Chelsea FC vs Manchester United: 5 Lessons Learnt
5. Both tactics were sound, but Classic Jose triumphs
Over the course of the match, it has to be said both the tactics of both the managers were sound. Van Gaal had to make some changes due to injuries but his team played well and played the way they were supposed to, which is playing fluent and direct passing football. Fellani pulled Zouma wide leaving space for Rooney in the middle which was seen on many occasions, caused the Chelsea back line some problems. And with the amount of possession and shots they had, it can’t be said that Van Gaal’s tactics were at fault.
Jose Mourinho set up a defensive formation which sucked up all the United pressure and attacked on the counter. Jose has players like Hazard, Oscar and Fabregas who just need an opportunity and can make the opposition pay which is exactly what happened. The moment Terry dispossessed the ball from Falcao, Fabregas played the pass to Oscar whose cheeky back heel set Hazard on his way to score the only goal of the match which was enough for them to secure the win.
Contemporary football is all about how one can outsmart the opposition tactically and Jose is a master of the same. Van Gaal’s tactics were sound, but his counterpart’s was slightly better and that made all the difference.