Following Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Everton, Jose Mourinho was all smiles in his post match interview as he stated that he looked forward to the challenge his team face.
Less than two days later and audio has been released that suggests the self proclaimed special one is instead less than happy and is feeling the pressure after yet another defeat. Mourinho can be heard criticising Everton manager Roberto Martinez for making him wait to carry out an interview and also swearing at the Spaniard.
The real reason for Mourinho’s anger is all down to his team’s poor display and in particular a defence that has now conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League. Fans and pundits alike have been shocked by such a record as every Mourinho team is traditionally set up first and foremost to be solid and compact.
Mourinho’s fondness for a disciplined back line is the main reason why Filipe Luís no longer plies his trade in south London. The 29 year old left back arrived at Stamford Bridge last year in a £15.8 million deal and was signed on the back of a season at Atlético Madrid in which he had impressed everyone. Strong tackles and direct attacking runs had helped Atlético become La Liga champions as well as almost winning the Champions League.
But Luís started this summer back in Spain after a season where he made only nine league starts for Chelsea. Mourinho initially used Azpilicueta as a make shift left back despite the player initially being signed to play on the other flank. It would become a permanent fixture as Luís found himself regularly on the bench.
The reason why Mourinho preferred to play the Spaniard was because Luís has a tendency to bomb on and attack. This is not a bad trait and was one of the reasons why the Brazilian became such a success in Spain in the first place. He showed glimpses of how this could also benefit Chelsea such as his terrific free kick in their 3-1 League cup victory against Derby County. The problem was that Mourinho likes his defenders to defend in a rigid formation.
A lack of playing time began to take its toll on Luís and he has since revealed how his fondness for old club grew during the time that he sat on the Chelsea bench.
“I always missed this club. I was never able to move on,” Luís told Dario AS following his return to Atlético Madrid. “Perhaps I should have forgotten about them but I kept on watching the games. We (Luís and Diego Costa) have never lost the affection that we had for Atlético. We would meet up to see their games.”
A lack of game time for Chelsea and a lack of love for the club was always going to result in Luís leaving England and he has since settled nicely back in Spain. During the opening weekend of La Liga he was named in the team of the week and twice came close to scoring in an Atlético victory against Las Palmas.
Perhaps such an attacking defender is just what Mourinho needs right now as he looks for ways to take pressure off his defence.
