JOSE MOURINHO'S CHELSEA 4-3-3 UNBREAKABLE WALL WON EPL AND CONFERENCE LEAGUE

THE 2004-05 CHELSEA OF JOSE MOURINHO IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2024

Introduction

José Maria Felix Mourinho achieved the incredible feat of winning the UEFA Champions League with Porto in 2004, defeating another surprise finalist, the French side Monaco. This success earned him a call from Chelsea's owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who entrusted him with the Blues' bench for the 2004-05 season. The ambitious English club was eager to finally win the Premier League after finishing second under Claudio Ranieri. The squad available to Mourinho was undoubtedly strong, though perhaps not the best in England at the time.

In goal, there was the Czech Petr Čech, who was still at the beginning of his extraordinary career. The defense consisted of Portuguese right-back Paulo Ferreira, signed from Porto, alongside right-center back Ricardo Carvalho. The left-center back was John Terry, who would go on to become one of England’s greatest defenders and Chelsea's captain. Wayne Bridge played as the left-back.

Mourinho's three-man midfield was a major tactical innovation in the Premier League, which was still largely dominated by the 4-4-2 formation. Even teams with variations, like Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, often transformed their setup into a 4-2-3-1 in possession. The Chelsea midfield trio caused significant problems for opponents, who were frequently outnumbered in the most crucial area of the pitch—where losing possession could be highly dangerous.

Mourinho is also credited with transforming Frank Lampard into one of England's greatest midfielders, giving him the freedom to push forward, create plays, and utilize his excellent passing and long-range shooting abilities. Covering behind him were two outstanding defensive midfielders: Frenchman Claude Makélélé, an irreplaceable ball-winner and shield in front of the defense, and Ghanaian Michael Essien, a dynamic workhorse on the right who contributed both defensively and offensively.

The attacking trio featured the Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who would start wide before cutting inside with the ball at his feet to shoot from distance or play a through pass. Even though his moves were predictable, his speed made him nearly unstoppable. On the opposite flank, a more traditional winger, Damien Duff (sometimes replaced by Joe Cole), focused less on shooting and more on penetrating the box with or without the ball. Leading the attack was Didier Drogba, the Ivorian striker who became one of Africa’s greatest players alongside Samuel Eto’o and George Weah. Drogba used his immense physicality to battle opposing defenders and hold up the ball for his teammates. If opponents pressed high to prevent Chelsea from building from the back, Čech or the center-backs would launch long balls to Drogba, who consistently won aerial duels and laid the ball off to advancing midfielders, bypassing the press.

Defensively, Chelsea formed a 4-5-1 shape, with the wingers dropping back alongside the three midfielders in a compact mid-block that prevented opponents from exploiting spaces between the lines. With two dominant aerial defenders in Terry and Carvalho, Chelsea was comfortable defending crosses and often forced opponents wide to limit central attacking opportunities. In possession, Chelsea preferred to build from the back, though Čech was minimally involved, usually making short passes to the center-backs. If opponents pressed aggressively, long balls to Drogba were an alternative. The full-backs played wide, with Paulo Ferreira pushing forward more frequently than Bridge, who had a more defensive role but still contributed in possession.

Chelsea’s attacking play was characterized by vertical passing when possible; otherwise, they circulated short passes, waiting for gaps to open in the opposition’s half. When space emerged, midfielders made runs and were picked out through balls. The wingers stayed wide, using their dribbling ability to create one-on-one situations and numerical superiority.

Now, let’s examine Chelsea’s tactical setup and individual player instructions in Football Manager 2024.



TEAM INSTRUCTIONS

1. Possession Phase

Attacking width: Fairly wide. The width was provided by the full-backs, while the wingers cut inside, particularly Robben, who started wide before cutting in with the ball.

Pass into space: Chelsea's midfielders and, at times, central defenders like Terry and Carvalho often looked for teammates making runs into open spaces, unsettling opposition defenses.

Play out of defense: Chelsea aimed to build from the back, with Čech playing short passes to the center-backs when possible.

Slightly shorter passing: The team prioritized short passing to maintain control until opportunities arose to play more direct balls into space.

Slightly higher tempo: Chelsea moved the ball quickly into the opposition half, creating numerical superiority in central areas.

Run at defense: This instruction encouraged dribblers like Robben to exploit their one-on-one abilities.

Be more disciplined: Mourinho required his players to adhere strictly to tactical instructions, avoiding unnecessary risks.


2. Transition Phase

Counter: Mourinho’s Chelsea did not engage in intense gegenpressing but instead waited in a mid-block before launching rapid counter-attacks upon regaining possession.

Goalkeeper instructions: Čech mixed short passes to defenders with long balls to Drogba when under pressure. The “roll it out” instruction was optional.


3. Out of Possession Phase

Mid-block: Chelsea’s defensive shape was a 4-5-1, with the wingers tracking back to support the midfield, closing space in the center.

Higher defensive line: The backline pushed up to stay close to the midfielders, minimizing gaps between the lines and maintaining compactness.

Trigger pressing More often: Chelsea pressed opponents as they entered midfield zones.

Get stuck in: Mourinho’s teams were known for their aggressive tackling. However, this instruction should be removed if players accumulate too many yellow or red cards.

Trap outside: Chelsea funneled opponents toward the flanks, away from the central areas where the most dangerous attacks were created.

Invite crosses: Given the aerial dominance of Terry and Carvalho, Chelsea did not fear crosses, which they were well-equipped to defend.


INDIVIDUAL PLAYER INSTRUCTIONS

Čech (Sweeper Keeper - Defend): No additional instructions.

Paulo Ferreira (Wing-Back - Attack): Stay wider to provide width in build-up play, dribble more to carry the ball forward and help in possession.

Wayne Bridge (Full-Back - Support): Stay wider, dribble more, mark tighter, close down more. Bridge was more conservative than Ferreira, focusing on defensive stability while still supporting attacking play when needed and trying to close in more on the opposing attackers.

Ricardo Carvalho (Ball-Playing Defender - Defend): no instructions. Carvalho was comfortable carrying the ball forward and initiating attacks from deep.

John Terry (Central Defender - Defend): no instructions

Terry was a no-nonsense defender, staying back and ensuring defensive solidity.

Claude Makélélé (Anchor - Defend): no instructions.

Michael Essien (Box-to-Box Midfielder - Support): move into channels, get further forward.

Essien provided dynamism, linking defense and attack.

Frank Lampard (Central midfielder - Attack): stay wider, shoot more often, roam from position.

For Lampard, it is also possible to choose the attacking central midfielder role (which already has the instructions "stay wider" and "free roam" active), but the central midfielder role in the game allows for more adjustments to better emulate the playing style of the Blues' midfielder.

Arjen Robben (Winger- support): Cut inside with ball, shoot more often, get further forward, roam from position.

Robben used to start wide on the flank and then cut inside once he received the ball. Therefore, in Football Manager, the best choice is the winger role with support duties and the instruction to "cut inside with the ball." Choosing the inverted winger role with the "stay wider" instruction won't position the player wide on the flank but rather more centrally, unlike Robben's approach. The instructions "dribble more," "get forward whenever possible," "roam from position," and "shoot more" allow you to replicate Robben's dribbling ability, his tendency to roam across the field to find the best position for a pass or shot.

Damien Duff (Inverted winger - Attack): Stay wider, roam from position.

In the case of Duff (who was later replaced by Joe Cole), the instruction "stay wider" asks the player to position themselves a little less centrally. However, unlike Robben, Duff didn't start wide on the flank but rather a bit more centrally.

Didier Drogba (Complete Forward - Attack): Shoot less often,

The complete forward role already has all the necessary instructions and characteristics to emulate Drogba's playing style at Chelsea under Mourinho, including his ability to link up play, bring the team forward by winning aerial duels against opposing defenders, and his skills in the penalty area. If we choose the deep-lying forward role, we need to add the instruction "move into channels”.

Results

I tested this tactic in just one season with Chelsea without buying or selling any players. I won the Premier League (93 points, 28 wins, 9 draws, 1 loss, 78 goals scored and 23 conceded) and the UEFA Conference League, being eliminated in the semifinals of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup by Manchester City.
f you want to support my work please go to my patreon here and you can find this tactic and all the others with analysis. FM 23 tactics are for free while for FM 24 tactics you can download them after subscribing.

https://www.patreon.com/c/fmcalciomaestro529