During the boredom that is the international break I was thinking about our decent start to the season and how balanced the side is looking and I started to wonder, has Mourinho replicated the style/formula of his original Chelsea team that was so successful?

Courtois, 22 year old goalkeeper coming into the side and replacing an already very respectable player and a fan favourite. Remind you of anyone?

Solid back four with a right footed left back playing out of position but excelling none the less... Bit like Gallas.

Matic, the link between defense and midfiled breaking down attacks as often as he starts them... Makalele.

Fabregas, the midfield source of goals and assists covering all areas of the pitch, kind of Lampard-esque.

Oscar, a rather non spectacular player but puts the leg work in and drives the team forward and is quite handy in a tackle too, rather Essien like.

Hazard, sometimes lazy but capable of the sublime much like Robben.

Schurrle, hard working winger who will run himself into the ground for the team but quite handy in front of goal, also blonde, as was Damien Duff.

Costa, not the flashiest of strikers, not too conventional, won't win too many friends outside of Chelsea, willing to do a job in our penalty box as well as sticking them away at the other end. Doesn't carry the biggest of reputations but could be a bit if a diamond in the rough... Remind anyone of Drogba when he came to Chelsea?

Maybe I am just seeing what I want to see but the similarities do seem to be there.

What do my fellow Shed Enders think?

Pretty much agree although Essien was twice the player Oscar is just now IMO

I agree with both of you, now if we replaced Oscar with Pogba it would be a complete replica. 

Difference is Costa is as near the finished article, Drogs was raw and unpolished...

I agree with you, there are many similarities - he's created a very similar team.

 

Essien was a bit different to Oscar and played a different role but there are still similarities there. Fabregas is also a different player to Lampard, and I believe Hazard is better than Robben was, but harsh to find slight differences in obviously different players. Good observation.

i think oscar's a bit lightweight, i think rammy is a much better player, much more like lamps, box to box, player simple effective passer, if someone took him to one side and worked on his finishing, he could score as many goals as lamps. as he times his runs the same. arriving late ghosting in. it's just he couldn't finish beans on toast.

 apart from barca away  "gawd blessya guv'nor" 

Agree with you Carefree, good spot on a number of levels. I would argue that Oscar is utilised in a much more attacking role than Essien but that's nitpicking. On the whole good post Carefree!

I agree with that on Rambo. He's a freak in terms of his running ability and does have his moments. He's actually very good at crossing the ball from deep, makes some great runs and he gives us a lot driving the team up the pitch, which is important when we don't have the ball, like Everton at the weekend. He had so much potential due to his athletic ability, an asset I feel coaches exploited to it's maximum throughout his career. What I mean by that is nobody has ever tried to make him more than the box to box player, but I believe he could have been a more complete player if worked on.

In terms of the question in this thread, maybe, but we don't play the most formation most of the time.

When we play 4-3-3, perhaps and I would say then Ramires is more like Essien (though not as good). Fabregas dictates the tempo more than Lampard did, but Makelele for me was the source of tempo control in Jose's last side. Something for all Matic's positive attributes he can not do as effectively.

In other areas, Hazard doesn't provide the width Robben did and I honestly feel like Robben was more dangerous in the general flow of the game, whereas Hazard is better at producing his own individual moments. I can see the similarities in Duff and Schurrle, just honest hard working skilful players. Costa and Drogba too, with the main similarity being the chip on the shoulder they both have. I also see a similarity in Willian and Joe Cole. Two brilliantly gifted players who have altered their game and sacrificed a lot of their flair for the good of the team.

Let's just hope Remy isn't the new Kezman

Would like to see a Gudjohnsen in the team. Play midfield and centre forward.

You mean like Fabregas

^Good point. Tho i've never seen a Fabregas header goal.

Interesting topic, I think Fabregas/Lampard and Oscar/Essien are too dissimilar to compare, but the others yes.

Edited September 5, 201411 yr by Jonty

Interesting indeed. Hope we get the same success.

I think this team has the potential to be better. But ask me again in January

^Good point. Tho i've never seen a Fabregas header goal.

 

He actually scored a fair few for Barcelona. When he was playing as a striker it was like watching Gudjohnsen again; dropping deep to recieve the ball, a skilful turn or flick to spray it wide to a team-mate and then haring into the box for a cross or cut-back.

 

The more I think of it, long before football's self-proclaimed intelligensia coined the term "false-nine", Gudjohnsen was operating as a playmaking lone striker, the archetypical false-nine. Can't help but wonder if he was playing at his peak a decade later he'd be the hottest property going around.

 

As for this team, I agree with KrazyTea to an extent, however it is nothing that this team is much closer in its strength relative to its rivals. Our 2006/07 squad was by far the best in the league and the league as a whole was far weaker and less competitive than it is now. The individual quality of players in the lower teams is so much higher and as a result the top teams appear to stumble rather than coast to the title as in the past. Smaller teams now have the quality to punish the big guns for one moment of madness.

Edited September 5, 201411 yr by SydneyChelsea

It is similar to that first team in some ways but in the most of eats like that first team it's balanced, I'd say we're a little stronger in certain areas to that first team but maybe even a little weaker in some areas.

Oh and don't forget Essien wasn't in that first time he joined the season after.

Edited September 5, 201411 yr by Bobbywoodhogan

Any chance of Jose deploying the diamond midfield? 

 

                       Courtois

 

Ivan        Cahill         Terry            Dave

 

                       Matic

 

              Cesc         Willian

 

                      Oscar

 

           Remy            Costa

He actually scored a fair few for Barcelona. When he was playing as a striker it was like watching Gudjohnsen again; dropping deep to recieve the ball, a skilful turn or flick to spray it wide to a team-mate and then haring into the box for a cross or cut-back.

The more I think of it, long before football's self-proclaimed intelligensia coined the term "false-nine", Gudjohnsen was operating as a playmaking lone striker, the archetypical false-nine. Can't help but wonder if he was playing at his peak a decade later he'd be the hottest property going around.

As for this team, I agree with KrazyTea to an extent, however it is nothing that this team is much closer in its strength relative to its rivals. Our 2006/07 squad was by far the best in the league and the league as a whole was far weaker and less competitive than it is now. The individual quality of players in the lower teams is so much higher and as a result the top teams appear to stumble rather than coast to the title as in the past. Smaller teams now have the quality to punish the big guns for one moment of madness.

Although our 2006/07 squad may have been better on paper it didn't have the balance of the two seasons prior to that.

Drogba / Crespo 05-06 

Joe Cole / Duff / Robben. If its not yet obvious im a big cole fan.

That's a good observation from the OP, been wondering that myself ever since we signed Cesc.

I hope we don't get carried away with our boys yet. We've looked this strong at the start before under Scolari, Ancelotti and Di Matteo and as soon as November hit we struggled. Of course we do have Jose in charge but we don't want to get carried away.

Good thread! You are onto something ForeverCarefree

I think Mourinho (like any good coach) just wants to build a well balanced team, which is what we have.  A finely tuned balance of strength, guile, pace and power.  Get it all to gel into a well oiled machine and you have an elite side as we were in 2004-07.  If we reach those heights again we'll be privileged. 

Obviously the players I have listed aren't going to be carbon copies of those in the back to back title winning side but I did think it was interesting that there was a lot of similarities to that side.

I think it says a lot about the type of team Mourinho feels comfortable and confident about coaching.

Let's just hope Jose can replicate the success he had with us last time.