The Mourinho Thread

[Jase 43,479]

better fans than some here

Speaking of that gesture, have you seen this?

It's funny.

[Joker10 946]

Mou has some great individual players on this team, can add to that in the summer. What i want to see next season is that we need to play like a big side when we actually do play good sides. I believe that the best way to play football and the most entertaining football is when a side plays without fear and are proactive. For me what will be most telling about Mou plans, is what he does with our fbs. I know most of my posts about our fbs but i think it is a big obstacle from a being proactive side. For me what being proactive means is making the other team adjust to your style. The way to do that is a team that can attack and defend as a unit. For me the biggest Barca accomplishment is how they made everyone react to their style and everyone played like a small side. Barca played their style with possession, but you can do it other way like Jupps Bayern or klopp Dortmund. Bayern in 2013 was the monster everyone was hoping for years to face Barca, they didn't react to Barca they played how they always played. The key is attacking and defending as a unit.

Anyway back to our FBs, we need much more from fullbacks going forward. Ivanovic is just too limited going forward, he doesn't scare anyone going forward except in set pieces obviously. On the left is the same Azpi is the same, Azpi going back to his right side will fix the issue on the right. On the left we need a LB that is comfortable going forward, the way the game is played i will always prefer a great attacking fb then a great defensive one. Let me use Marcelo as an example, who is great going forward and but very suspect at the back. I have watched latterly so much of Real Madrid to know that he does not get tested, because the opposition is not trying to exploit him because they are sitting back worried about CR7 and Marcelo going forward. Marcelo was so much missed last season, because his contribution is truly underrated. His presence allows CR7 to get 1-1 against opposition. If Madrid are willing to sell him i would take him in a heartbeat btw, you wouldn't see Hazard being surrounded by multiple players. Fortunately this summer there are numerous great LBs we can get, i would also personally would keep PVA and his ability going forward is why i always rated him higher then Bertrand. Having fbs that can go forward allows you to achieve mass and allows you to overwhelm your opponent.

We conceded the lowest amount of goals this season, so Azpi and Iva is a success in some form. For me it would be very telling how we play next season, lets see if Mou changes it up in the summer.

[Tomo 21,751]

What i find funny is this fantasy we played free flowing sexy football under Rafa, did you not see our performance at The Ethiad under him? if that wasn't parking the bus then nothing we have done this season is either.

[Shane 2,275]

What i find funny is this fantasy we played free flowing sexy football under Rafa, did you not see our performance at The Ethiad under him? if that wasn't parking the bus then nothing we have done this season is either.

We didn't score in his first three games.

That period with Rafa was the first time in my life I didn't give a fuck about us. Didn't care much for the Europa League run, and always knew we'd get top 4. Any real fan would not find anything positive about that. Jose is back now and we're challenging for all honours. Better team won last night, Not Jose's fault, They are just a top top side and we aren't yet.

Roll on the last 2 games and Roll on next season, Can't wait to see who Jose brings in in the summer.

[Fernando 6,585]

What i find funny is this fantasy we played free flowing sexy football under Rafa, did you not see our performance at The Ethiad under him? if that wasn't parking the bus then nothing we have done this season is either.

The best we played was under RDM, altough we was exposed at the back.

It was a pity they sack him so early.

I'm never in favor of sacking manager so soon.

There's a couple that should have never happened.

After Mourinho left, Avram was just a temp. Okay he did his job and left. No problem there.

Scolari....worst appointment ever under Roman.

Did great with Hiddink, wish had he stayed but didn't so move on.

Carlo was dead on the money. A good manager that brought nice balance to our team. The whole second season was a disaster that came after letting go a lot of players and having a thin squad with a lot of young players.....sounds similar to this season, with a couple of exception.

Firing him after one good and one bad season was just ludicrous. And more ludicrous was spending money to get AVB. Second worst mistake in the Roman era.

After that RDM should have continue but Roman is something. Benitez came in as temp and did good.

But in all of this, the craziness of sacking manager has made our club really unstable.

I'm glad that Mourinho would continue a second season. As for a manager it's hard to build a team in less then one season.

Usually takes 2 to 3 seasons.

If in those 2 to 3 season there is really no progress then you move on. You did everything you could to back the manager.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

I'm not sure if you were unaware about this before last night's game, or if it's just a dig at Mourinho.

Simeone has done a fantastic job in his two and a half years at Atletico - in that same time frame we've had FOUR managers. You'd expect any top manager to develop a team to play in their philosophy in that time wouldn't you?

Not if you are David Moyes or Paul Lambert, Moyes been doing the same thing at Everton for 10 years then we can all see what happened to him at MU, same with Lambert where after 2 years his young promising team is going nowhere too. Sometime it is not the time but the strategy, it is pointless keep doing the same thing every year like Wenger and you will get the lost the same result. We need to change a little bit always even after a great season just to fall in with the rest. Atletico started out getting thumped every single time against Real and Barca at 1st too but they learn and adapted and now they are nearly impossible to beat.

This is partly why Bayern got destroyed too, I doubt even if they were on last season form they could have beaten Real. It is all about always adapting a little bit on top of what you got to survive, Mou and Pep refused this season and they both got punished by teams who might not be as good on paper but still soundly be able to defeat.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

What i find funny is this fantasy we played free flowing sexy football under Rafa, did you not see our performance at The Ethiad under him? if that wasn't parking the bus then nothing we have done this season is either.

Then there is the 0-0 draw with Fulham, 1-0 lost to QPR and other bs results where we hardly create a single chance. People remember 1-2 of those games where we just beat Villa 8-0 and think that is the blueprint of Rafa. No it wasn't.

[Tomo 21,751]

The best we played was under RDM, altough we was exposed at the back.

It was a pity they sack him so early.

I'm never in favor of sacking manager so soon.

There's a couple that should have never happened.

After Mourinho left, Avram was just a temp. Okay he did his job and left. No problem there.

Scolari....worst appointment ever under Roman.

Did great with Hiddink, wish had he stayed but didn't so move on.

Carlo was dead on the money. A good manager that brought nice balance to our team. The whole second season was a disaster that came after letting go a lot of players and having a thin squad with a lot of young players.....sounds similar to this season, with a couple of exception.

Firing him after one good and one bad season was just ludicrous. And more ludicrous was spending money to get AVB. Second worst mistake in the Roman era.

After that RDM should have continue but Roman is something. Benitez came in as temp and did good.

But in all of this, the craziness of sacking manager has made our club really unstable.

I'm glad that Mourinho would continue a second season. As for a manager it's hard to build a team in less then one season.

Usually takes 2 to 3 seasons.

If in those 2 to 3 season there is really no progress then you move on. You did everything you could to back the manager.

The best we played was under RDM, altough we was exposed at the back.

It was a pity they sack him so early.

I'm never in favor of sacking manager so soon.

There's a couple that should have never happened.

After Mourinho left, Avram was just a temp. Okay he did his job and left. No problem there.

Scolari....worst appointment ever under Roman.

Did great with Hiddink, wish had he stayed but didn't so move on.

Carlo was dead on the money. A good manager that brought nice balance to our team. The whole second season was a disaster that came after letting go a lot of players and having a thin squad with a lot of young players.....sounds similar to this season, with a couple of exception.

Firing him after one good and one bad season was just ludicrous. And more ludicrous was spending money to get AVB. Second worst mistake in the Roman era.

After that RDM should have continue but Roman is something. Benitez came in as temp and did good.

But in all of this, the craziness of sacking manager has made our club really unstable.

I'm glad that Mourinho would continue a second season. As for a manager it's hard to build a team in less then one season.

Usually takes 2 to 3 seasons.

If in those 2 to 3 season there is really no progress then you move on. You did everything you could to back the manager.

RDM did try and it looked good when teams rolled over for us (Newcastle, Wolves) but when we faced managers with a tight tactical plan (Conte) we looked utterly clueless.

RDM did amazing in his interim spell, but the full time gig was a completely different ball game and it was to much for him, 2 wins in 9 was not just a dip in form, it's relegation form.

[Shane 2,275]

The best we played was under RDM, altough we was exposed at the back.

It was a pity they sack him so early.

I'm never in favor of sacking manager so soon.

There's a couple that should have never happened.

After Mourinho left, Avram was just a temp. Okay he did his job and left. No problem there.

Scolari....worst appointment ever under Roman.

Did great with Hiddink, wish had he stayed but didn't so move on.

Carlo was dead on the money. A good manager that brought nice balance to our team. The whole second season was a disaster that came after letting go a lot of players and having a thin squad with a lot of young players.....sounds similar to this season, with a couple of exception.

Firing him after one good and one bad season was just ludicrous. And more ludicrous was spending money to get AVB. Second worst mistake in the Roman era.

After that RDM should have continue but Roman is something. Benitez came in as temp and did good.

But in all of this, the craziness of sacking manager has made our club really unstable.

I'm glad that Mourinho would continue a second season. As for a manager it's hard to build a team in less then one season.

Usually takes 2 to 3 seasons.

If in those 2 to 3 season there is really no progress then you move on. You did everything you could to back the manager.

Good post. Carlo sacking is still one that makes me angry. Crazy to sack him, we did the double breaking the record for most goals in the Premiership, If it wasn't for a Jose masterclass at the Bridge, We probably would have won the Champions League. Now at Real he's doing to Di Maria what he did to Malouda. He needed to be given the money AVB got to bring in a few new players for us.

[Strike 7,490]

First season in England under two different but equally incompetent managers. At the right price he's a nice squad option.

don't need squad option i guess. Lamps probably staying on. MvG, other youngsters

[Henrique 9,133]

did you said this after sunday when we win over Liverpool??

Liverpool game was a completely different animal. Tired players needed rest, some players out due to injuries, 0 responsibility with the result because the PL already was 98% over for us, so those tactics in that game made sense. It does not mean its a tactic he should be adopting over and over again.

[manpe 10,861]

Truth is with this team we should have never been in the semi-finals, we should have gone out against PSG or maybe even earlier. We shouldn't be contending for the league, we should have lost against City and Liverpool and have it over much sooner. It's our manager we have to thank for taking us this far, I haven't felt more proud of the team for some time now. During the Rafa period I was completely alienated from the team, the drop from the joy of winning the Champions League with Robbie and then sinking into total apathy with Rafa was too much. Now hope and feeling of joy is back, even if we don't win anything. We've already come close to two of the biggest prizes with very limited quality.

If it wasn't for Jose, we'd have got someone else and he'd be sacked by summer, then we'd get another manager for next season and this charade would go on and on. No trying to build the team, just managers trying to hang on for their lives and patch things up for quick success, then leave a rotting team for the next one to start patching. If Jose actually gets time and peace of mind to do his thing, I'm confident we're gonna be swimming in trophies and enjoying our football.

[The Chels 2,502]

Hah lots of people here are going to be in for a shock next season when they realise that Mourinho WANTS to play Ramires; yesterday he had no choice but you can bet your bottom dollar he would have and will continue to start Ramires — there's a reason he wanted Ramires at Inter and Madrid you know.

[Fernando 6,585]

Hah lots of people here are going to be in for a shock next season when they realise that Mourinho WANTS to play Ramires; yesterday he had no choice but you can bet your bottom dollar he would have and will continue to start Ramires there's a reason he wanted Ramires at Inter and Madrid you know.

Ramires is good to have in the bench and sub him in to close the game and such.

But to be a starter of an elite team, no.

[Henrique 9,133]

Technically? Yes. They're comfortably better in that regard.

I don't think so. They have the same squad from 3 years ago when they were a Europa League side, and were no even getting in top 4 in La Liga. Mourinho is using those ultra-conservative tactics not because he has a limited squad and thats the only way those players will work as a team and reach a UCL semi-final. Mourinho is using ultra-conservative tactics because thats how he is. Its not necessarily something bad, because he is a winner after all, and he won a lot of things using those tactics. Sometimes the tactics doesn't work.

[The Chels 2,502]

But to be a starter of an elite team, no.

I think everyone agrees with that — including supporters of other teams who rarely watch us — except the one man that matters.

[Henrique 9,133]

Atleti are better man-for-man than Chelsea, except maybe defence where it's more equal. What made the difference yesterday is that they're much better collectively and comfortable in their system and roles which is why when we opened up by bringing on Eto'o they were all over us. It helps that they're been together for more than a couple of years now.

Then I think something is really wrong. We spent 100x more than Atletico, and how come they manage to build a better squad than ours? Atletico in my opinion has a good squad, but thats it. They have a limited squad, almost the same squad from 11/12 season when they were in the Europa League final.

If Atletico win La Liga and UCL this season, I don't see they winning both competitions again or even fighting for them again in the next 10 years. What those guys are doing is really amazing, but saying they have a better squad that ours just show how a lot of our players are underperforming in the currently season.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Then I think something is really wrong. We spent 100x more than Atletico, and how come they manage to build a better squad than ours?

Because since they appointed Simeone, we're had four different managers.

It's why I don't get the constant moaning about the playing style of our team. People seem to want to criticise Mourinho for being conservative and saying that's his 'nature', so what do these people want? Do they want Mourinho gone and us to bring in someone else or is it just whining for the sake of it?

[Fernando 6,585]

Then I think something is really wrong. We spent 100x more than Atletico, and how come they manage to build a better squad than ours? Atletico in my opinion has a good squad, but thats it. They have a limited squad, almost the same squad from 11/12 season when they were in the Europa League final.

If Atletico win La Liga and UCL this season, I don't see they winning both competitions again or even fighting for them again in the next 10 years. What those guys are doing is really amazing, but saying they have a better squad that ours just show how a lot of our players are underperforming in the currently season.

The entire squad of Atletico cost less then Torres himself.

So there's value out there, just that our managers, our boards and scout not as good as say Atletico or Dortmund from over the last year.

I mean, how the hell Atletico manages to get top strikers after top strikers?

[DYC. 7,542]

Then I think something is really wrong. We spent 100x more than Atletico, and how come they manage to build a better squad than ours? Atletico in my opinion has a good squad, but thats it. They have a limited squad, almost the same squad from 11/12 season when they were in the Europa League final.

If Atletico win La Liga and UCL this season, I don't see they winning both competitions again or even fighting for them again in the next 10 years. What those guys are doing is really amazing, but saying they have a better squad that ours just show how a lot of our players are underperforming in the currently season.

I completely agree with this. Roll back to the start of the season and hardly anyone would be crazy enough to say they would want to trade Chelsea's team/squad for Atletico's.