Nemanja Matic

[The only place to be 11,313]

Absolutely spot on but that will never happen with a mechanical manager like Mourinho in charge. he loves his donkeys. players in the ilk of Ramires are his bread and butter

And Ronaldo. And Deco. And Sneijder. And Hazard.

Donkeys the lot of them.

[didierforever 7,349]

No I just wanted to show that managers are not flawless immortals that never make questionable decisions. fergie, who's arguably the greatest manager of all time, decided Pogba wasn't good enough when he played a defender, Rapheal, ahead of him in midfield in a game where they were short of options in midfield which eventually proved to be a terrible decision. so even the best managers get it wrong sometimes is the point I'm trying to make.

one manager can and probably will make one mistake in his lifetime but when 2 different managers do the same thing and that too beniyez did it over a period of half a season and now jose has done it, there must be something to it. Its not a decision thst they have made in just one match. Moreover, we seem to be winning games and DL seems to be playing well.

[Bacika 188]

João Ruela ‏@joao_ruela2h

Matic will play against FC Porto today, but shall join Chelsea after it. #Benfica #classico

Is he reliable at all?

[sdrcfc 461]

Always, in Portugal.

[lionsden 4,689]

And Ronaldo. And Deco. And Sneijder. And Hazard.

Donkeys the lot of them.

Capello managed the likes of Totti,Robinho,Gutti, Ramos,Rooney et al. doesn't mean he, like jose, are managers who favor technical players over gritty hard workers like pep,Wenger et al.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Capello managed the likes of Totti,Robinho,Gutti, Ramos,Rooney et al. doesn't mean he, like jose, are managers who favor technical players over gritty hard workers like pep,Wenger et al.

Sorry but you said that Mourinho likes his 'donkeys' which is really only half of the story. He likes his water-carriers but he uses them to give the magicians a chance to do their things.

For every Makelele there was a Robben. For every Costinha there was a Deco. For every Cambiasso a Sneijder.

[We Hate Scouse 10,286]

Matic starts

[Jype 6,398]

Oblak, Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Siqueira, Matic, Enzo Pérez, Markovic, Gaitán, Rodrigo, Lima

Will be keeping an eye on Markovic and Rodrigo too.

[lucio 5,418]

hope porto win

[lionsden 4,689]

Sorry but you said that Mourinho likes his 'donkeys' which is really only half of the story. He likes his water-carriers but he uses them to give the magicians a chance to do their things.

For every Makelele there was a Robben. For every Costinha there was a Deco. For every Cambiasso a Sneijder.

ramires is important to his tactics and philosophy which is the point I was making that Jose won't buy another technical midfielder alongside matic (if we get him) to demote Ramires to the bench as that's what will be required if we are to significantly improve the quality our CM and play. moreover makelele was 10x more tehnical than ramires and it's not even close.

How many top midfield in the world would Ramires walk into? All the top team that play quality football all have top technicians in central midfield and it's no coincidence. The difference between these teams and us is that their "donkeys" are very intelligent technicians as well (Gundogan, Bastian, javi Martinez,Busquets, Xavi et al) unlike Ramires.

Make no mistake about it, I have no problem with donkeys as long as they combine technicality with physical prowess like those players I mentioned. donkeys that can play football if you will.

[The only place to be 11,313]

ramires is important to his tactics and philosophy which is the point I was making that Jose won't buy another technical midfielder alongside matic (if we get him) to demote Ramires to the bench as that's what will be required if we are to significantly improve the quality our CM and play. moreover makelele was 10x more tehnical than ramires and it's not even close.

How many top midfield in the world would Ramires walk into? All the top team that play quality football all have top technicians in central midfield and it's no coincidence.

And we have to play like every other 'top team' because??

Look, I don't disagree that Ramires shouldn't be replaced in the future but if we get Matic then I can certainly see him being retained in a midfield that is more defensive and allows the 'donkeys' like Hazard, Oscar and Willian to do their thing. To be honest I'm enjoying watching us play with a clear philosophy that seems to be working against most teams. I'm not going to bitch and moan because we aren't trying to emulate Barcelona or Bayern.

[José Mateus 46]

Oblak, Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Siqueira, Matic, Enzo Pérez, Markovic, Gaitán, Rodrigo, Lima

Will be keeping an eye on Markovic and Rodrigo too.

Oblak!

f*ckin' yes

[lionsden 4,689]

And we have to play like every other 'top team' because??

Look, I don't disagree that Ramires shouldn't be replaced in the future but if we get Matic then I can certainly see him being retained in a midfield that is more defensive and allows the 'donkeys' like Hazard, Oscar and Willian to do their thing. To be honest I'm enjoying watching us play with a clear philosophy that seems to be working against most teams. I'm not going to bitch and moan because we aren't trying to emulate Barcelona or Bayern.

No but with the amount we have already spent, we should be able to field midfielders that are comfortable on the ball and can do the basics like controlling the ball, passing and intelligent use of space and possession to a certain standard. is that too much to ask for because I'm fed up of watching teams like Benfica,Man city et al dominate our midfield and play us off the park because Lampard can't dictate the tempo and Ramires loses posession when under the slightest amount of pressure. that's simply not good enough for any "top team"

[Mouri_Matic 560]

And we have to play like every other 'top team' because??

Look, I don't disagree that Ramires shouldn't be replaced in the future but if we get Matic then I can certainly see him being retained in a midfield that is more defensive and allows the 'donkeys' like Hazard, Oscar and Willian to do their thing. To be honest I'm enjoying watching us play with a clear philosophy that seems to be working against most teams. I'm not going to bitch and moan because we aren't trying to emulate Barcelona or Bayern.

There is a reason why they are 'top team' so if we want to be one, we should emulate one of them. Whether it is Bayern/Barca or Dortmund/Madrid's style, that is the top teams approach. Sitting 10 behind the ball, play out for a draw is not a top team approach, it is good and effective but not trait of one.

[Melanicus 5,208]

Oblak!

f*ckin' yes

How is he doing in Benfica? Last time I've checked he has been loaned to other clubs.

He was big talent here in Slovenia.

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

Oblak!

f*ckin' yes

Feels as good as goal for you, huh?

[The only place to be 11,313]

No but with the amount we have already spent, we should be able to field midfielders that are comfortable on the ball and can do the basics like controlling the ball, passing and intelligent use of space and possession to a certain standard. is that too much to ask for because I'm fed up of watching teams like Benfica,Man city et al dominate our midfield and play us off the park.

Mikel can do that. Lamps can do that. Van Ginkel looked capable of doing that and now we're looking to sign another midfielder who can do that. You can either moan about what we should've done (because we have made mistakes) or you can be hopeful and happy about what we're trying to do going forward.

The fact that we have a clear gameplan that suits the majority of our players and gets results, and also looks like it's being implemented in the youth ranks and we have young players who it suits should be cause for optimism.

[José Mateus 46]

How is he doing in Benfica? Last time I've checked he has been loaned to other clubs.

He was big talent here in Slovenia.

He is doing his first games, but the majority of the fans want him to be our main goalie.

Still hasn't suffered any goal. 4 games and 20 mins.