Daily Mirror - 17.08.2019

DM1ST

SATURDAY 17.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR^63

JOSE MOURINHO made me
laugh when he dug out some
of Chelsea’s young players
after the 4-0 defeat at
Manchester United.
As a manager, Mourinho was
never afraid to hammer pundits
whose opinions were out of line
with his own views.
And yet, on his Premier League
debut as a pundit, he couldn’t
wait to get stuck into Frank
Lampard’s youthful starting XI at
Old Trafford, claiming: “For
matches of this dimension, you
need a little bit more.”
I love listening to Mourinho’s
views on football, and I have
nothing but respect for his track
record as a manager.
But I thought it was a bit
hypocritical of him to have a go
at Chelsea’s youngsters – because
they hardly got a look-in when he
was in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho (right) might turn
round and argue that he didn’t
need to pick kids because he was
winning trophies, including three
titles, with experienced players or
expensive signings.
But he was also the manager
who decided Romelu Lukaku
(aged 21) and Kevin De Bruyne
(22) were surplus to requirements
at Chelsea. And he sold
Leonardo Bonucci as a
22-year-old when he was
at Inter Milan.
Jose gives great
insight, but I thought
his comments were
very harsh on Mason
Mount, whose
performance at Old

easier ride than the Italian

because of the constraints he

is working under, and he will

certainly need his defence to

cut out the mistakes and get

smarter.

As a player, he had a

winner’s mentality and an

armful of medals to show for

it. As a manager, he will want

to win the title, but none of

his predecessors in the

Roman Abramovich era has

operated under a transfer ban.

The reality is that a top-six

finish will be a decent season.

Without Hazard, someone

• possibly Willian – will have
  to step up and provide the X
  factor to turn draws into wins,
  or losing positions into draws.
  And after a thankless start
  against United and Liverpool,
  it won’t be any easier when
  Leicester come calling this
  weekend.
  But we know Lampard’s
  youngsters will be brave in
  possession – and, as a club,
  Chelsea will be enriched in
  the long term by the
  experience they gain over the
  next nine months.
  Let’s hope Mourinho will be
  watching when their promise
  matures into medals.

Derby – and they will get a

chance to show what they

can do. What I liked about

Lampard was the way he

praised his young players

after the United game.

The score did not reflect

their promise, and that’s the

kind of man- management

that makes you want him to

do well in the job.

Already you can see he has

an aura, an

authority about

him. Players are

going to run

through brick walls

for him. I also note

that those who

hammered his pre-

decessor Maurizio

Sarri for playing

Jorginho as the

pivot in central

midfield, with

N’Golo Kante on

the right, didn’t raise a

murmur of protest on

Wednesday night when

Lampard did the same thing.

Kante was arguably the

best player on the pitch, and

Chelsea were arguably the

better side, so maybe Sarri

knew what he was doing after

all. Lampard may get an

Eden Hazard, in the

summer – which is like

taking on Barcelona after they

have sold Lionel Messi, or

Real Madrid after they sold

Cristiano Ronaldo.

He has taken on a squad

where he will have no option

but to promote youngsters

and give them a chance of

regular first-team football –

and there is no better person

to do that. For 20 years,

Chelsea fans have been

craving the chance to see

home-grown talent flourish in

the blue shirt: now their wish

will be granted.

They sent out nearly 40

players on loan last season –

some of them were taken

under Lampard’s wing at

fingerprints on their style. I

despaired when a fan rang my

606 radio phone-in last week

and said Frank doesn’t know

the club and he will be sacked

by Christmas.

Doesn’t know

the club?

We are talking

about Chelsea’s

all-time record

goalscorer, an

absolute legend.

I would politely

suggest that the

supporter who

called up Radio 5

Live is the one

who doesn’t really

know his club – because the

overwhelming majority of

Chelsea followers are

knowledgeable, loyal and they

know the score.

He has taken on the job

under the handicap of a

transfer embargo.

He has taken on a team

who sold their best player,

Trafford was admirable.
And Tammy Abraham
showed exciting glimpses
of his promise, too.
New Blues manager
Lampard (right), who was the
best possible appointment in
a difficult predicament for the
club, was quick to defend his
players. Good for him.
And with Mourinho
watching from the pundits’
box, someone pointed out it
was possibly Manchester
United’s best result since he
came to Old Trafford. Ouch.
Football often boils down
to fine margins, and if Chelsea
had scored first – notably
when Abraham rattled the
post – for me, they go on to
win the game.
And for long spells in the
Super Cup against Liverpool
in Istanbul, they outplayed
the Champions League
winners, a side who collected
97 Premier League points last
season.
They have played with
intensity and flair, and
although they need to cut out
costly mistakes at the back,
you can already see Lampard’s

ROBBIE SAVAGE

Mr Marmite.. Love him, hate him, you can’t ignore him

@RobbieSavage8

IGNORE the carping – VAR is here

to stay and its Premier League

debut was a resounding success.

People moaned about the goal

Raheem Sterling had chalked off for

Manchester City at West Ham, but if

the ball crosses the line by a

millimetre, it’s a goal and if a striker

is a millimetre offside, he’s offside.

Get used to it. The only decision I

didn’t understand was Brighton’s

Glenn Murray (below) not being

penalised for handball when

Roberto Pereyra’s free-kick

struck his arm.

Under the new

rules, that should be

a penalty. I don’t

know what VAR

official Andy Madley

was looking at.

The lines they use at

VAR headquarters in

Stockley Park are not hand-drawn

with crayons. The technology is top

quality and it worked perfectly.

People were crying out for it

because referees got too many

decisions wrong – now it’s allegedly

ruining the game and removing the

spontaneity from celebration.

I played for 21 years and I promise

you players are not going to put

goal celebrations on hold while they

wait for VAR to check if it’s OK. The

passion is still there and players

know the rules. Let’s get on with it.

Trust me, VAR

is better by far

It was a bit

hypocritical of

Jose to have a^

go at Chelsea’s^

kids... they

hardly got a

look-in when

he was boss

at the Bridge

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Win nothing

with kids?

Well, YOU

certainly

couldn’t,

Jose!

uirements

he sold

as a

was

t

E

s

ta

ha

Re

Cr

e.

m

pses

nager

th

ee-kick

at

THEY have battered Norwich 4-1 and

won the Super Cup for starters so

what’s not to like about Liverpool’s

first two games?

Without wishing to be a killjoy, it

looks like they are trying to play with

a high defensive line – and they look

far from watertight.

Norwich had numerous chances,

especially down the channel

patrolled by Trent Alexander-Arnold

and Joe Gomez (right), exploring the

spaces behind that high

line. And, let’s be

honest, Chelsea were

on top for long spells

in Istanbul on

Wednesday night.

Early-season

impressions can be

misleading but I feel

Liverpool look vulnerable defensively.

I tipped them to finish runners-up

in the title race again and I’m not

going to desert them after just one

week. But I’m a little concerned

about that high line and the lack of

strength in depth up front.

Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto

Firmino are probably the most potent

front three in Europe but who is

putting pressure on them?

Now Reds have

sprung a leak

igh

e

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