Tactics Explained: Mourinho's Chelsea (2004-2006)

RETRO TACTICS EPISODE 1
Team: Chelsea FC
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Era: 04/05 - 05/06
In the first installment of our Retro Tactics series, we look at the almost invincible Chelsea team of 2004-2006, when incoming manager Jose Mourinho led them to consecutive Premier League titles in his first two seasons at the club.
Key Players: John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Petr Cech.
Honours: Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield.
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[@MrRJT86]

Not many people realise the level of innovation Mourinho implemented. He even analysed the grass lengths (which is common practice now) and changed grass length and style of play for each opponent.

[@theHamster624]

Jose was the first to really use 433 in the PL. He paved the way for modern PL football, but people are ignorant.

[@noblesleem1077]

I think his time with Barca might have informed that formation/system

[@kunimitsune177]

No, he wasn't. Talk about ignorance. Wenger's 4-4-2 of the era was famously a 4-3-3 in hiding, being incredibly asymmetrical in how it played.

[@finding_aether]

SAF used 433/4411 to great effect. Big Sam and Moyes were also fans.

[@MrRJT86]

@@kunimitsune177factually incorrect He used a 4-4-2

[@MrRJT86]

@@finding_aether factually incorrect He used a 4-4-2

[@conorpower8689]

I'd LOVE to see this for Conte's Chelsea. This was really well done.

[@ragnerhavertz1666]

Retro tactics is perfect, no need to change

[@WILDDITTO]

The fact that a magazine has a youtube channel that seems this genuine blows my mind.

[@obiigwe8349]

Great vid. People called that team boring in the same way some people describe even free-scoring Man City as boring. These teams were so dominant in their eras that the result was almost a certainty when they played.

[@lukebashian5591]

Love seeing Mourinho’s innovation, I feel like wenger always gets praised for the way he changed the game and rightfully so, what he did was incredible, but people act as if Mourinho never innovated which I find crazy

[@jivan8188]

Always wanted a series like this

[@danno263-fc1lp]

When Mourinho first started at Chelsea, they played a 4-3-1-2 like his Porto had, with Thiago Mendes and Makelele as both fairly-to-very defensive midfielders, Lampard also pretty deep as a mezzala/box-to-box player, and Aleksey Smertin or Joe Cole as a 10, Duff coming on as a substitute for width. It was when Robben got healthy that this new formation came to be, and then suddenly the team had both real width and were overpowering centrally, the switches between Duff and Robben were completely flummoxing defenders (hi Gary Neville!), fullbacks were flying on the overlap, Lampard was making his now-trademark runs, etc etc. They had been incredibly boring to that point, every game like some terrible Serie A game from the 90s, and then it was like an overnight transformation into a completely different, thrilling team. IF Essien had stayed healthy . . . what could have been (for me, Tiago was the weak link in the team, solid player but too slow physically for the PL and not quite fast enough mentally to compensate, unlike Fabregas in his later Chelsea stint). Also shout out to Steve Clarke, assistant manager. The inverted winger thing was genuinely new at the time.

[@jude_I]

Great comment 👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻

[@ariobimoraharjow562]

spot on mate

[@srijonpaulchowdhury9809]

this should be pinned

[@thacrypt223]

I am an Arsenal fan who absolutely loves Jose Mourinho. What a tactician! Big respect! Great series btw, keep this up please!

[@panaceanfrequency]

This is GREAT! Definitely a series wroth continuing.

[@danielgalindo3494]

This Chelsea team was special and deserves to be highlighted in this fashion. Thank you @FourFourTwo

[@winstong7438]

Very cool more of this please❤

[@marcosespera1111]

LOVE THIS!!! Already massive fan of the channel but the more tactic knowledge you share, the more I watch!

[@danielfleissig1959]

This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for starting retro tactics! Woud you consider doing a video on Liverpool's 08/09 team under Benetiz that nearly won the title?

[@sammybeasley9599]

Thanks for making this video, I was quite young when watching chelsea win everything so didn't know the tactics at play, quite interesting looking at it now.

[@grahamdampier]

Fantastic analysis! Keep these retro analysis coming.

[@Juanico259]

15 goals conceded

[@balearicburger]

Brilliant video. Glad you started this series with Chelsea 💙

[@stevecarson7031]

Awesome video. Please do more like this!

[@stevemorley6752]

Great piece thank you

[@ThisOldManOfTheSea]

With regard to attacking fullbacks and their genesis in English football. In the 1970s Aston Villa had two forward minded fullbacks in John Gidman (RB) and John Robson (LB) who were often forward of their associated midfielder on their respective wings. Gidman went on to play for Everton and Man Utd in a similar role. I’m pretty sure Bobby Robson did similar at Ipswich with his fullbacks.

[@eduschafer]

Yeah. I don't know what he's on about. When i heard that i immediately thought of Carlos Alberto. Played RB for his entire career and scored 64 times, including a very famous goal in the 1970's world cup final, one of the 20 greatest world cup goals according to fifa

[@ThisOldManOfTheSea]

@@eduschafer true. Although I would suggest that Brazil had 10 outfield players at the time who could play almost any position on the pitch.. iirc Carlos Alberto is the first player I remember setting the ball 10 metres outside the post to then curl into the top corner of the goal. Although, at the time, the press put it down to ‘the rarified air of Mexico City’ and/or ‘the poorly designed Adidas ball’. A truly amazing defender who was also a complete footballer.

[@SW-kr9fl]

I love teams with strong defences. Only 15 goals conceded in a season is a crazy stat. Defending is not boring to me. I’m not a Chelsea fan, I support Arsenal but you have to respect Mourinho’s tactics

[@jerkov420]

Conte also deserves a nod on for completely shattering the premier league trend, which Mourinho sparked and mentioned in this video, by playing a redacted version of his patented three at the back system. Loads of managers in the league and beyond would catch on to the benefits of his 3421 which emphasized overloads all over the pitch, including Gareth Southgate for England

[@roryasrorri701]

Yes! I remember i was initially annoyed at first when other teams _copied_ Conte's implementation of three at the back and spiced it up to their own taste. These other teams gained succes at it, somewhat. But none of them had Kante in their squad. And that's what make Conte's Chelsea special to this day for me.

[@MrPlacy]

Loved this

[@rikachu571]

Love this concept, really interesting! How about some of the really retro formations like: - the 2-3-5 (which has now essentially come back) - Herbert Chapman's W-M - Hungary's 4-2-4 - Sir Alf's 4-4-2

[@leoS179]

Great video

[@username1t1k]

Great Video❤ I'd like videos either on why the first Galacticos "failed" or on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's runners-up season OR... how Spain fell off after 2012 Euros

[@oliverbrooks3293]

Great content ! Would love to see one for Wengers 1998 champions - brining about what we see as modern football to england . And also - perhaps a little niche - but would love to see some teams like Potchetino’s nearly men Spurs 2017 , or Holloway’s blackpool 2011 .

[@b00i00d]

that was _some_ lineup!

[@dennardleonard1228]

MOURINHO is by FAR THE BEST EVER

[@automatedcryptoapp4573]

It's got to be called Old-Skool TakTiks.

[@kunimitsune177]

*Jose not hose. Portuguese not Spanish. Some of these things you could just as easily credit Wenger for. That 4-4-2 was more of a 4-3-3, Henry was as much a winger (an inverted one) as a striker and try telling me with a straight face that our fullbacks of the era didn't contribute going forward. Jose had a much more balanced and complete squad for that end and seemed far more deliberate in this approach but he certainly wasn't the originator nor a revolutionary on his own.

[@lugstaclash]

Do every team that won back to back titles in the PL era, even if only just to piss the Liverpool fans off 😎

[@FPLExpression]

Such a great video, how can someone subscribe twice.

[@AdThe1st]

The fact they were one game away from an Invincible season too

[@Football-is-fixable-alright]

What a defensive masterclass this team was

[@rodneymorkli9733]

Most people now adays have no love for the tacticality of the game any longer and are only interested in how many goals were scored. Mourinho's team was 2nd to Arsenal's in goals scored!! 2nd!! Won the most possessions in games, chances created, shots, and was very, very solid all over the pitch. You can't break them down.

[@wahlvisiongolf]

Eidur is my all-time favourite Chelsea player!

[@jelmersein3106]

Would love to see this for the '74 dutch world cup squad, and Rinus Michels's total football

[@kunimitsune177]

Invert does not mean 'come inside'. That's why inside forwards and inverted wingers are different things.

[@jakobhamidi9538]

where do i find a tactic board like that? looks really nice

[@MrConnero]

Can you do this on Pardew's Ben Arfa, Cisse and Ba team (Not forgetting Tiote and Cabaye)

[@roolaing]

This is excellent. It’s a very niche shout, but Walter Smith’s Treble Winning Rangers 92/93 came within a game of the CL final and were unbeaten in Europe that season. This is with the 3 foreigner rule, and usually 2 Englishmen as 2/3 of them. They played a 442, with the best big man and poacher partnership I’ve ever seen, McCoist and Hateley. Such a tremendous team, cruelly pipped by a dodgy Marseille.

[@Temarisboy]

Crazy how that 2004/5 team was one goal (dodgy pen tbh) away from going undefeated the year after the Invincibles did it. Would have been a better record too. 29 wins, 8 draws, 1 loss, 95 points.

[@mosesrocco6614]

His name isn't pronounced 'Ho-zay'. He's not Spanish and therefore being Portuguese, the 'J' in Jose is NOT silent and is pronounced in the usual way. Just for future reference Mr Adam.

[@marcelakhame7490]

Deep dive into Gerrard please!

[@virupakshawalla5734]

Jose said Gudjohnson closest match now is Havertz and he has been wasted. Thinks Arteta will make him world class

[@warrenreis3688]

Ahhh I can’t take it! It’s pronounced “Joe-say”, not “Ho-say “. It’s a hard J in Portuguese

[@word2wilson]

It was driving me mad as well! 😂

[@thestrika]

Wtf Chelsea finished 2nd and went to the CL semi final before mourinho wow

[@nananou1687]

That was a fluke. RanieriBall was horrible.

[@LeeKyle]

There’s a lot good in this but a lot is a huge rewriting of history. Full backs attacked loads for decades before this, Mourinho innovated a lot, but not everything! I’m not even going to name names because you know which full backs in the 90s ‘virtually did no attacking’? Hardly any of them. And there were lots of ball playing centre halves in England. Albert, Howey, Mark Wright, Hansen, Lawrenson, Bould, Pallister.. Makalele was a slight difference but he wasn’t some world changing shock to everyone. He wasn’t THAT far away from David Batty or Nobby Stiles. This stuff was mostly a slight evolution not a revolution. Inverted wingers I’ll probably agree with.

[@LeeKyle]

Probably sounding snarkier than I meant to there, sorry! Still an interesting video and you seem quite nice.

[@FourFourTwo]

Loved your flag stuff tbf so I’ll take this

[@vuangxuan1766]

not everyone would know, but Mourinho has spent his early years of “coaching” in Barcelona, as a translator - so of course, he’s also a student of the positional play philosophy, and i wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it was a game changer for PL

[@nananou1687]

Positional play is not unique to Barca, in fact Milan under Sacchi did it better. Mourinho was a student of the game, and Barcelona was just a step for him. Infact the Benfica team where he started as a translator was where full back position was revolutionized for a long time

[@curtisgibson635]

Newcastle entertainers. But also my girlfriend’s (and her families team) Portsmouth tactics. More per say 2008 FA cup winning team! My girlfriend is from Gosport (near Portsmouth) and I’m a geordie from Newcastle

[@tobbzio97]

Can you do an ac Milan when Ronaldinho played for them

[@akwilson1676]

Really want to see total football from Ajax and the Netherlands in the 70s.

[@Theboxingobserver]

Thats a naught, naughty team.

[@imanakbary4895]

Pls do one from barca

[@virupakshawalla5734]

Makalele desrevs most of credit. He actually suggested his role to Jose

[@nananou1687]

No he didn't. He has acknowledged so, that his winger role was not working. Jose simply thought his recovery would work as a great screen. Jose had a similar role in Porto as well

[@ziphelelekhumalo9429]

Absolutely love this series. Looking forward to Arsenal's Invincibles video

[@chilibeer3912]

I love how brits pick and choose how to pronounce foreign names.

[@RBernsCarter]

I don’t understand why the defensive midfielder suddenly became the number 6? 6 was always a CB with 5, 4 was the more defensive minded midfielder

[@FourFourTwo]

Oh I could do a whole other video on this!! It’s to do with where in the world certain positions were first popularised.

[@RBernsCarter]

@@FourFourTwo i figured that was probably the reason but please do a video on it! 👍

[@T.E.S.S.]

haha, Benson and Hedges

[@madfox5085]

is Mourinho the greatest manager chelsea ever had

[@dhinowatkis4419]

100%, who comes close?

[@bigerichunt9413]

Why is this video 17:33 minutes long? He was given a blank cheque by Abramovich, and applied park the bus tactics when his team took the lead. Didn't work at Tottenham and Roma where he had weaker squads and less money to spend.

[@HARAARMANI]

am watching this for when chelsea sign mourinho again to replace PoCnettino .

[@chelski365]

Much of this is very good but the talk about Wayne Bridge being starting LB is nonsense. He only had 15 PL appearances over 2 years in that period. Gallas had 62 - over 4 times as much with many of those coming at LB. Even Del Horno had 25 PL apps in 05-06 alone.

[@williamthompson2941]

nothing else going on? Try Vanarama

[@jamalb599]

Lampard wouldn’t have scored as many goals without Drogba

[@phaphatha]

What about a vid on Houllier's Treble winners?

[@fullydavid]

I remember reading somewhere that Mourinho has had very little legacy in terms of coaching - compared to say Guardiola and Klopp, that no young managers saw him as an influence or wanted to copy him. Mainly because he's seen as a negative, anti-football influence - is that true, or is he mischaracterised?

[@konzza]

It's both true and mischaracterised. Unlike basicly all Mourinho's later teams, this Chelsea played of front foot, and was an attacking juggernaut scoring left and right. All the media saw was them being a team that doesn't concede goals, and falsely labeling them defence first type of team. The attacking play from wings by Robben and Duff, helped by advancing wide defenders was simply glorious.

[@mosesrocco6614]

I really think you're over egging how 'innovative' this Chelsea side was tactically and strategically. Yes 442 of some type was the norm, but over the years there have been all sorts of formations and strategies. And saying full backs weren't supposed to attack back then is crazy talk. This was 2005 for fs sake not 1955. There were full backs known for their attacking play as much as their defending in the 1970s. Certainly by the late 70s/early 80s such as Kenny Sansom, Viv Anderson. Phil Neal etc This is Mourinho worship revisionism.

[@FlashMeterRed]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ there that was quicker

[@Swisswavey]

The best English club side I've ever seen would be worth a deep dive imo. It's the Liverpool of Barnes, Beardsley, Aldridge. That's how people remember them, i prefer to remember Nicol, McMahon, Houghton. Although the whole team was a bit special. Was it just great players or did they do something clever tactically too?

[@jarlbalgruuf8375]

Time to shave the head my guy

[@engrave_daniel9370]

" Stuff of Legends " name to replace retro..

[@TheJonesdude]

He's Not Spanish. Why are you pronouncing his name as if he's Spanish? It's Joe-say, not hoe-say. Basic shit man come on

[@warrenreis3688]

It’s wild how many football channels pronounce it wrong. Ben foster says hose as well

[@bugeyedmudafuka2]

A bottomless pit of money?

[@tonybutler2942]

And the new generation continues the thump the media lies and myths it spouts about mourinho. We absolutely dominated the league but the media said we were boring lol. We were making headlines every other day in footballing terms but the media said we played anti football. Screams of an agenda doesn’t it

[@manzourahmed3383]

Funny what a load of petroidollars can do!

[@konzza]

Were the team tactics helped by economics?

[@Yom_Bristol]

No other manager that could do what Mourinho did back then, no matter how much money you have. His football intelligence is undeniable, you're truly a fool to put that down to his transfer budget. Is Pep Guardiola not a genius because he has a valuable squad? These managers aren't successful because of money, they get the big money BECAUSE they are successful. They have high value squads because they are the best people on the planet to make the most of that money.

[@Never_Wr0ng]

simple; by Cheating. I understand this is a channel about tactics but not calling out recognized cheaters is one of the big reasons football has recognized cheaters still playing. Chelsea, City, PSG, Juventus- scum. nothing more but a stain on the game.

[@MrRJT86]

Man United, liverpool, Arsenal. Every club has bent or broken the rules. You’re just naming the clubs who have had modern investments and a club from serie A. You could name half the clubs in Serie A for cheating of some sorts.

[@Never_Wr0ng]

@@MrRJT86 "modern investments" 🤡

[@nananou1687]

They did cheat financially, but you cannot deny the level of coaching by the likes of Mourinho and Pep

[@nananou1687]

And Liverpool have considerably cheated their way in the early 80's.

[@Never_Wr0ng]

@@nananou1687 They wouldn't have that level of coaching without cheating.....