Mourinho's favourite formation.
Won the league in 14/15, where he used Fabregas as an 8, who registered 18 assists. Wouldn't say Fabregas is any more defensive than Pogba either.
I just think Chelsea's front four back then was a lot superior to ours is now.
Their front four normally consisted of:
Costa
Hazard Oscar Willian
I didn't rate Oscar, but his hard work made up for Fabregas' defensive frailties. I guess Mourinho is trying to do the same with Lingard and Pogba, in that respect.
I actually don't mind a 4231, but it has to be played properly, and as I said, our front four doesn't compare to Chelsea's back then.
Our current front four:
Lukaku
Martial Lingard Mata
Lukaku - I'm confident Lukaku will start scoring consistently again, and will always get goals, providing he gets good service.
Mata - One dimensional. When he plays on the right, his only option is to cut onto his left and link play. To me, we need much more than that. Willian, in comparison, was able to mix his game up. Although he spent a lot of time cutting inside, he also had the ability to go on the outside and delivery crosses in.
Lingard - For now, I actually don't mind Lingard. I actually think with more consistent wide players, he'd look better and score more. Not the best player in the world, but creates a balance in midfield for Pogba to roam forward. He's hard working. Will constantly run off the ball and create space for others. Maybe Mourinho sees comparisons with Oscar there.
Martial - Hazard is what I hope he turns into, but he has a long way. Started the season well, but last month or so, performances have dropped. Guess the whole teams has, but to me, he should be our go to player. Someone who we can rely on when in desperate need of something special to happen. He does it sometimes, but not often enough, in my opinion.
In Hazard, Chelsea had a player who could win a game in a blink of an eye. In the EPL that season, he scored 14 and assisted 9, and won Player of the Year award. We lack that player - a match winner.
When you look at those reasons, it's obvious to see why we're not putting in the expected performances. We need special players in the final third. If/when we do, a 4231 isn't that bad of a formation. It has a good balance to it.