The Mourinho Thread

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

I'd like to see Oscar on the wing more. He posesses more pressing ability there whereas Willian shines in the middle.

No brainer to switch them imo.

NB: Just watched City's second counter attacking goal. Reminds me of us earlier in the season, and also why we need Costa back. We would have scored more yesterday imo, but Drog did his best, and we won, so it's fine. We kept all of their 'key players' quiet, and I agree with Jose when he said we had them in our pockets. It doesn't reflect well on us because we couldn't recycle the ball effectively but when we attacked we looked dangerous, we pressed all game, good signs imo. Even if they had Carrick we would have kept him quiet too. Long overdue for a big win, and I have a good feeling it'll be against the Gooners. 4-1 early prediction!

[Special Juan 28,869]

Shit loads of empty seats, commentators wanking over the football, Aguero the next coming of god and yet shit loads of points behind. And people have a pop at us and call us fickle.....Bows and ties just about on the premiership trophy and the engraving just about to be done, wouldn't have it any other way.

Keep up City........We got Mourinhooooooooo

Moaning, fucking moaning? You don't your born some of you. Blue and proud me, once a blue always a blue.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Shit loads of empty seats, commentators wanking over the football, Aguero the next coming of god and yet shit loads of points behind. And people have a pop at us and call us fickle.....Bows and ties just about on the premiership trophy and the engraving just about to be done, wouldn't have it any other way.

Keep up City........We got Mourinhooooooooo

Moaning, fucking moaning? You don't your born some of you. Blue and proud me, once a blue always a blue.

Lol and that's all despite a City season ticket costing a shade under £100.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

we could if we wanted to. people forget the pool match last season where we would probably have lined up for a similar way but since they got an early goal, we ripped them open for the rest of the half before shutting out the match in the second.

It's good that you remind of this. Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in December 2013 is one example, but the same can be said about second half performance at White Hart Lane in Autumn 2013 or Liverpool at Anfield in Autumn 2014. After the very shit first half in this Spurs game, Jose gave up hiding and put Schurrle on in a bid of goals and HOW GOOD we played ? When we needed a goal and have the mind adjusted for that after being down in those big matches , we could play fast and proper counter-attacking. That's for me clear indication that in this side there's indeed enough potential to go there toe-to-toe and win convincingly against good sides but somehow Jose forces inferiority complex in our team and we end up in submission.

There's a pity because If we'd be down against 10-men PSG at the Bridge I'm sure later we'd progress when attacking mentality would be in place in our players.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

If we'd played attacking football City style against United and lost 4-2 like they did you'd be asking for his head. I'm convinced Jose just can't win. Not showing United respect would have been a big mistake and putting Zouma on saved us the game.

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

After seeing our performances in the first half of the season, I don't get how people are questioning whether jose can play attacking football. Everybody wants to see his team play a great attacking football but nobody wants to loose important games too.

I read on the DM JT saying after the game that we haven't been in our best form since January. What does that tell you? Jose and everybody else at the club knows we're not playing great recently. But should we let that cost us the title? WTF guys?

Exactly what I've been saying!

This same outdated & negative manager had us playing at levels we haven't seen in forever from August till Jan 1st, and in every game during that stretch we never looked like the 2nd best team.

That's all out the window now, never to be remembered as we coast to a PL trophy.

[iseah100 5,612]

Be calm. Jose will make the right moves in the transfer market and next year we'll be even better than early this season and for longer.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Be calm. Jose will make the right moves in the transfer market and next year we'll be even better than early this season and for longer.

Exactly.

Even then. As Souness said on SNF, we've played our football, we've done the legwork. Now we just need to get over the finish line and I'm okay with that. Even Madrid had a couple of months where they struggled (and nearly got KO'd by Schalke). No team is immune to it and we carry the unique ability of being able to carry ourselves through.

[Clockwork 1,794]

I wish to express my rebuttal on the openions that "we are a few players short to play the style we want."

The truth is if you feel that we are a few players short to play the style we want, then it is never going to happen. This mentality exsist in every club, i have not come across any situation or club that felt they had every piece to enforce the style they want. Is there a club in the world that thinks they have every piece to enforce the style they want? The answer is absloutely no. Even the best side of the last ten years, the Barca side in their prime never had every piece or felt short on a few players. They needed to upgrade their CBs for years, and they still do. Before Suarez and Neymar, they never felt they had the optiomal forwards around Messi. Ibra, Villa, Pedro, and Sanchez were not adequate enough for one reason or another.

Saying we are a few players short in order to play a proactive football, then with this mentality we will never play that style. Even if in the summer we do sign Pogba, Reus, and Varane. Which is unlikely imo but lets assume wo do for now. What is the excuse we are going to use when one of our key players get injured or out of form? oh yeah we are going to say we don't have the players to play with our foot in front.

If we apply this mentality in real life is the equivalent of someone saying i will start start losing weight when (insert excuse) or someone saying i will stop smoking when (insert excuse). It doesn't matter the excuses are unlimited. Same unlimited excuses apply to Club football, we will never feel like we have every piece to play the style we want, we can always say we need this or that. The reasons to procrastinaite is unlimited.

I am sorry to say this, but there is no chance Mou will change or we will have some sudden change of style. If you are fine with how we are playing then i can tolerate it in fact i can respect this view. Thinking othewise is delusional at this point, because there is not a shred of evidence to suggest otherwise.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Jose Borinho. So sick of this guy managing in big matches and winning! Why is he always setting up the team to win??? Its the worst tactic I've ever seen... We're gonna go down as the first team ever to win the league from beginning to end and likely win it by double digits but that's not enough!! There is more to playing football than winning and Jose is just taking all the fun out of the game by winning all the time

I'm sick of it!!

[bababoom 4,478]

I honestly dont mind how we played, obviously the first 30 minutes was hard to watch but once we calmed down and got to grips with United we improved and managed the game brilliantly.

I do think we need more technically sound players though, on the counter our players lack that certain precision and ability. Atletico's whole team consist of great technical footballers who not only graft but are able to move the ball efficiently when they break. Gabi, Tiago, Koke, Turan and Griezmann, thats basically their whole midfield. They can control matches but just as easily are able to sit deep and counter with quick, precise passing, they all have great footballing minds.

[Tomo 21,754]

I watch Chelsea play almost every game. I miss maybe 2-3 games per season at most, and considering we play upwards of 55 games per season that is a lot of football. So, why wouldn't I be obsessed by the way we perform?

We have had perhaps 2 decent performances in nearly five months of football. It seems some people genuinely don't give a shit about anything but wins and trophies and yet they want to portray themselves as some sort of super fan.

The thing is we did play really great footy in the first 6 months off the season, since January the form has dropped but we are still picking up the results, that is what has given us such a huge gap against the other 3, we all have had amazing spells and average spells, the difference being we have been picking up the results playing badly.

[Amblève. 4,995]

Jose Borinho. So sick of this guy managing in big matches and winning! Why is he always setting up the team to win??? Its the worst tactic I've ever seen... We're gonna go down as the first team ever to win the league from beginning to end and likely win it by double digits but that's not enough!! There is more to playing football than winning and Jose is just taking all the fun out of the game by winning all the time

I'm sick of it!!

You're beating a cremated horse now. The haters were wrong yada yada yada, Mourinho is never wrong yada yada yada, fans have no right to speak their frustrated minds yada yada yada.

I swear, this forum's been challenging HFBoards' level of unoriginality lately.

[Stats 7,230]

we could if we wanted to. people forget the pool match last season where we would probably have lined up for a similar way but since they got an early goal, we ripped them open for the rest of the half before shutting out the match in the second.

yesterday, we did not need the win, united did. a draw would have suited us as good. then why the risk. why should we be doing anything that makes us circumspect at this juncture in the season. just not worth it. we had a gameplan, and it worked like a charm.

I agree but I see it on both points. I disagree with you that Mourinho set up that way because we did not need to win. I think he probably would have done the same earlier in the season. Who knows. But yeah it worked however it is not the approach I want to see us keep playing in these games on a regular basis. While it has worked us wonders in the league the lack of attacking approach cost us in the UCL. I am proud of how we have wiped away the PL. Massive credit to Jose for that but for those who have criticized the approach are entitled to. Everyone is happy with the win but I don't like when I see some people on here accusing the moaners of not being a proper supporter etc and telling them to get a grip. Because like I was saying I think people are justified to feel unhappy with the performance.

I am not in that category but I am not going to abuse or criticise people for moaning about the negative approach.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

You're beating a cremated horse now. The haters were wrong yada yada yada, Mourinho is never wrong yada yada yada, fans have no right to speak their frustrated minds yada yada yada.

I swear, this forum's been challenging HFBoards' level of unoriginality lately.

I couldn't care less. You're looking for originality every time you come to a thread about the manager? How many original thoughts could there be? Of course it's gonna be repetitive.

[Tomo 21,754]

If we'd played attacking football City style against United and lost 4-2 like they did you'd be asking for his head. I'm convinced Jose just can't win. Not showing United respect would have been a big mistake and putting Zouma on saved us the game.

Exactly, some people seem to think just because we are the better team we shouldn't bother nullifying their threats.

That type of arrogance is what cost Brendan Rodgers the title.

[didierforever 7,349]

I agree but I see it on both points. I disagree with you that Mourinho set up that way because we did not need to win. I think he probably would have done the same earlier in the season. Who knows. But yeah it worked however it is not the approach I want to see us keep playing in these games on a regular basis. While it has worked us wonders in the league the lack of attacking approach cost us in the UCL. I am proud of how we have wiped away the PL. Massive credit to Jose for that but for those who have criticized the approach are entitled to. Everyone is happy with the win but I don't like when I see some people on here accusing the moaners of not being a proper supporter etc and telling them to get a grip. Because like I was saying I think people are justified to feel unhappy with the performance.

I am not in that category but I am not going to abuse or criticise people for moaning about the negative approach.

chelsea 3-1 united. you cant possibly say that we set up in the same way. which shows we at this moment is simply trying to wrap up the league. beautiful football is not the objective, winning is. hence we are using whatever stratergy which seems best to simply get the job done.

[Styles 9,790]

The thing is we did play really great footy in the first 6 months off the season, since January the form has dropped but we are still picking up the results, that is what has given us such a huge gap against the other 3, we all have had amazing spells and average spells, the difference being we have been picking up the results playing badly.

I agree that we played well in the first part of the season, but the drop off from that football to what we have played in the last 4 or so months has been huge. We don't look like even half the team we did at the start of the season. It seems as if Jose reverts back to type at the first sign of adversity which is ultimately my issue; he did it last season and he has done it again this year.

And this is an excellent post by Clockwork:

I wish to express my rebuttal on the openions that "we are a few players short to play the style we want."

The truth is if you feel that we are a few players short to play the style we want, then it is never going to happen. This mentality exsist in every club, i have not come across any situation or club that felt they had every piece to enforce the style they want. Is there a club in the world that thinks they have every piece to enforce the style they want? The answer is absloutely no. Even the best side of the last ten years, the Barca side in their prime never had every piece or felt short on a few players. They needed to upgrade their CBs for years, and they still do. Before Suarez and Neymar, they never felt they had the optiomal forwards around Messi. Ibra, Villa, Pedro, and Sanchez were not adequate enough for one reason or another.

Saying we are a few players short in order to play a proactive football, then with this mentality we will never play that style. Even if in the summer we do sign Pogba, Reus, and Varane. Which is unlikely imo but lets assume wo do for now. What is the excuse we are going to use when one of our key players get injured or out of form? oh yeah we are going to say we don't have the players to play with our foot in front.

If we apply this mentality in real life is the equivalent of someone saying i will start start losing weight when (insert excuse) or someone saying i will stop smoking when (insert excuse). It doesn't matter the excuses are unlimited. Same unlimited excuses apply to Club football, we will never feel like we have every piece to play the style we want, we can always say we need this or that. The reasons to procrastinaite is unlimited.

I am sorry to say this, but there is no chance Mou will change or we will have some sudden change of style. If you are fine with how we are playing then i can tolerate it in fact i can respect this view. Thinking othewise is delusional at this point, because there is not a shred of evidence to suggest otherwise.

We are never going to have the absolute perfect squad. We are always going to have injured players and / or lack a certain type of player in the squad, so to use that as an excuse as to why we cannot play well or have to play such dreadful football for such long periods of time just doesn't cut it.

[Stats 7,230]

chelsea 3-1 united. you cant possibly say that we set up in the same way. which shows we at this moment is simply trying to wrap up the league. beautiful football is not the objective, winning is. hence we are using whatever stratergy which seems best to simply get the job done.

Chelsea 3-1 United. That was last season? At the start of the season we were playing more attacking football. Yes, I agree but it is not as if that attacking approach has worked in the UCL. But, yeah apart from that I agree but like I was agreeing with the critics yesterday it is not as if that style of football was the only solution. I believe we could have played more attacking.football with the players we have.

[Iggy Doonican 4,187]

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