Champions down: Mourinho sulks as Chelsea taken apart
Manchester City lay down title marker with 3-0 win to go top of the table.
Aguero opened the scoring with a superbly taken goal in the first half and continuously troubled Terry and Cahill. PHOTO: AFP
MANCHESTER/LONDON:
Under-fire Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho cut a frustrated figure as he weathered questions about his side’s bruising 3-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
Mourinho protested that Chelsea’s improved second-half performance on Sunday meant the scoreline was “fake”, but neither the impression left by the game nor the statistics bore him out.
Eden Hazard forced City goalkeeper Joe Hart to save at 1-0, but it was Chelsea’s only real chance and the hosts finished the game having recorded eight shots on target to the visitors’ three.
Bloodied after a week that saw him roundly criticised for demoting medics Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn over a row about their treatment of Hazard during the 2-2 draw with Swansea City, Mourinho was reduced to claiming that City had abandoned their principles by tightening up in the second half.
It was a tactic he had employed after Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield, when he accused Arsene Wenger’s team of “leaving their philosophy in the dressing room”, and it felt like a similarly redundant observation at the newly expanded Etihad Stadium.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini reacted prudently as his players fought to protect the lead procured by Sergio Aguero’s 31st-minute goal, sending on Samir Nasri and Martin Demichelis.
Mourinho explained that his surprising decision to remove skipper John Terry at half-time — the first time he has withdrawn his captain in 177 league games — was purely due to a desire to add Kurt Zouma’s pace to the back four and move Chelsea’s defensive line further forward.
Terry, 34, played every single second of Chelsea’s title triumph last season and there was a note of irritation in Mourinho’s voice when he was asked why it was he, and not Gary Cahill, who had been withdrawn. “I don’t know if you ask many questions to [Rafael] Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto di Matteo, to the ones that never played him,” replied Mourinho replied.
While Mourinho stewed, Pellegrini was left to reflect on a performance that reinstalled his side as the Premier League’s team to beat.
Reacting to Mourinho’s “fake” comment, Pellegrini said the margin of victory was “the minimum we deserved”, but shied away from the suggestion that City had made a statement at this early stage. “We are not sending a message to anyone,” he said.
The victory was secure by a late header from Vincent Kompany and a rasping drive from Fernandinho in the last 11 minutes, but the foundations had been laid by striker Sergio Aguero, who looks back to his devilish best after taking time off following the Copa America.
“I think Sergio Aguero is in the best moment of his career,” said Pellegrini, whose side top the table on goal difference. “He is a very important player for us. He showed that also last year. He was the top scorer. I believe this season he can be even better.”
Arsenal claim season’s first points
Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal’s gritty 2-1 win against Crystal Palace will prove a significant moment in the Premier League title race.
Wenger’s side could ill-afford another setback after their embarrassing opening day meltdown against West Ham and rose to the challenge at Selhurst Park.
“We have shown a strong response. We have
shown aspects of our game that are important in the Premier League,” said Wenger. “When Palace came back to 1-1 we were tested after what happened last weekend.
“It was important to see how we responded because this is a difficult place to come. I’m sure they will beat many strong teams.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2015.
Under-fire Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho cut a frustrated figure as he weathered questions about his side’s bruising 3-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
Mourinho protested that Chelsea’s improved second-half performance on Sunday meant the scoreline was “fake”, but neither the impression left by the game nor the statistics bore him out.
Eden Hazard forced City goalkeeper Joe Hart to save at 1-0, but it was Chelsea’s only real chance and the hosts finished the game having recorded eight shots on target to the visitors’ three.
Bloodied after a week that saw him roundly criticised for demoting medics Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn over a row about their treatment of Hazard during the 2-2 draw with Swansea City, Mourinho was reduced to claiming that City had abandoned their principles by tightening up in the second half.
It was a tactic he had employed after Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield, when he accused Arsene Wenger’s team of “leaving their philosophy in the dressing room”, and it felt like a similarly redundant observation at the newly expanded Etihad Stadium.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini reacted prudently as his players fought to protect the lead procured by Sergio Aguero’s 31st-minute goal, sending on Samir Nasri and Martin Demichelis.
Mourinho explained that his surprising decision to remove skipper John Terry at half-time — the first time he has withdrawn his captain in 177 league games — was purely due to a desire to add Kurt Zouma’s pace to the back four and move Chelsea’s defensive line further forward.
Terry, 34, played every single second of Chelsea’s title triumph last season and there was a note of irritation in Mourinho’s voice when he was asked why it was he, and not Gary Cahill, who had been withdrawn. “I don’t know if you ask many questions to [Rafael] Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto di Matteo, to the ones that never played him,” replied Mourinho replied.
While Mourinho stewed, Pellegrini was left to reflect on a performance that reinstalled his side as the Premier League’s team to beat.
Reacting to Mourinho’s “fake” comment, Pellegrini said the margin of victory was “the minimum we deserved”, but shied away from the suggestion that City had made a statement at this early stage. “We are not sending a message to anyone,” he said.
The victory was secure by a late header from Vincent Kompany and a rasping drive from Fernandinho in the last 11 minutes, but the foundations had been laid by striker Sergio Aguero, who looks back to his devilish best after taking time off following the Copa America.
“I think Sergio Aguero is in the best moment of his career,” said Pellegrini, whose side top the table on goal difference. “He is a very important player for us. He showed that also last year. He was the top scorer. I believe this season he can be even better.”
Arsenal claim season’s first points
Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal’s gritty 2-1 win against Crystal Palace will prove a significant moment in the Premier League title race.
Wenger’s side could ill-afford another setback after their embarrassing opening day meltdown against West Ham and rose to the challenge at Selhurst Park.
“We have shown a strong response. We have
shown aspects of our game that are important in the Premier League,” said Wenger. “When Palace came back to 1-1 we were tested after what happened last weekend.
“It was important to see how we responded because this is a difficult place to come. I’m sure they will beat many strong teams.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2015.