Jose Mourinho last took charge at Chelsea from 2004 to 2008 during which he won the league twice among other domestic honours. Having returned to Stamford Bridge for a second spell, he is back to his winning ways. Mourinho spent the whole of last season tweaking the squad to fit his philosophy and the finished product is there for all to see this year. As the season draws to a close with Chelsea being crowned champions, we look back at the managerial decisions that defined their success
- The signing of Diego Costa
The signing of the former Atletico Madrid striker was a stroke of genius. Costa took no time to settle down and his 19 goals from 24 appearances in the league helped Chelsea finish games on the right side of the scoreboard. Even though he was haunted by injury, he has made his time on the pitch count. Despite a disappointing World Cup campaign, Mourinho managed to bring back in top form for the start of the current campaign.
- The midfield makeover
The Chelsea midfield has seen a sea of change over the last two seasons. Mourinho did not shy away from making hard choices such as letting Frank Lampard and Juan Mata go. He weathered the storm of criticism and strengthened the midfield by signing Cesc Fabregas and Juan Cuadrado. Fabregas has assisted 17 goals in the league so far. He has complimented Hazard and Costa perfectly in the attack. On the other hand, Cuadrado has not proved himself to Stamford Bridge but come the next season his talent will surely come to fore.
- Tactical flexibility
Chelsea have looked down and out in many games but have come away with the 3 points. This is a direct result of how Mourinho has been able to dissect every team’s style of play. Instead of trying to play to their strengths, Mourinho has attacked his opponents’ weaknesses. A good example was the game against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge where the visitors enjoyed almost 65% of the possession but could not mount any significant attack on the Chelsea goal. The Blues scored when they found their window of opportunity and Mourinho outsmarted Louis Van Gaal.
- The Courtois choice
It was Déjà vu when Chelsea veteran Petr Cech was demoted to the bench and Thibaut Courtois took his place between the posts. Mourinho did the same thing with Iker Casillas during his time at Real Madrid. Petr Cech was the safe choice, but Courtois was coming into the squad at the back of a very successful loan spell at Atletico Madrid. It was a difficult choice, but hindsight will prove it was the right one by the manager.
- Limited Rotation
Mourinho kept the core of the team the same this season and instead opting to train the players for different situations and positions. He has used the 4-2-3-1 very effectively tweaking it to match different needs. Hazard, Fabregas, Costa, Matic and Oscar have been consistent in attack whereas John Terry has rediscovered his youth at center back and has anchored the defence along with Zouma, and Cahill. Ivanovic and Azpilicueta have both proved to be prolific as full backs. This constancy in team selection has kept the momentum with Chelsea from the beginning till the very end.