Burnley 1-3 Chelsea: Five Big Things We Learnt

3. Chelsea Are Still Pragmatists At Heart

Chelsea may be entering the new season as title favourites and with two important new signings to improve the potency of their attack, but Mourinho's philosophy of playing safe will not be discarded so easily. After a first half in which the Blues emerged comfortably on top, they contented themselves with passing the ball around in midfield with precious little urgency, intelligently but not exactly entertainingly conserving their energy for bigger tests to come. Until Didier Drogba came on as a substitute and went close with an audacious volley, the Blues had barely registered a shot on goal in the second half. Should you be from the Arsene Wenger school of thought, that football is entertainment first and foremost and the team's primary responsibility is to thrill the crowd on the way to victory, such tactics will be considered an outrage. Mourinho has drawn plenty of criticism, from myself included, for seeing out games after taking a solid lead relatively early on and it looks like his approach will be no different this year. What is different is that Chelsea looked a lot more potent when they are hunting for goals, which will make life more challenging for the likes of West Brom and West Ham who frustrated Mourinho's team last season by sitting deep and denying them space. If Chelsea can pick up an early goal against those sides, they'll be forced out of their shell to chase the game, which will play straight into Mourinho's hands. The pragmatist may be back, but this time the long stretches of possession play may prove a valuable strategy rather than down to a lack of options.
Contributor
Contributor

28-year old English writer with a borderline obsessive passion for films, videogames, Chelsea FC, incomprehensible words and indefensible puns. Follow me on Twitter if you like infrequent outbursts of absolute drivel.