Master Vs Apprentice

Mourinho Vs Lampard

Image source: squawka.com

With a run of fixtures in this busy festive period, it's been intense, surprising and nail-biting finishes. Jose was set to lock horns again with his former player in the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium. The last time we had seen the pupil and the master facing each other was when Zidane faced off against his old coach and boss Ancelotti in the Champions League. Last time the fixture between Lampard and Mourinho was when Man United was drawn against Derby County in the football league cup 3rd round which ender Derby knocking out the Red Devils in a penalty shootout. But now things are different as managers coaching 2 contenders for the top 4.

These two have a good and memorable history. The 'Special One' arrived at the Stamford Bridge in 2004 when Frank Lampard was a young kid back then. Under his guidance, Lampard has won 2 titles (2004-05,2005-06) and 1 title with Carlo Ancelotti ( 2009-10) and the Champions League under Roberto Di Matteo ( 2011-12). He went on to play for Man City and MLS outfit New York City FC before hanging up his boots.

Since then, the all-time top scorer of Chelsea has stepped into management and has indeed delivered great results. Nobody would have expected a team who had sold their star man, facing a transfer ban (now uplifted) and fielding youngsters, who would mount a challenge to the top 4. Meanwhile, Spurs, on the other hand, have produced good results under Jose Mourinho since his return to management after 11 months with the only defeat coming against his former team who he guided them to Europa League glory 2 years ago. Who won this exciting encounter? Let's find out.

Image Source: sky sports.com

Pre-match buildup:

Frank Lampard made 3 changes to his line up after his side suffered a loss against the cherries by bringing in Tomori, Alonso and Kovacic while Jorgino and Pulisic dropped to the bench. The Special One fielded an unchanged line up as they bagged the 3 points against Wolves last time out. This is the 2nd time Jose faced his former team this campaign with the previous encounter coming against the Red Devils. 

Spurs had won three of their last five premier league games against the Blues.  Spurs had won four of their last five premier league games since the appointment of the Jose Mourinho. The Blues had a disappointing record against Spurs with two wins coming in the last thirteen games against them. 

Image Source: 90min.com

Match Summary: 

The match began with the Blues threatening the Spurs backline with repeated attacks and fast-flowing gameplay. We all know how Jose Mourinho plays against the big teams. It was a typical Mourinho style as he sat back and defended. But, this did not stop Chelsea from giving up. The hosts were unable to respond as they were outclassed by their opponents. A brace from Willian ensured all three points to the visitors. Frank Lampard got his tactics spot on. 

This win meant that his winning streak against his former coach remained intact with 2 wins coming in this encounter as well as the league cup encounter. This meant that Jose Mourinho fell to his 2nd defeat in this campaign since he was appointed. With this victory, Frank Lampard has indeed reignited his team chances to finish in the top 4.

Talking points:

Image Source: premier league.com

1. Willian's spectacular display: 

  Ever since the departure of Eden Hazard to Los Blancos, there have been headlines. With the transfer ban handed to them, it all seemed to be the end for  Chelsea to sign his replacement. Now things are different. With Willian donning the number 10 jersey, he has overturned the Blues prospect. He has been by far the best performer for the Blues this season even after Pulisic arrived in Stamford Bridge. His spectacular display against his former boss was worth to watch. In the opening minutes of the game, the Blues dominated very early. 

They broke the deadlock in the 12th minute when Willian combined with Kovacic with a one-two play as he made his run to the box and curled through the crowd in the box into the far bottom corner. The Blues second goal build-up was in the 45th minute when Spurs keeper Gazzaniga raised his boot high towards Alonso which was reviewed by VAR and instantly were awarded a penalty only for Willian to convert it to double his team's lead. He was also awarded the man of the match for his performance.

Image source: express.co.uk

2. Jose Mourinho's record against his former teams:

In recent times, the Special One has been a frequent visitor to his former teams since he returned to premier league in 2013. His first visit to his old team was in the UEFA Champions League in 2010 in the quarter-finals against Chelsea which he went on to win the exciting encounter. After his dismissal from the Blues in 2015, he signed with the Red Devils the following season. His 1st visit to Stamford Bridge since his sacking ended with a dreadful defeat as his side suffered a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of the hosts (then managed by Antonio Conte), though the match did end with a little controversy when Mourinho told Conte after the match saying "don't do this when you are 4-0". He again faced Chelsea in the FA cup which again ended in a defeat. But, this time the Blues supporters were seen hurling abuses at Mourinho to which he responded with 3 fingers up signaling that he won 3 premier league titles. Ultimately, the next encounter in the Theatre Of Dreams ended with Mourinho having the last laugh as his side completely dominated the Blues. 

The following season in Stamford Bridge ended with a defeat to the Blues. But, in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford ended with the Red Devils claiming all 3 points. The next encounter was in the FA cup final when Antonio Conte defeated Jose Mourinho to claim the trophy before getting sacked at the end of the season. 

But now things are different. He made his return to management when signed with Spurs after an 11-month gap. Jose Mourinho faced the Red Devils for the 1st time since his sacking. Unfortunately, Mourinho's return ended with a defeat. He again faced the Blues this season and he was defeated by his pupil Frank Lampard. Overall, the Special One has a pretty dismal record against his ex-employees.

Image source: express.co.uk

3. Supporters hurling racial chants at players:

It is not the 1st time we witnessed the crowd chanting racial comments on players. It has been increasing every season. In spite of UEFA campaigning 'No to Racism', fans have not considered the plea. Players like Samuel Eto'o, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano have been subjected to various chants by spectators. This season we witnessed Paul Pogba been a victim to racist chants by own supporters. This happened when Paul Pogba missed a penalty in the dying minutes against Wolverhampton which would have claimed all 3 points to the Red Devils. This incident did make headlines the following day with various former players and pundits expressing their disappointment. 

This time also we witnessed racially abuses by fans, but this time it was the Spurs supporters. It was Antonio Rudiger the victim of these chants. He was seen enacting monkey chants and gestures pointed at him in the closing minutes of the game. The FA did make an investigation at the end of the fixture after giving three warnings. The FA did slap a lifetime ban on the supporters who hurled racial abuses over the Chelsea defender.

Image Source: innews.co.uk

At the end of the day, it was Lampard who claimed three points over his master with both the goals were scored by Willian in the 1st half. This time VAR intervened when Son was given the red card after he was seen kicking Rudiger in the ribs. Jose Mourinho suffered his 1st defeat at home against the team he previously managed and guided them to 3 premier league titles.

It has indeed been a tight run of fixtures in this festive period with every weekend being exciting and full of surprises. Now the question remains "who are the top 4 teams that will secure European football at the end of the season".

Author,

Zaid