dee25

I was fairly confident that they would drop points along the way but that Villa loss - I'm sure it just reinvigorated them. If we had won that game then who knows, City might have choked against Utd but now they have some breathing room and newly added impetus.

He hasn't played many games with Matic so it might be too early to draw any conclusions but the reason why Luiz plays well with him is probably the same reason why he works well with T. Silva. Luiz tends to perform better when there's a more competent player beside him.

How much did we pay marseille for him? 6 mill or so? Bargain.

Wow, fuck you Michael Owen. That was a cracking goal.

Still can't believe this. Think the ref didn't just want to red card one of Arsenal's offensive players.

This is just madness. What the hell is going on??

Hope the team doesn't get complacent now.

HOLY SHIT!

A huge upset?? Really? I mean they're slight favorites sure but doubt anyone would think hell has frozen over if we emerge out of the draw as winners.

I think if we have any ambition of competing with clubs like Bayern, Real Madrid, Barca and all of them, we'd either sell Ramires or relegate him to the bench and bring in better quality. I really don't see how we can continue on with him being first choice in the pivot. While we're at it, Luiz can leave with him - even though he's more technically talented than Ramires but he's actually just as reckless and prone to brain farts. An awful pair those two make, one constantly loses possession and the other defends like a freaking maniac.

What. the. hell?

Just unbelievable. This team really needs to learn how to make the most out of opportunities particularly when they're on top.

The only thing that's shocked me about this defeat it's how it's removed the veil off of some people's eyes. I'm reading some of the comments posted here & in the players' threads and I'm thinking.....have people not been watching our performances all season? Granted it's demoralizing to lose a game at this point in the race but surely people didn't think we would be able to keep scraping by on gift goals? Forget entertaining football, we've lacked quality on the ball. We literally can't create a clear cut chance except on the counterattack and that's damning considering that the three attacking midfielders we put out yesterday cost a total of 80 million! 80 mill worth of talent, and they don't know how to build one decent attack against a poor side. That's fucking concerning. All season I've maintained the opinion that Mourinho has been prioritizing results over anything and given our finish in the league in the past two seasons, I think he's doing the right thing by getting the team competitive again, but next season the football simply has to improve in order for the talents of Oscar and Hazard to translate onto the pitch. We can go out and spend 50 mill on a striker but if we continue to play the type of football we've played for the majority of the season then whoever we get won't be able to make much of a difference... unless he's superhuman.

It's funny cos it's true. He definitely does have stamina issues though. Even at Benfica I think he got subbed off a lot before full time, at least in the games I saw of him. If anyone remembers the EL final, I really do think part of the reason why we grew into the game in the 2nd half is largely because Matic ran out of steam whereas in the first half he was a force. So Mourinho might want to consider subbing him off around the 70 min mark especially in away trips. Or even putting in an extra man so we don't get overrun in midfield. He was struggling really badly towards the end of the match and getting bypassed way too easily. Still a beast tho.

True but you have to also consider the way Pellegrini sets them up. Their game plan won't be to go to Anfield, Emirates etc looking to stay compact and avoid a defeat. They don't draw many games because they have a very strong attack and lots of firepower. I think If they're going to lose points, it'll more likely be a full out defeat than a draw.

I don't see City drawing that many games. They'll probably lose one game and draw another, but 4 draws? Can't see that happening. They've only draw 3 games out of 27.

Of course the behavior is entirely his fault but the people here acting all up in arms and outrage, what did they expect? We already know the way Ramires is. He's extremely clumsy, reckless and a serial foul machine. So why are people acting so surprised?

I'm really not a fan of Ramires but he's a reflection of the tactics and the style of play Mourinho wants - athleticism, pace, energy and work rate. Those are the qualities Mourinho values and Ramires epitomizes that. If it were left to me I would bring in a more technical player to pair with Matic but If Mourinho chooses to continue with him then it's hardly Ramires' fault is it? He's not holding a gun to Mourinho's head.

Torres tries way too hard to show up defenders. Just hold up the ball and wait for support ffs.

Circumstances changed *because* of the work Mourinho has done with the team. It doesn't make sense to hold Mourinho accountable if we don't win the league because it's largely due to him that we're even frontrunners in the title race.

How can it be a failure when just a few months ago we didn't even expect to be in the position we're in now?

You're being way too nice to him. I wish I can be that diplomatic, but really that post by Henrique is sheer nonsense. Sorry but it is. Matic is getting praised by the supporters because he's a good player that has filled a weak position. What's the fucking problem? Of all things to complain about..... The club did well with this transfer and we're very lucky to have him as he's exactly the kind of player we needed for the pivot. He's getting praise not only from the fans but also from pundits and If you look at his stats on whoscored, he's actually rated as our 2nd best player. Anyone who says that the City game was his only good performance simply hasn't the slightest clue what they're talking about.

This. Some people don't like hearing doses of truth like that but the quality of football has been dire. I'm sorry but it has. Having said that though, given that we haven't been competitive in the league for a while now, I think it's fine that we're 'scrapping by'. It's unrealistic to expect Mourinho to take a team that hasn't consistently been performing well & expect him to turn them into this side that can pick up results while playing entertaining football within the span of 8 months. Moving forward though, the quality of football simply has to improve. It's not just for entertainment purposes but also because we've invested a lot of money on flair players like Hazard, Oscar and Willian. What's the point on bringing in all these skillful players only to display the football we did in the first half against Spurs? We're not maximizing their potential. So I think our performances this season has been fine given where we're coming from but if we continue to play like this next season, then yes that's a problem. We're in a financial position to be able to challenge for trophies while displaying quality football. Not having these excuses of " what would you rather have....champagne football or winning". Please, that's such bull.

Couldn't watch the match but literally laughing my ass off at these. Like....how does one concede a goal from, basically, your own goal kick? Oh spurs, don't ever change!

Not able to watch. Are we playing that badly?