The Mourinho Thread

[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 21,736]

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 7,286]

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 6,497]

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 6,497]

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.

[Henrique 9,133]

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?

I think the simple answer is: Mourinho should change his approach. His a man, not a animal or a machine. People change over the years, and I hope he will change in some ways after this season.

[Shane 2,275]

I think the simple answer is: Mourinho should change his approach. His a man, not a animal or a machine. People change over the years, and I hope he will change in some ways after this season.

He will with another summer under his belt. This year, he got to identify the problems with the team and make do with what he had. Know, he gets a chance to add big to it.

[iseah100 5,612]

I think the simple answer is: Mourinho should change his approach. His a man, not a animal or a machine. People change over the years, and I hope he will change in some ways after this season.

Not change his approach totally, but a few tweaks. Also, about Atletico spending less than us, is it really that important? They've spent less than City, United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Barca, Real, Bayern, Juventus, AC milan, and nearly every other top club. Dortmund is in the same boat as them. Some teams don't need to spend a lot. It happens.

About individual talent, that's a ridiculous argument. The 2013 Real Madrid had a ton of individual talent but they didn't win anything. Individual talent is irrelevant if you don't play as a team. Atletico have been playing together for a long time, and it shows. We're under our 4th manager in 4 years. Mou will get it together, he knows what needs to be done, and Roman will let him do it, unlike at Real.