nadavTKL

So Di Maria signed for PSG, what do you think about them? can they make the step-up right now? In 3 seasons in CL their biggest achievement was probably knocking us out last season, and imo they didnt made a real progress for all this time, interesting to see how they will look now, they have a lot of quality in the squad. Probably more than us.

Reus is a LW but everyone wants him here, the same with Alexis and Sterling. There are very few top wingers with a strong left foot. Wingers with enough trickery and quickness could play both wings imo.

He's gone to Roma in the same conditions - loan with an obligation to buy. From Di Marzio: "5 million Euros for the loan, plus 15m for the right of a permanent deal that would become an obligation once he reach a certain number of appearances". So if he's not getting seriously injured, he's gone.

Gotze: "Whatever happens, there's no question that I'm happy here, As for the rest we'll just have to wait and see, like I said on Tuesday."

The moment Jose will understand what he wants to do in the big games, and it wont involve Ramires and Mikel, it will all get better. If Jose wants Cesc to stay as our DLP (where he should play), he should learn how to use Oscar/Willian in the #10 in a satisfying way for his defensive system. Right now with Ramires we're going nowhere. Witsel or anyone like him would be a lot better than what we have in Mikel/Ramires, but: A. Like you said, Cesc isnt so good in #10, but even more important Witsel-Matic pivot isnt creative enough in terms of passing and its too defensive (only four players in attack). For a season its ok, but for the future of this team? i dont think so. B. To be honest, i just dont believe in that "XI for 'Easy' Games" / "XI for Big Games". The best XI should be the same in every situation. Thats a strong and balanced team. And Jose always had it in the past. Now he constantly doing this rotation with Ramires-Oscar, but in Real, Inter or Chelsea 04-08, he always had an XI he trusts in every kind of game. He doesnt have that because of Cesc's defensive weakness, so imo he needs to find the #10 who can complete Matic-Cesc. If he wont, i cant see us making a real development. I strongly believe Jose saw this player in Pogba and Koke this summer, but it was impossible to get them. Right now i would say Willian is the best bet for this role (which would leave RW empty). Hopefully Oscar as well but it doesnt seem like he trusts him.

Wow someone here dont like Bayern.... Not selling players? Kroos, Mandzukic, Schweinsteiger, Gustavo... from the last few years. "They rather let them sit on the bench or train with the amateurs for 4 years than selling them to another club" - we did the same to Malouda, Anelka and Alex. Gotze btw, rejected Juventus (although they dont have the money for him anyway).

Just got to me.... im pretty shocked no one made a move for Yacine Brahimi this window. 35m pounds release clause. And to think United are getting their money from Di Maria, and they're going for Pedro instead of this guy. Also Bayern didnt went for him tbh. I think he's a sick footballer, wish we could go for him.

Just about that, because i agree with everything - people who want Vidal want him to play next to Cesc and Matic, probably instead of Oscar. I believe Jose dont want to chance the system, at least in most games he likes to play with 3 AMs behind the striker and Vidal and Cesc are not AMs. About Pogba, I think Jose would've got him if he could, he's a talents who's yet to find his place on the football pitch imo, could be a like-for-like replacement for Oscar probably. But, as long as we'll continue to see Ramires playing instead of Oscar, the questions will be asked. If you play with Ramires, why didnt you bring a better CM? Vidal is an example.

Im worried about central midfield a lot more than attacking midfield. Signing someone like Witsel will also allow us to play him next to Matic and Cesc, that means more rotation between Willian, Hazard, Oscar.

Who's they? Moyes and Ed Woodward? thats supposed to be a confirmation of Mata's abilities? Fact is LVG isnt playing him there. He plays Depay who is strong and quick, can keep the ball under pressure in a crowded midfield.

Its not fucked up, Mata just cant be a #10 for any top team. Too slow and too weak. Its not only Jose with his "crazy demands"... i thought its clear by now.

No. Cuadrado cost 27m Pounds, Shaktar wanted 35m Euros for Costa. The same price basically. But im not rejecting the idea that buying Cuadrado instead of him was not for professional reasons, maybe (i hope) it was something with Shaktar not letting him leave.. they could be very hard in negotiating. Also from Costa's words (after January) it doesnt seem like he was upset we didnt picked him, he kept talking about Jose and Chelsea the same way.

I didnt have a huge problem with our squad, i mean i still think we'll win PL, and imo with a better method for the big games we have a chance of reaching Semi-Finals in CL (and than who knows, its CL), but, transfer windows are there for a reason. If your squad isnt perfect, and you dont have quality alternative solutions, you should make signings. Our midfield could work, but bringing a CM and maybe another AM would have make our squad so much better, with better alternatives. Right now, Mourinho is betting heavily on Matic, Cesc, Oscar, Willian, Hazard, and worryingly on Ramires. I wish that we'll surprisingly finish the window with Witsel, Baba and maybe Stones. That would make me happy tbh. Without a midfielder its a disappointment.

Kills me to see him playing so well for Bayern. Childish to say "I told you so", but i cant forget how 99% here just hated the thought of buying him without even knowing him, and i had to fight for him basically. We're looking for that another AM for so long, trying so many players, and we missed this one. He would have been perfect, Hazard-Willian-Oscar-Costa, 4 AMs, terrific rotation. Im not one of those who complaining after a random mistake, the club can make mistakes sometimes, but this one.. he wanted to play here and for Jose so much! every month he said something about us...

"If we wanna pay 15m for Rose why cant we pay it for Baba?!" In 3, 2, 1....

I think we still have the best team. We didnt improve our squad, but others didnt do enough to reach us imo (until now). Arsenal should've signed a better Striker and a DM, they didnt. And they had enough opportunities to do it (Mandzukic/J.Martinez, Kondogbia/Schneiderlin). City should've changed their Double Pivot, but they're staying with Toure-Fernandinho, and should've improved their defence, in a CB and LB. United is a big question mark, many new players is never too good, but even in personnel i dont think they have enough to win PL. They lack this Hazard/Aguero/Sanchez player. Di Maria is gone, who knows maybe even De Gea. Have to get an experienced CB imo.

I also didnt think Ramires was bad. But do you think Ramires playing every big game is the way to go?

It reminds me of the Rooney saga in 2013 - British, Mourinho publicly speaks about it, and like with United my feeling is that Everton will not give up.

If Mourinho cant find a way to play Matic-Cesc-Oscar-Willian-Hazard in the big games, keep playing Ramires instead of Oscar, we'll continue to have a problem in those games. Sometimes it will go well, sometimes it will go just ok, sometimes it will go bad. You cant really say what do we want to do in those line ups with Ramires... it just seems like an improvisation, a cheap solution, not like a strong team. And Cesc is the main issue, not because of his quality, its not his fault, but because of his physics. If Cesc was strong and aggressive like Koke or Verratti, Mourinho would've played without Ramires. I am sure (Matic-X, Willian-Oscar-Hazard). But our situation is that we cant play without Cesc, he is our creative force in central midfield, our DLP. And its also almost impossible to find a DLP in this level, we saw how much time we had to wait until we got Cesc. So, Mourinho, who dont want to get a new CM, have to find a way with those five players, with Oscar-Matic-Cesc in the center. Our improvement as a team this season depends on that imo. Until he can solve this problem we'll be pretty much stuck in our evolution. Posted it already in Cesc's thread but maybe it fits here more...

If Mourinho cant find a way to play Matic-Cesc-Oscar-Willian-Hazard in the big games, keep playing Ramires instead of Oscar, we'll continue to have a problem in those games. Sometimes it will go well, sometimes it will go just ok, sometimes it will go bad. You cant really say what do we want to do in those line ups with Ramires... it just seems like an improvisation, a cheap solution, not like a strong team. And Cesc is the main issue, not because of his quality, its not his fault, but because of his physics. If Cesc was strong and aggressive like Koke or Verratti, Mourinho would've played without Ramires. I am sure (Matic-X, Willian-Oscar-Hazard). But our situation is that we cant play without Cesc, he is our creative force in central midfield, our DLP. And its also almost impossible to find a DLP in this level, we saw how much time we had to wait until we got Cesc. So, Mourinho, who dont want to get a new CM, have to find a way with those five players, with Oscar-Matic-Cesc in the center. Our improvement as a team this season depends on that imo. Until he can solve this problem we'll be pretty much stuck in our evolution.

1. How can you possibly predict the formation? no one knows that. 2. Last season, he mostly played on the wing, letting Cesc to stay deep.

Ramires instead of Oscar for every big game, another season of that? please no....

Although i agree Bayern of Pep are not as good as 2012/2013, and Bundesliga is in their pocket even with me as manager, i think all of you just ignoring a few things (maybe out of hate for Pep?): 1) Winning CL is not easy. They won "Bullocks" in addition to the league? how many titles they could have won except the league? CL x2, German Cup x2. So they won one cup. They lost in two CL Semi Finals, and lost to Dortmund in the cup Semi Finals last season on penalties. Wow, huge failures, what Pep is still doing there... not really. Because its so easy to Bayern to win the league, people seem to think they have to win CL "To have a good season", but how not winning CL in two seasons is such a big a failure? 2) The squad was in his prime in 2012/2013. And we're talking about a squad that played together for years, and had a lot of experince of failures in CL until they won it. If there was a team who is hungry and ready to win CL in 12/13 it was only Bayern. They won the treble and were unplayable, that doesnt mean it would have continued if Heynckes stayed. Thats just a guess. Last two seasons, under Pep, we're talking about a squad full of 30 yo players as key players. Which leads me to.. 3) Injuries. You maybe forgot about the line up they had to use against Barcelona. And not just that, Ribery, Robben, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Alaba, Benatia, Thiago, all of those players were injured SO MANY times in those two seasons. Its a lot harder to builed a foundation of a strong enough team, when you cant play with the same line up two weeks in a row. And your key players are playing for half a season, in total. Im not saying Pep didnt failed in CL, he did, but thats part of football. There is no manager who isnt failing. Ancelotti and Real humiliated him, and Barcelona did the same to a very weakened Bayern, but Pep had mistakes there too. Heynckes, who is far from perfect and did failed hard (we know it best), could've failed again if stayed in a team who is one year older, with less hunger, against other teams who wants to win the champions. But people remember a "perfect team" in his last season so nothing can be said, because we dont know 'what would have been'. Thats a classic, a legend, its indisputable. Thats why Heynckes is a genius, he left football after a perfect season and didnt even join another club, now him and his last team are forever "Perfect". They will never be questioned because we didnt had the chance to seem them falling. And Pep is the man to take it from there, lucky him...

I really didnt understand that part. If Mou dont think we need a CM, than we shouldnt try to improve other areas?

I think Muller is more than capable to play the n9 in Pep's system. Not a real issue for them. I dont think there will be any "unrest" in the team if Bayern will start their season well and win game after game in the league like they'll probably do. Pep's Bayern is definitely not as good as 2012/13 Bayern, maybe this season they'll make that last push in CL. I dont think anyone can reject this idea.