Former Arsenal striker says Mourinho's side 'live to defend'
Monday 2 March 2015 08:47, UK
Chelsea can go on to complete a trophy treble this season after their victory in the Capital One Cup final, according to Thierry Henry.
The Blues picked up the first major piece of silverware of the campaign thanks to a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.
It was also a good day for them in the Premier League title race as their nearest challengers Manchester City were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool.
The result means Chelsea still lead the league by five points with a game in hand, while they are also in contention in the Champions League after drawing 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Asked if they can win the treble this season, Henry said: “I think they can. They have all of the quality required to win the treble.
They have all of the quality required to win the treble.... Time will tell. But that PSG game will be a massive task for them.
“I’m so eager to see that game against Paris Saint-Germain. That will be massive. If they beat PSG, you have to go through maybe Bayern Munich, then Real Madrid and Barcelona. Time will tell. But that PSG game will be a massive task for them.”
Victory over Spurs improves Mourinho’s remarkable record in finals to played 12, won 10.
And Henry was particularly impressed with the way they defended against Spurs, who beat them 5-3 in the Premier League just two months ago.
“He (Mourinho) came to do a job with his team and they did it,” he said.
“They don’t defend because they have to – they love and enjoy to defend. They live to defend, you can see that every time, that’s why most of the time they play a final they end up winning it.”
The trophy is Mourinho’s first in almost three years and Jamie Redknapp acknowledged how much the victory meant to the Portuguese manager.
“I have never seen him happier,” he said. “I don’t think I have ever seen him enjoy it as much as this one. It’s a bit of weight off his shoulders, he has not won anything in (over) two years, so it’s a relief.
“Last time they played Tottenham they conceded five goals, that hurts. To change the mindset and get a clean sheet, that’s exactly what they do well. You can imagine the detail they have worked on all week.”
