Jose Mourinho says he ditched his plan for pretty football mid-season, when it became clear Chelsea would need to battle for every point for a top-four finish.
The Blues boss has made much about this being a season of transition, during which he wanted to change both Chelsea's style and their winning mentality.
But he says he dropped plans to play more flowing football, of the sort seen at the beginning of the season, in pursuit of a pragmatic need for league points.
“In a conscious way, I knew what I was doing, “he said.
“At a certain moment of the season I made the decision to stop that evolution in the style and philosophy of play and went in the direction where I felt it was the only way, with this team and these players, we could get results.
“I felt during the season that we had no conditions to arrive where we arrived in the Champions League if we don't have a transformation in our style of player, and the Premier League as well.
“I adapted. The team became more strategical and less intuitive from a certain point of the season because we went for results.”
Chelsea kicked off the campaign playing champagne football – the flowing style against Hull City on the opening day winning plaudits.
But after their defeat at Stoke City in early December, there seemed to be a change, with the Blues playing in a more counter-attacking style, and a frequent reversion to the 4-3-3 formation that Mourinho found so successful in his first stint at the club.
“There was a moment that I felt this Premier League was so dangerous that the big risk was for every one of the big teams to be out of the top four,” he said.
“I don't want to get a bonus for finishing top four, no way, no way... the moment I think like that I'm in trouble. But the reality is this Premier League is a big risk.
“Next season will be the same. Hopefully next season I will finally have the sense we are going to try (to win it) and feel we can, but we'll still feel the danger of being out of the top four.
“At a certain moment, if you don't go for a bit more stability and development of a certain philosophy, it's a big risk.
“We were safe in the top four a long time ago. We need now one point to be top three, and it's a big risk.
“United are out. Arsenal, I think, will do it but they were in trouble. Everton were a threat, Tottenham were a threat. Not an easy life for the big teams.
“The difference from being champions and outside the top four is a small difference.”
