lionsden

Thanks mate

Jose "The plan is to win the game"

For me cazorla, fonte, schneiderlin and Clyne should be in there. i base it on the overall consistency throughout the season which eliminates fabregas (Him and matic have been wank since late december),matic,ivanovic (defending is a major part of a fullbacks game and he's been anything but great in that department this season) and obviously cahill and coutinho. The real team of the year should have been. De gea clyne,JT, Fonte ,Bertrand schneiderlin, Cazorla, Hazard, sanchez, Kane and costa I can make a case that Sanchez disappeared from mid Jan to late feb as well but he's still been more consistent than the rest and his seamless adaptation to a new league makes it pretty tough to leave him out.

Get a transfer ban over an average player seriously. if we are going to take such risk atleast take it on the very best up and coming talents and not a Lucas Piazon level talent.

Drogba is going to start again, isn't he.

What's the other direction? explain. The only way your comment makes any sense is if you make the assertion that these managers have made people believe that it's impossible to win matches against big teams playing defensive football which no one has ever said or insinuated. The pro park the bus crowd on the other hand try desperately to convince people that playing decent/attacking football against a big or semi decent team is suicidal and will lead to definite defeat hence negative football is the only viable option to get result in this type of matches. How often have we seen or heard comments like "you want us to play good/attacking football and lose". According to them pro active football equals automatic defeat.

It's ridiculous isn't it?.jose has managed to brainwash some fans into thinking this way.

Honestly I believe most of the fans who are appear to support this style of football are not necessarily pro negative,shit on a stick football but more pro mourinho. Do you think most of them would still defend this style of football if Rafa was sitting in the dugout instead of Jose? regardless of the result. I don't think so. they know the football is crap themselves but are just pretending to love it as a way of defending Jose. As for Jose's quote, He''s just talking gibberish as usual. Two of those players Cesc and matic played against United, at the etihad and Anfield all three of them played. And even if what he said was true (which it clearly isn't) what does it say about his mentality if the sun and the moon needs to form a perfect alignment before he can play decent football. exactly this. This is what made the game against PSG (both ties), Liverpool carling cup (away) Man city (both ties) and so on so hard to take. we essentially parked the bus and bored the life out of the spectators for nothing

He's absolutely spot on. At historically huge clubs like real,Barca,Bayern, simply winning trophies isn't enough, style of play and the entertainment value matters alot as well. If our aim is to reach the level of these clubs one day then parking the bus football and mentality has to go, it's that simple.

"and in the first half of the season, the former 3 were just as influential, if not more, than him."

What are isco and Benzema ?

We as fans have the tendency to overrate our players and lately the way he's been elevated to godly status and compared with legendary players around here does support the claim greatly.

Absolute nonsense. Players like Fabregas,Costa, matic, Thibo and JT are every bit as influential as him and in the first half of the season, the former 3 were just as influential, if not more, than him. Unless dribbling multiple players and leaving them for dead is your definition of influential/carrying the team. Sure he's been consistent all year and has been our best player since late December but the idea that we are a one man team is nonsensical and inaccurate. His ability to stay healthy is the only thing we had struggle to replace because there are quite a few players out there who can replicate his contribution to the team namely Isco,Neymar,Reus,Bale,James et al.whether they are realistic target is a different matter entirely.

The english snobbery on here is quite bizzare. Countries like brazil, italy,belgium et al will kill to have strikers of that quality on their roster because I sure as hell ain't taking lukaku,benteke,origi,fred,balotell and other talent those countries have to offer in attack over those two and rooney. It's fashionable to paint all english talent and players with the same "overrated" brush but that phenomenon stopped being funny a long time ago.

If we use this reasoning i.e (worst case scenario) No youth will ever make it. What's to say Icardi or (insert establish striker here) doesn't get injured or suspended or flop or have terrible game at the camp nou? Costa and Remy are more than sufficient with bamford as the third choice. how many teams who play with only one striker at a time can boast of such quality depth?

What's pathetic is yanking the joy and entertainment out of football all in the name of winning at all cost and reducing a sport that is just as much about entertainment as it is about being competitive to just winning. I will always respect teams who do not sacrifice their integrity, identity and genuine love for the game, are able to combine entertainment with success (winning with style) infinitely more than those on the other side of the spectrum. As for your other point History remembers the revolutionary rinus Michels and his Netherland team of the 70's, 1982 Brazil and they never won anything. The zidane galatico team are also well respected despite underachieving massively, success wise. I'm not even advocating seeking to entertain at the detriment of winning but the notion that achieving the right balance between the two is some impossible mission and a little poor us cannot strike the balance is nonsensical at best. To those that always hold this view, How could you all possibly know that we wouldn't have won the big games we either won,lost or drew in the past if we had played an attacking and pressing game?. It's crazy how most people have been brainwashed into thinking winning and playing good attacking football are mutually exclusive. No matter how hard it may seem, the ultimate target/goal should always be to strike the perfect balance between entertaining and winning and we certainly aren't working towards achieving such feat under Jose.

Im saying it's infinitely harder and more impressive to achieve success playing good, high quality football consistently aka winning with style than it is to win ugly/at all cost hence taking the easy way out.

It's really annoying how you use exceptions to make your point. so because a few managers used similar tactics once in a bluemoon somehow detracts from the point I was making? Arsene wenger also defended deep against City this season and against dortmund last season, does that also make him a pragmatist who has no appreciation for the quality of football his team plays in big games like Jose as well? Perhaps I should have used the qualifier, Jose and Rafa are the only two managers shameless and stubborn enough to play defensive football at the top level on a consistent basis. I'm 100 percent certain that those clubs I listed would not tolerate their managers using Jose's tactics in majority of their big matches as often as jose does. Top clubs set high standards and take performances very seriously, we are the only top club in europe that accepts winning at all cost and sets extremely low standard as far as the overall quality and performances is concerned and without a clear identity.

Arguably the best post of the last couple of pages and it get's completely ignored by the "Jose can do no wrong" crowd. No surprises there. I'm glad I stayed away from this thread because it's the same old tedious argument from the pro jose crowd. "Wining is all that counts" "what if we played attacking/proactive football and lost" "we don't have the pieces in place to impose ourselves on another big team" "stop moaning" etc. Just came in to give clockwork's post the credit it deserves.

There's nothing more to add that hasn't already be said but what I will say though is there has to be a balance between good football and parkimg the bus. At what point does it enter the territory of "overdoing it". This tactic is acceptable for a top team under certain circumstances like managing through difficult and hectic run of fixtures I.e UCL, the league and other cup competitions and in situations where the players are too tired to press but to make it your only tactic in big games is not only overdoing it but shows a distinct lack of tactical flexibility and respect for the fans who have paid good money to watch their team play. And I still stand by my belief that negative football is cowardly and taking the easy way out. I know some will say if parking the bus was easy, why aren't other managers capable of doing it successfully apart from jose and my response to that is, no other manager (apart from rafa, who had a great run in the ucl with liverpool) have attempted to employ such tactics when managing a top top club. Jose and rafa are the only manager stubborn and shameless enough to stick to it at the highest level of football. Clubs like bayern, barca,real,utd, ajax (when they were a top club) wouldn't tolerate such football from their managers and rightly so.

We are really going all out for this aren't we. I expect free flowing silky, fast paced and creative football from us with such inspiring line up. Cant see past a total annihilation here so my prediction is Chelsea 5-0 united.

I had rather bring back Moses than sign valencia. They are about the same talent wise.

Upon reflection. Taking everything into account. POTY Hazard, De gea or Kane YPOTY Kane or Coutinho Whoever wins it out of those deserves it.

The overall discussion and tone on redcafe mirrors that of this thread i.e how we are going to stop them at the bridge and the overall tone just seems to indicates that we are essentially the underdogs and shittin g our pants at the prospect of facing utd or should I say felliani fc. I was made to believe man utd are average at best and we are the best team in the league, someone must have lied to me.

I just saw Dunga's quote comparing him to the second greatest attacking midfielder of the 90's, Baggio. Absolutely hilarious. I hope the rumor is true and he gets sold. He will have the opportunity to captivate the italian crowd and make the Juve fans relive their Hero's magical moments with his dazzling skills and consistent performances. That's the least they deserve