Mowbray Stands By Tactics Despite Defeat

Tony Mowbray is known as a manager whose teams play football the right way: keeping it on the deck and looking to attack.

Against the mighty Chelsea today, one might have expected him to change things, to shut up shop and limit the damage by deploying a lone striker and flooding midfield.

Mowbray did no such thing, and even though his team lost 3-0 still insists that adopting a more expansive approach was the right thing to do.

"It is frustrating. You could feel the quality they have got on the pitch from very early on. Their midfield rotation and decision-making with the ball is what you would expect of a Chelsea team," he said.

He was also pleased with the competitive way his side has started the game.

"For 30 minutes we kept them at bay and the first goal against these sides is always huge. If you can get it, you can frustrate them a bit and ask more questions of them," the former Hibernian manager added.

"When they get it, they can play the game at their own tempo, they can slow it down and they can wait for you to over commit as they did and got the second and third very quickly.

"If you play two strikers, you leave yourself defensively a little bit vulnerable. You play one striker and you are asked 'Are you too defensive' and you never have a shot at their goal.

"We decided to be positive and have a go rather than sitting in our own half and giving them possession of the ball.

"Jose Bosingwa sticks it in the top corner from 20 yards and Anelka does what he does. That is why he is the most expensive player in the world in terms of accumulative transfer fees. He is a good footballer, he scores goals.

"You can't shut up shop against sides like that. I saw them against Middlesbrough who tried to shut up shop and they lost 5-0. You are playing top players."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com