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Jose Mourinho

How do you feel about Mourinho appointment

  • Excited - silverware here we come baby

    Votes: 666 46.7%
  • Meh - will give him a chance and hope he is successful

    Votes: 468 32.8%
  • Horrified - praying for the day he'll fuck off

    Votes: 292 20.5%

  • Total voters
    1,426

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
I'm actually rather optimistic.

Thought we were much more tactically in tune today and I think had we had Lo Celso from the start and Lucas/Alli as well as a sharper Kane / Son we'd have won that.

You can see the plan, defend your zones, drop when we lose the ball to deny the space and get that middle block in as quickly as possible.

In possession, I could definitely see a better pattern of play and movement. The problem was certain players were so rusty with the ball, that it broke down to early but there was numerous occasions in which we made three of four incisive passes only for the key pass to be over hit or the player making it have a bad first touch.

It's coming. Although I expect us to be more offensive against West Ham
You do realise that United had a load of rusty players too, right?
 

BigVic

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2015
940
2,754
I think a lot of the way we played tonight was due to it being the first game back, under strange circumstances. Actually thought there were some good signs there though.
 

rossdapep

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2011
21,907
78,646
You do realise that United had a load of rusty players too, right?
Yes but other than Pogba, most haven't been out for 6 months...and they were I very good form before this.

Whereas our players have been dead on their feet, Kane and Son getting injured every few months and we are adjusting to a new system.

United are further ahead in their transformation.

I saw promising signs that something is coming together.
 

JCRD

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2018
19,153
30,013
So archaic

Seriously have more pride dude... he is the old skool manager. Yes he has been successful but my God his tactics are not 'To Dare is To Do'
 

Wheeler Dealer

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2011
6,863
12,282
I think a lot of the way we played tonight was due to it being the first game back, under strange circumstances. Actually thought there were some good signs there though.
Far too kind with your assessment. We have picked up where we left off.
 

Timberwolf

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2008
10,328
50,217
Far too kind with your assessment. We have picked up where we left off.
Dunno about that. Our shape was much better and we actually looked half decent defensively when we were an utter shambles pre-lockdown.

In terms of the tactics I agree it's more of the same, but at least there were some signs that said tactics might work.

We'd better show a hell of a lot more ambition against West Ham though.
 

fishhhandaricecake

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2018
18,702
46,941
It's a little bit worrying to be honest. I'm all for trying new things and failing initially but I'm yet to see little other than to sit back and counter. I just think we have to try and control some games more, win the general midfield battle and create some sustained pressure throughout games. It's not that it's because we were playing United or it's our first game back, we were doing the same against the likes of bottom of the table Norwich too. We're willingly conceding possession irrespective of the level of opposition. It's something that I think can be a good tactic in some games, like maybe tough away games but every single game?

Really need to see more encouraging signs that we're moving in the right direction with the football we're trying to play.
Good post to be fair. I’m hoping with more attacking players back we can try to control games more against weaker teams and only set-up like this in key matches which can be very effective like when we beat man.city 2-0 but as you say if we set-up and play this way no matter what then he’ll be out the door pretty sharpish but I don’t think Jose is stupid, he will adapt to certain level of opponents I hope...
 

Dirty Ewok

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2012
8,970
19,391
This is Jose’s pre season, the guy took over an absolute mess of a squad, totally broken. Dude deserves a fresh season, his CV demands it actually.

It's not his pre-season.

He has coached us for 27 matches. Mourinho's "pre-season" has passed.

We can't use the excuse that this is his "pre-season" any longer. What we are seeing is the best he has been able to get out of the squad as it stands. Now he may turn things around and get everything to click, or he may crash and burn but this isn't a pre-season, it's simply just his first season with the club.
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
Yes but other than Pogba, most haven't been out for 6 months...and they were I very good form before this.

Whereas our players have been dead on their feet, Kane and Son getting injured every few months and we are adjusting to a new system.

United are further ahead in their transformation.

I saw promising signs that something is coming together.
You're kidding yourself, mate. There's no way we can get close to the clubs with far bigger resources playing this kind of passive football. They're gonna spend more than us this summer and we're gonna be further behind with no real plan how to beat them. Jose hoping for 20 Inter's at the Nou Camp a season is nuts.
 

fishhhandaricecake

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2018
18,702
46,941
It's not his pre-season.

He has coached us for 27 matches. Mourinho's "pre-season" has passed.

We can't use the excuse that this is his "pre-season" any longer. What we are seeing is the best he has been able to get out of the squad as it stands. Now he may turn things around and get everything to click, or he may crash and burn but this isn't a pre-season, it's simply just his first season with the club.
Come on mate he took over mid season when we were a mess, Toby contract up in the air, erisken still here but counting down his days to leave, new signings not fit or settled in, just lost a manger loved by the players and fans, team was I think 12th or mabye lower when he took over it was a huge huge mess, add to that we were in a very busy period playing in many competitions so not much time to actually coach the team and put a style of play in place whereas now he’s had a mini preseason and has all the players back even if Ndombele and GLC still aren’t quite fit, tonight look most like a Jose team I’ve seen and for the most part it was effective.

he needs time to be judged fairly. He also needs a pair of new fullbacks a proper DM and another Attacking option.

COYS
 

stormfly

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2006
4,584
11,990
I saw the first signs of us actually playing as a team today. I think a few fans are going to be surprised next season. Some are writing Jose off far too soon. I think we’re landing our first trophy since the 00s next year.
 

fishhhandaricecake

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2018
18,702
46,941
I saw the first signs of us actually playing as a team today. I think a few fans are going to be surprised next season. Some are writing Jose off far too soon. I think we’re landing our first trophy since the 00s next year.
Year ends in what next year that’s right a 1. It’s on. Joseball to get us over the line for a nice shiny league cup haha. Na fa cup Dare to dream :)
 

ItsBoris

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2011
7,467
8,604
You're kidding yourself, mate. There's no way we can get close to the clubs with far bigger resources playing this kind of passive football. They're gonna spend more than us this summer and we're gonna be further behind with no real plan how to beat them. Jose hoping for 20 Inter's at the Nou Camp a season is nuts.

We got close to the best teams (with far bigger resources) but never won a trophy because we lacked a winning mentality. Mourinho has won more than he's lost against most of the big teams. Against us he's won 13, lost 5 and drawn 4, and some of those wins were in pivotal matches. Plus iirc Inter outplayed Barca in the San Siro?

A team that can defend better than anyone else will always have a good chance of winning trophies. I think if we can be really good defensively we can built an attack on top of it and have a team that can win big games.

As far as Mourinho's track record at other clubs, the downfall is typically his souring relationships with key players and his mercurial personality. It doesn't happen because of his tactics or coaching ability - in fact he usually wins quite a lot before any such downfall.
 

doctor stefan Freud

the tired tread of sad biology
Sep 2, 2013
15,170
72,169
I know I should be more patient, and I only partially blame Mourinho for this, but those of us expecting great things from the squad when Moura and Dele return are clutching at straws. They’re both frustratingly inconsistent players, capable of amazing things but equally at home putting in an ineffective shift.

I’m less and less convinced by Mourinho’s tactics. And he carried on with his act of bemoaning his lack of options on the bench last night. Given it’s unlikely to improve significantly, he either needs to change this or continue to alienate the rest of his squad
 
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