MOURINHO SAYS: "Don't compare!" but what are the differences?

Jose Mourinho speaking at his pre match press conference insisted that people should not compare his current Chelsea team to the side that won back to back Premier League titles. However, I want to know just how different YOU the Chelsea fan reading this post, thinks that they actually are!

To start with, let's focus on what Mourinho said yesterday:

“It is not the same team. It’s not good to look back and compare. It’s not good to try and compare when you are not the same. We are trying to build a team with the profile of players.

It will be different and if you try to make the same team with players from a completely different profile, you will never arrive where you want to be.

My team is for history and my memory and Chelsea supporters. In my time [that team] gave titles and after I left they still gave titles, but that team is over. This is new and very different to the team we had before.”

He is right you shouldn't compare the two because they are from different times in different situations. Different players, different managers and different opposition to face. The thing is (and Liverpool have been doing it for years) you cannot help but look back at the past!

The major difference I find it the formation. Back then, Jose favoured the 4-3-3 formation with an out and out defensively minded midfielder in Claude Makelele in the holding role (the Makelele role) and two players either side of him in Frank Lampard and Tiago having licence to push forward.

Up top, it was either Eidur Gudjohnsen or Didier Drogba playing with Arjen Robben and Damien Duff playing either side.

That side had a balance to it, the formation was fluid and it allowed us to control the midfield area and have people pushed forward to force the opposition to leave players back to defend and cover.

In our current team, I just feel that at times we lack balance. We look a little lop-sided and we can get found out. The two players sitting deep are wasted when we dominate the ball and force teams backwards. Why can't we sit with Mikel or David Luiz in the Makelele role and play Ramires and Oscar beside them as Lamps and Tiago did back in the day?

The Chelsea team of 2004/2006 was all about being tactically sound, physical and had a presence throughout. We had a settled spine to the side and we based the team around it. Cech, Terry, Carvalho/Gallas, Lampard, Makelele, Tiago/Essien, Drogba/Gudjohnsen all formed that spine no matter who played and everyone knew each others games and what was required from them. Just look at that second season 2005/6, we quite simply blew teams away in that season.

Now, I think we don't have that settled spine and we are suffering because of it. Players are being rotated and aren't able to settle down and get used to their roles in the team. Terry, Cahill and Luiz are rotated. Ramires, Lampard, Essien and Mikel have all featured and as for our attacking three, I don't see anything settled their either.

The next five games over this busy Christmas period are massive and if Chelsea are to mount a serious title challenge this season, we need to start playing what we believe is our best eleven. We need six or seven players to play within that spine for things to settle down.

If anything, with the struggles we have had trying to get our wide men work just as hard without the ball to when they do with the ball at their feet, why don't we look at making a switch to 4-3-3 as it looks much more balanced in my view. We would have players in midfield who could step sideways to close the ball down if the likes of Eden Hazard get caught out of position up the pitch.

We are a team with a different profile. We are a team that I believe is better technically that that double winning side. We have better quality, we have a different style of play and have plenty more match winners within our team now.

The problem is, when results go wrong and we drop stupid points that we shouldn't, you can't help but look back to when things were better.

Have you compared the two teams? What do you think of the strengths of both sides and the difference now? Do you agree with me about the 4-3-3?

Sorry Jose, I know you have asked us not to do it, but we know where we have been, where we have come from and will always celebrate any success we have. We will always compare!

Carefree & KTBFFH!