The only place to be

Oh, that's interesting. Will they be paying us in rainbows or lovehearts? But I agree we need more middlefielders. Maybe a couple of topfielders, and at least 7 bottomfielders.

Or what? It needs to change or you'll throw your toys out of the pram and support Liverpool? Please. No Hazard. No Matic. No striker. No first-choice left-back. Having to play Mikel in midfield. Keeper gets injured. Captain and defensive rock gets injured. Yet we come out of the first leg probably with the advantage going back to the Bridge. People like you expect him to work miracles and change the squad overnight yet ignore the miraculous result right in front of your fucking eyes. He just put out a team that includes a left-back who is unfortunately past his best and doesn't play anymore. A midfielder who is actually a defender by trade. A striker who is the biggest flop in this club's history. Another midfielder who was replaced in the January window by a much better player and a 35 year old Frank Lampard. Oh, and this was all against the team top of La Liga. This isn't Jose's team yet. It's still got the remnants of a dozen fucked up transfer windows stretching back to 2006 running through it but it's getting there.

He's utter shit. Hasn't scored a goal against us in 8 Champions League meetings so is clearly overrated. Oops, sorry. That's Messi, not Costa. Personally I think it's quite amusing that some are finally realising that teams who set up to defend are hard to score goals against (I know!!!! ). But yeah, let's judge this guy on the match in which he was facing a well-drilled bus.

I'd really love to see Van Ginkel get some minutes against the scum but with Matic cup-tied and Mikel and Lamps suspended there's no real need to. I think I'd be pretty happy with those teams. If you wanted to rest Cole's ankles then you could always chuck in Ake at left-back, and I think Schwarzer would probably benefit from another 90 minutes just to sharpen him up.

Absolutely delighted for the lad that he's back. It shows incredible character to come back from that injury so quickly and to have already attained a good degree of match fitness means he's been working his bollocks off. Could be a key player for us still this season.

Well clearly Atletico and Simeone are clueless when it comes to attack because they found it hard to break down a team who set up to defend. Obviously their full-backs weren't overlapping enough, because when we struggle to break down teams it's the lack of Luke fucking Shaw which kills us. Fantastic result though, and yet another example of the toll taken on a club when they have to play CL football as well. We'll get them back to the Bridge and hopefully have another of those great European nights.

There's been no greater proponent of bringing young players through than me, but you have to understand that there are TWO scenarios where throwing youth in is best done. One is when the chips are down and you can gamble. Last season was a prime example of that because Rafa had no real duty to achieve anything and had no money to spend, so why not throw in Ake against Norwich or Rubin? Rodgers had that last year at Liverpool as well so Stirling got games along with a couple of others - to his credit he's continued that this season, although he wasn't considered a serious title challenger this year. The other scenario is when you have a stable, settled side with an established core and you can slot young players in alongside experienced heads. We don't have that yet. It would've been hard to play someone like Chalobah alongside a Mikel or Ramires because they simply aren't good enough or mentally strong enough to hold a youngster's hand for 60-70 minutes, but you could imagine something like that working with Matic. Ake and Kalas were unfortunate that our defence became so important to our side, to the point that even established internationals like Ashley Cole or David Luiz couldn't be trusted to get any minutes there. Kalas was also unfortunate to break a bone in his leg as well. I hope that once we have a settled side with 7-9 players who are playing almost every game that you'll see greater rotation and integration of youth, but it simply wasn't going to happen this year. We aren't a good enough team to look to do that as well and the margins by which we win games are simply to narrow to sacrifice the extra 1% that an older head brings to the equation.

A very good, articulate post for you. But yes, full-back, midfielder and striker is what I think everyone here expects us to be in for as well as a stripping of the dead wood.

The guy has undoubted talent and was key for us earlier in the season. He's just in a rough patch of form and deserves next season to get back to his best. The cunts can fuck off and give him that at least?

Mourinho also took Essien to Real Madrid with him and brought him back here too. Not saying he's leaving but Mourinho's best quality is his pragmatism....although his worst might be his stubbornness. Wouldn't like to guess which one will win out, although Ramires could well have a spot as a squad player if Lamps and Mikel leave.

Um, no. Ogden broke it over an hour ago....about twenty minute before you were asking 'source?'. And the Telegraph isn't generally considered a 'shitty one'. Anyway, shame this is happening. Thought United might actually stick with him through summer and let him blow the money on more Matas and Fellainis. Bit disappointed that they've done the right thing and might actually get in someone competent.

I think the problem is that Ramires is the only choice at the moment. Luiz lacks the stamina to play too often in midfield, Van Ginkel isn't quite fit yet, Mikel doesn't offer anything when Matic is playing and the only surprise was Lamps not starting (although he may well start in Madrid too).

Him and Jose are both bad losers and neither would make any apologies about it. I'm not saying I liked seeing him lose it like that but I can understand where that passion comes from and that it can be very constructive when channelled appropriately. It doesn't help that Mike Dean is a smarmy cunt who needs his face caving in.

Actually it's coming from Mark Ogden who was the guy who broke the Fergie retiring story, so maybe check before going on an uninformed 'all newspapers are the same' rant.

It was used. He asked to leave and we sold him for a profit.

A few people thought Mikel was great and would continually state his importance. SeB was the main proponent of his, but he hasn't uttered a single word since Matic was signed. The rest of Mikel's defenders have shut up too and picked other 'favourite players' now.

Really wish I hadn't looked at some of the comments on Twitter. You always get cunts on there but some of the stuff is just disgusting. Some people really need a good kicking.

You talk a lot of shit to people over the internet don't you? Apparently you've been slagging me off too - how about you stick to talking about football rather than being a little keyboard warrior you cowardly little turd.

At home? Because away from home we've scored 2 goals against the 'big' teams, and one of those came from a right-back. But the question was are they good enough to win the league because I don't think they are? Are you able to answer this question? It's not simply about them scoring goals either. It's about them making the right runs to create space for the players behind them. Do any of our strikers do that either?

But we also shipped goals. Sure we could give someone like Mata the freedom of the pitch but it makes us very fragile at the back and that was under both Robbie and Rafa. We still create a lot of chances under Jose, but simply fail to take them.

I was honestly asking. When Mikel was in the pivot then Ramires seemed necessary for his athleticism, to basically do the running Mikel couldn't. Matic seems a lot more mobile so what exactly does Ramires offer? Personally I'd get shot of him and go with a combo of Lamps, Van Ginkel, Chalobah and maybe even Loftus-Cheek. Ramires is approaching 200 appearances for this club and when we've needed him most he's got himself a three-match ban in the Villa match, a ban in the CL and another deserved 3 match ban yesterday. Can you name another player in our squad over the age of 25 that you wouldn't trust with the captain's armband?

Are our strikers good enough to win the league? Simple question because I'm fairly certain they aren't which is why they'll all probably leave in the summer.

No I wasn't. I just don't get how you can think he's clueless about something, yet want him to stick around. Either you're comfortable with setting low standards for us or you simply don't have the courage to stick by your views. Personally I think we've actually got direction for the first time in a while and Jose has my full backing - something I wouldn't give him if I thought he was clueless.

So Mourinho is clueless but you don't want him to leave? Why would you want someone clueless to stick around? Company? You say he can't coach players to attack but you're too cowardly to come out and say you want him out.

Why don't you remind us why he should be in the team alongside Matic then?