Liverpool v Chelsea: "Game of buses"

If they didn't push up then gaps would have been left for Schurrle and Salah to exploit. Having them run at us in free space is far more dangerous than pressing high, as Liverpool have proved this season by sitting in first place. The tactics were fine. If Gerrard doesn't slip, Liverpool don't concede, and it is a 0-0 draw as Chelsea offered very little going forward. If we sat back and let Chelsea attack us we would be in all sorts of trouble given our porous defence. We can't sustain 90 minutes of pressure the way Chelsea can. Those tactics have worked all season for Rodgers so why change it to something the team is unfamiliar with for one game? It was bad luck and misfortune which won the game for Chelsea.

1) Yes, of course I would have preferred Mourinho play tactics that would benefit Liverpool. 2) I'm not sure where you've taken offence in my comment; I said I wasn't criticising his tactics, but rather criticising his hypocrisy. If anything it is a compliment to Liverpool that he believed he couldn't win so played the way he did. My point still stands; people are upset Chelsea play the way they do under Mourinho because a title challenger is entertaining. No-one likes to see the bus parked, period.

Read again Jose's philosophy. He plays the odds. He was awaiting a mistake, knowing how Liverpool would play. Wait a mistake or catch them on the counter. A one off success suggests luck (and it was "lucky" that Gerrard slipped). Remember he also shot down a brilliant Barca side by playing the same way. Jose is many things, but "unsophisticated"??? Read Fuss' stats re results once taking the lead

Arsenal, as is publically known, has a substantial transfer kitty which their manager chooses not to touch - much to the delight of the club owners. No other club forces this action from Arsenal, and when have you heard of them losing out in a bidding war with a wealthier club? No other club has bullied Arsenal to become a selling club. This distracts though from the conversation point. My inference is that under Arsene in recent years, the Gunners tactical approach to games has been steadfastly and - in a results orientated field - unprofessionally linked to ideology. Arsenal has sought and played a delightful to watch, attacking style of football, but with no defensive midfielder to protect their back 4 since the departure of Viera, this has proved utterly unsuccessful in regards to league and Cup success. It is naive, and results against big clubs and in big games highlights this.

Basing your gameplay on unforced errors is very unsophisticated because you have no control over it. That's that the main point of the article.

An "accidental slip" is a mistake. Yes unforced, but still a mistake. Chelsea were waiting on either a forced or unforced error. They got one.

Exactly Steven, you avoid playing to your weaknesses and the strengths of the other team. You play tactics to frustrate them and force mistakes. I hope Ange annoys the hell out of the Spanish and Dutch supporters!

Title will still go to Liverpool or City though. actually unless Everton can do a favor for their neighbors, City will win it on goal difference .

My interpretation was that it wasn't a mistake, the initial miscontrol from Gerard was hardly from Chelsea pressure as they defended so deep. The accidental slip was the main contributory factor in the opening goal, not from any perceived ' pressure' from Chelsea. Of course this is arbitrary but it is my interpretation of the first goal.

Was it boring? Yes Chelsea's prerogative. Was it fortuitous? Very. Mourinho is not a tactical genius when he relied on a slip from a player that rarely happens. That's my point his primitive tactics were not playing the percentages.

Liverpool were playing at home going for 12 wins a row, Rodgers wasn't going to betray the attacking philosophy that brought them this far. It was a freak slip that defeated Liverpool. Apart from a long range effort from Cole, Chelsea did not look like scoring in the 1st half

Yep, my comment wasn't very clear, suiting Chelsea's abilities, apologies

But it WAS a mistake, and that is part of Jose's planning. It isn't to say this is how I like teams to play, but it's all about results.

I think Adam's talking about suiting Chelsea's abilities Steve...

Fair call. Good to debate these sort of things with fellow football tragics :)

Yes but if you park the Bus shouldn't you have men at the back at all times. Ba had an open run to goal. There should have been one or two defenders there to shut it down. At least that is my version of parking a bus. I would have had 8 guys stacked in our half if it meant a goalless draw.

Can't say I really agree with point 4. I maintain that the first goal was not due to Mourinhos plan, or even Ba's pressure. It was more a black swan event, something that just happens and cannot be accounted or planned for. Chelsea were more lucky in that respect. As I said, after the first goal the game was perfectly suited to Chelsea.

False - Atleticos strength is their fast counter, not pumping balls into a crowded box.

Yup, all fair points Steve, and as a neutral I'd rather watch a game like Dortmund Liverpool also. However, as a Chelsea fan, I'd rather see them in the final regardless of tactics.