The Mourinho Thread

[Barbara 15,149]

Takes the biggest blame for the result today, for me. Rubbish subs and tactics in the second half and just couldn't adjust to the changes Pardew made. How did Oscar play 90 mins?!

Yeah, I do blame the loss on him. But I don't know which second half people watched if Oscar got us three assists for players that either missed the target or were blocked by the defense... that's why he played 90 minutes... don't care what people will say as I'm the one defending him.

Mourinho got it wrong, but his subs weren't bad, the most critical of them shouldn't have needed to happen, as Willian, for example (or at least Schurrle), should have started. But we played better after the subs, so I can't understand why are you blaming the subs?!?!?!

The problem is when the subs came, Newcastle was confident and we were under pressure and lost. So yeah, he is to blame, but I can't agree with none of your reasons, Choulo

Because Mourinho tried to revert to the same tactics we've had great success with this season with Oscar in the number 10 position. It was the right move in my view we had so little urgency in the first half.

He got it wrong today but he'll learn from it and we'll be a better team for it.

I think we could have had the same result (improvement) had Oscar been dropped and Mata stayed as the #10... but who knows?

And I do hope he (Mou) learns from today

[The only place to be 11,313]

Except Oscar and Lampard were clearly beyond awful yet he took off Mata and Torres who were both working their butts off. Pardew changed the game by bringing on Anita for Tiote but Jose couldn't react in a way to maintain our dominance. He only made the change that should have happened at HT which is Schurrle for Lampard after we conceded and Newcastle could get 11 men behind the ball and play on the counter.

He will (hopefully) learn from this, but this should not stop us from pointing out that he messed up today.

No-one is stopping you from pointing that out. I certainly think he was wrong to include Oscar, Mata and Hazard when Oscar has been our best player this season but even the best managers make mistakes.

Mata may well have been working his butt off (I don't think he was) but if that doesn't have an end result then he's just pissing in the wind. Mourinho ended up with the team we probably should have started the match with and we'll learn from this and move on.

Good managers like Mourinho make mistakes and average managers like Pardew get lucky. That's sport.

[Henrique 9,133]

Mourinho: 'We gave them 45 minutes of a friendly in the first half and we only had a reaction after they scored the first goal

To be fair it seems he realizes the problem. I hope he will fix this. I can see Mata playing less and less from now...

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Yeah, I do blame the loss on him. But I don't know which second half people watched if Oscar got us three assists for players that either missed the target or were blocked by the defense... that's why he played 90 minutes... don't care what people will say as I'm the one defending him.

Mourinho got it wrong, but his subs weren't bad, the most critical of them shouldn't have needed to happen, as Willian, for example (or at least Schurrle), should have started. But we played better after the subs, so I can't understand why are you blaming the subs?!?!?!

The problem is when the subs came, Newcastle was confident and we were under pressure and lost. So yeah, he is to blame, but I can't agree with none of your reasons, Choulo

Oscar only got involved in the last 10 mins, before that I had honestly forgotten he was still on the pitch. Didn't even touch the ball for ages. I've been one of Oscar's biggest fans this season, but this was BY FAR his worst performance for us. On any account, Oscar was not Jose's biggest mistake today, it was not taking Lampard off until after we conceded.

No-one is stopping you from pointing that out. I certainly think he was wrong to include Oscar, Mata and Hazard when Oscar has been our best player this season but even the best managers make mistakes.

Mata may well have been working his butt off (I don't think he was) but if that doesn't have an end result then he's just pissing in the wind. Mourinho ended up with the team we probably should have started the match with and we'll learn from this and move on.

Good managers like Mourinho make mistakes and average managers like Pardew get lucky. That's sport.

Not saying Mata was great, but working his butt off is a lot better than being completely invisible like Oscar was.

[Hamon 103]

Someone should tell him that even Oscar can be subbed.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Not saying Mata was great, but working his butt off is a lot better than being completely invisible like Oscar was.

When you put him on the right-wing, that can happen. Jose obviously decided to take a punt on putting Oscar in the position he's been most effective in and removing the largely ineffectual Mata.

I think that was the right decision.

[The_Flash 1,144]

It was everyone's worst performance we do so well against city to throw away these points, gutting

[CHOULO19 24,332]

When you put him on the right-wing, that can happen. Jose obviously decided to take a punt on putting Oscar in the position he's been most effective in and removing the largely ineffectual Mata.

I think that was the right decision.

Well, in hind-sight it clearly wasn't.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

mata and oscar shouldnt play together

[The only place to be 11,313]

Well, in hind-sight it clearly wasn't.

That requires knowledge of the alternative, which neither of us does.

Someone should tell him that even Oscar can be subbed.

He has been, a number of times.

[Barbara 15,149]

Except Oscar and Lampard were clearly beyond awful yet he took off Mata and Torres who were both working their butts off. Pardew changed the game by bringing on Anita for Tiote but Jose couldn't react in a way to maintain our dominance. He only made the change that should have happened at HT which is Schurrle for Lampard after we conceded and Newcastle could get 11 men behind the ball and play on the counter.

He will (hopefully) learn from this, but this should not stop us from pointing out that he messed up today.

hmmm, stats disagree with you on Oscar, Nour...

Hazard created us exactly 0 chances of goal as well as Willian, on open play Mata created us nothing as well, as the only chance created Squawka gave him was a pass close to the the half-way line that someone decided to shoot 100 yards from the goal (but he has the corner to Terry header) while Oscar created two clear chances according to them (one for Willian and other for Eto'o, although I thought he created one for Schurrle too, but I must be mistaken).

He also touched more the ball than Mata and Hazard with a better accuracy as well: Mata (35/47, 74%); Hazard (39/52, 75%), Oscar (51/66, 77%).

So if you had blamed the all three I would be quiet, because except for some fancy pass exchange between Hazard and Mata (that led to nothing), all three did nothing in the entire first half. So why exactly are you blaming the better AM we had in the match and exempting the other two of it, as if Oscar had been the worst when his stats (and actual play) prove he was the best out of them? The best chances we had were created by him - although Hazard did miss a goal.

I don't mind being labelled as the brazilian chick who defends Oscar, I don't mind at all, but someone has to do it when he's being given a bigger responsibility than he had. He was equally responsible in the first, although the only of our three AM to press efficiently and have the most tackles in the match (5).

I blame the system and Mourinho more than I blame the players, but whoever sees some of the posts here would think Oscar was the worst player in the pitch when stats and given credit where its due show he was one of the less horrible...

Oscar only got involved in the last 10 mins, before that I had honestly forgotten he was still on the pitch. Didn't even touch the ball for ages. I've been one of Oscar's biggest fans this season, but this was BY FAR his worst performance for us. On any account, Oscar was not Jose's biggest mistake today, it was not taking Lampard off until after we conceded.

Not saying Mata was great, but working his butt off is a lot better than being completely invisible like Oscar was.

The stats just proved both of your statements wrong. Oscar touched more the ball than any of our AM and he has the best work-rate. I might even do a scout in a match I really don't want to show this is unfair. But I do agree was his worst.

But the most important thing honestly isn't Oscar or Mata. We played shit, Mourinho was really bad in the initial formation and this is a match to be forgotten.

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

So, after all the criticism he got for not playing them together, he is proven right.. Funny

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Just one of those times when everyone decided to have a bad game, especially Mourinho......Let's just move on and focus on mid week.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

So, after all the criticism he got for not playing them together, he is proven right.. Funny

Seemed like Mata moves to the hole too often forcing Oscar out to the flanks which flaws the entire Mourinho dynamics.

Shurrle appears like our best AM atm.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

hmmm, stats disagree with you on Oscar, Nour...

Hazard created us exactly 0 chances of goal as well as Willian, on open play Mata created us nothing as well, as the only chance created Squawka gave him was a pass close to the the half-way line that someone decided to shoot 100 yards from the goal (but he has the corner to Terry header) while Oscar created two clear chances according to them (one for Willian and other for Eto'o, although I thought he created one for Schurrle too, but I must be mistaken).

He also touched more the ball than Mata and Hazard with a better accuracy as well: Mata (35/47, 74%); Hazard (39/52, 75%), Oscar (51/66, 77%).

So if you had blamed the all three I would be quiet, because except for some fancy pass exchange between Hazard and Mata (that led to nothing), all three did nothing in the entire first half. So why exactly are you blaming the better AM we had in the match and exempting the other two of it, as if Oscar had been the worst when his stats (and actual play) prove he was the best out of them? The best chances we had were created by him - although Hazard did miss a goal.

I don't mind being labelled as the brazilian chick who defends Oscar, I don't mind at all, but someone has to do it when he's being given a bigger responsibility than he had. He was equally responsible in the first, although the only of our three AM to press efficiently and have the most tackles in the match (5).

I blame the system and Mourinho more than I blame the players, but whoever sees some of the posts here would think Oscar was the worst player in the pitch when stats and given credit where its due show he was one of the less horrible...

Well my eyes disagree with your stats. Can you tell me how many times Oscar touched the ball between minute 55 and 80? Because I literally remember one. Unlike Oscar, Mata and Hazard were trying to make things happen; Mata with passes and Eden with attempted dribbles. Both the chances that you are talking about were in the last 10 minutes when he decided to wake up after it was way too late. Of course he had more touches on the ball than Mata who played 35-40 minutes less than him.

Can we stop the fanboyism? The team lost and Oscar was partly to blame as was evident to everyone and he should have been subbed off. No need to take it personally.

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

Seemed like Mata moves to the hole too often forcing Oscar out to the flanks which flaws the entire Mourinho dynamics.

Shurrle appears like our best AM atm.

Willian for me. Always plays well, regardless of how many minutes he gets

[FabHazard 655]

Seemed like Mata moves to the hole too often forcing Oscar out to the flanks which flaws the entire Mourinho dynamics.

Shurrle appears like our best AM atm.

Mourinho didnt tell him to stick to winger's role......All three am's are rotating

[The only place to be 11,313]

Well my eyes disagree with your stats. Can you tell me how many times Oscar touched the ball between minute 55 and 80? Because I literally remember one. Unlike Oscar, Mata and Hazard were trying to make things happen; Mata with passes and Eden with attempted dribbles. Both the chances that you are talking about were in the last 10 minutes when he decided to wake up after it was way too late. Of course he had more touches on the ball than Mata who played 35-40 minutes less than him.

Can we stop the fanboyism? The team lost and Oscar was partly to blame as was evident to everyone and he should have been subbed off. No need to take it personally.

Or he was moved back into his natural position, the one in which he has been our best player this season.

Please don't call decent members like Barbara fanboys too. This community lives and dies by the contribution members like her make and to suggest her views (which are often well-researched and articulately conveyed) are 'fanboyism' is rude and disrespectful at best, and something much more distasteful at worst.