Gullit: Jose must ‘play sexy football’ as well as win
The Dutchman believes that Roman Abramovich wants Chelsea to remembered for their style as well as their victories, like Barcelona or the AC Milan team that Gullit played for in the late 1980s.
Gullit was quoted in the Express:
“Abramovich knows what he wants. He loves good football. He loves to see a good game – a team who are dominant and play fluid football, a team who play in an elegant way.
“I don’t know if it will all end in tears. Jose knows how to win. He would rather win than play sexy football. If you can win and play sexy football, that’s a very nice combination. That is what Abramovich wants.
“Mourinho confused things the first time by bringing so much success. But Chelsea were not Barcelona or the Milan team I played for in the Eighties. That is what Abramovich wants. He wants to be remembered for the good football his team played.
“I have a feeling Abramovich wants to leave a legacy. He doesn’t only want to win, he wants to do it in a certain style. He feels he is entitled to that, it’s his club. I hope Mourinho sees that. But he has his philosophy and will stick to it. He wants to win and he knows how to win games.”
There has been talk that Mourinho will be working towards a different remit this time as Chelsea are a club already on the map and have picked up major honours under Abramovich’s tenure as owner. The last time Mourinho was at Stamford Bridge he was there to help the Blues to take the next step and now he’s returning to a different club, a club that seeks to maintain success as well as becoming more self sufficient.
I do think attractive football is a preference of Abramovich’s but the clubs behaviour in the transfer market and the investment in the academy would suggest that the development of young players has become a real priority for the club, so I think it’s more likely that Mourinho and Abramovich will fall out over that than the style of football at Chelsea.
Speaking of the style, it would be difficult not to play attractive football with the players that we currently have in the squad. The likes of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar provide a magic that is easy on the eye as well as being productive, what Chelsea is lacking is an organised defence, midfield solidarity and a leader in attack – all things that Mourinho is capable of addressing and he should be able to do so without stifling our creative options.
Gullit also spoke to the Daily Mail and believes that Mourinho must win the Champions League during his second spell with Chelsea:
“He has to at least win the Champions League, because that is what he always wanted and that is what he is famous for, so that is something which he needs to win.
“He can do it, but can he do it at Chelsea? It’s a different ball game also because he is well known for his psychological approach to the players. They always want to play for him but it didn’t work at Real Madrid and that is something that is his strongest point.”
Do you think Mourinho has to play attractive as well as winning football at Chelsea and does he have to win the Champions League this time around?
Source: Daily Mail and Express