The Mourinho Thread

[Milan 17,955]

How the hell can he accept this shit by selecting the very same team that deserved a sack after the useless performance against PSG? How can he accept yet another crap and boring performance full of long balls? For fuck sake Mourinho needs to wake up and change something! And not only 1 thing, such as Willian in place of Ramires.

I love Mou but seriously, wake the fuck up!!

[Blue Traveler 256]

rubbish he will win this weak league, dont worry. Arsenal is arsenal, and city is utter trash

I really hope so cause if not he definitely gets the boot from Roman.

[Polo7 3,496]

Do any of you guys remember before 2000's when we didnt actually win every game? We played bad first half and played alot better second half. The gap between us and city has increased. What the hell is everyone moaning about? Unbelievable.

[didierforever 7,349]

Do any of you guys remember before 2000's when we didnt actually win every game? We played bad first half and played alot better second half. The gap between us and city has increased. What the hell is everyone moaning about? Unbelievable.

the shocking thing is that we should/could have won the match 3-1 at the least with all the chances.

[Polo7 3,496]

the shocking thing is that we should/could have won the match 3-1 at the least with all the chances.

Yeah second half was a different game. But it wasnt Mourinho who made us play better, the players just felt like playing better. Remember only negatives are Mourinhos fault, all positives are because Hazard!

[The Skipper 20,609]

Our approach in the first half was atrocious but kudos to Jose for basically admitting that we set up wrong and actually changing it up tactically in the 2nd which allowed us to play the way we did in the 2nd.

We've had that first half performance too often recently however. We do really need to pick it up from now.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

This is definitely not the same Mourinho we had. Mourinho from 04/05 would have made atleast 3 or 4 changes BEFORE the match compared to the line-up we had on Wednesday, he'd make at least two subs at half-time, he wouldn't give certain players so many chances while others root on the bench, he woudn't have Willian and Oscar in his team, his team would shoot more outside of the box, they'd be more direct and fast...

Questions have to be asked about this team even if they do win the title, hell they even look like they might bottle it.

[coolhead23 1,147]

and given how we played the second, it's clear we don't have a physical issue because the players have been overplayed.

No one will convince me those players aren't too nonchalant and giving half-hearted presentations. If they're tired, no matter what hell on earth had been the talk Mourinho gave them (which they deserved) would have made them come and play football in the second.

Also people keep blaming Mourinho for everything or giving to him most of the blame. That's a lie imo. With performances like Cuadrado had, Ramires (midweek - he was good today), it's no wonder we see Oscar and Willian starting. Cuadrado managed to be worse than Oscar AND Willian combined. Ramires is a toss, totally hit or miss, you never know which version of him will show up.

The only players consistently fighting and/or playing well are Courtois, Hazard and Costa imo. Even when Costa is poor you see he's giving his everything, trying with everything he has, whether is leaving the box, getting physical (and mental) with opponents. That's the attitude most of the team don't have. When you're in bad form technically, at least run, fight, present yourself to the game. Most of our players seem to think we already won the league and they can have a walk in the park.

Hazard had a below par performance in the first half to his own standards, but it's hard to play well when everyone around you except the keeper and the striker showed up to play. Then when the rest of the team decided to play in the second, he ran the show as he normally does.

Mourinho should have started with Zouma and Luís imo, but I still don't know how much a difference it would have made in our overall game (Zouma would definitely made us look more solid in defense, even Terry is shaky these days) when our midfield went MIA. At least the talk in the break worked and the players saved some face from a realy shameful presentation in the first half. Mourinho's life isn't as easy as some people believe it to be and he's far from being the main reason this team has been playing shit imo. He's partially guilty, but it doesn't matter the approach, the players, the system he chooses, if the players are going to behave the way they did against PSG, against Burnely, against Saints today in the first half, I'm positive we wouldn't win matches even if Mourinho chose 13 players to start the game.

so answer me, who he should play instead? Cuadrado? Ramires? Oh, let me guess, one of the kids from the academy?

At the end of the day for me, it is the manager who will take the blame ... He is the one who needs to keep the players motivated and keep them ready to play. I know it is a little too much of an asking but Jose is suppose to be the best in the world. Fergie's United were a half baked team but they performed at the optimum levels with their one-dimensional play, it will come down to the managers.

Players have started taking places for granted because there isnt much rotation or change in strategy ... Let Cuadrado start more games, that should pinch William to not squander a chance once given same for Oscar, Fab, Cuadrado, Remy, everyone and yes if need be get one of the star from the youth team over them. Let it be known to them that you cant take things for granted.

It was Jose's statement in one of the documentary, a manager to be in the top flight has to constantly evolve. Has Jose be doing what he preached? That is the million dollar question.

[Styles 9,790]

Our approach in the first half was atrocious but kudos to Jose for basically admitting that we set up wrong and actually changing it up tactically in the 2nd which allowed us to play the way we did in the 2nd.

We've had that first half performance too often recently however. We do really need to pick it up from now.

Southampton's intensity dropped, they sat back and we began to build play in a way that we simply couldn't in the first half. Why does Jose deserve credit for that?

The thing is when a team presses us and doesn't let us have it our own way we always play like we do in the first half. When teams sit back we 'dominate'. This is why every time we play a top team we resort to 30% possession / 2 efforts on goals / disjointed football. We couldn't keep the ball against PSG at home when they were down to 10-men.

[Milan 17,955]

We are lucky to be out of the Champions League, it seems. Otherwise the players Mou loves playing, and boy there are many of them, would die of tiredness towards the end of season.

[Weckerz 3,781]

What's his actual problem with Luis? He's been good in every game I've seen him play. Is it really a case of favouritism? Personal relationships?

I'm starting to believe it more and more

[Henrique 9,133]

Today he made an unusual sub: Ramires/Matic.

Better football in 2nd half. But Remy and Cuadrado were a bad move. Killed our chances in the game.

[didierforever 7,349]

Today he made an unusual sub: Ramires/Matic.

Better football in 2nd half. But Remy and Cuadrado were a bad move. Killed our chances in the game.

cuadrado was forced, willian limped off.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Southampton's intensity dropped, they sat back and we began to build play in a way that we simply couldn't in the first half. Why does Jose deserve credit for that?

The thing is when a team presses us and doesn't let us have it our own way we always play like we do in the first half. When teams sit back we 'dominate'. This is why every time we play a top team we resort to 30% possession / 2 efforts on goals / disjointed football. We couldn't keep the ball against PSG at home when they were down to 10-men.

I disagree sorry. Southampton sat back because we stopped sitting back and actually increased our pressing game and intensity. I'll reply again with more depth later, phone is about to die.

Honestly, that 2nd half performance was one of our best in a long, long, long time.

[Fernando 6,585]

Don't see the criticism for today since we improve massively in the second half.

It seems like there's two extremes here, one that criticized everything that he does and one that approves everything that he does....