or Schurrle and with Eden Hazard out for two weeks because of injury, Mourinho will have to use Salah more often than he would have thought. This policy of squad rotation will provide good rest to the first-team attacking midfielders so as to make them ready for the UCL. Mourinho used this thought against PSG as he had rested Oscar against Stoke and the Brazilian performed much better than some of his previous tired displays.

Inspire the players more often. They seem to like it!

 

Jose Mourinho had absolute confidence in his team that they will emerge victorious against PSG. His press conferences have been very supportive of his team and this had an immediate impact on the pitch. The Chelsea team which was criticized for playing defensive football and not utilizing their attacking talents fully, came out on top as they scored more goals than one of the most attacking teams- Paris Saint Germain. If Mourinho shows deep faith in his players and publicly praises his team more often than not, there is a great chance that his team won’t let him down. The senior players as well as the younger ones revere Mourinho as the ‘Special One’ and he has a great positive influence in the dressing room.

If Mourinho comes out and says “We will win the game”, the players will give their 150% as they don’t want Mourinho’s confidence to be mocked by the media.