The gulf in class is there for everyone to see. The players City have bought were not individual superstars, in fact, there were question marks over quite a few of them when they were signed by Pep. Clearly, the critical factor is the man himself and his ability to get the best out of players and to motivate them so well - skills that JM seems to have lost
Pep is brilliant. Anyone who says that lots of managers could produce football like this on his budget are talking crap. There is only one, and that's why he got the job
I'm not particularly a fan of Pep. Yes, he's done well this season. But quite frankly, on his budget, he can talk as much crap all he wants about how they can play like Barca, but he has yet to show that he can do it without extraordinary money or already near perfect dominant team like Bayern. Barca remained Barca long after his exit and Bayern are still dominating and not because of the wonders of mighty Pep. I'm sure if the likes of Wenger had his deep pockets, they would compete on equal terms. Let's be frank, football isn't exactly rocket science. Which is why Mourinho's way is even more so bewildering. He's had money as well. And I would even go as far as suggesting that we have better individuals in the United's team vs City's Pep. Only a coward would have Martial, Rashford, Mattic, Valencia, Mata and many more and still play that way and struggle to not get a shot toward goal for most of first half. It's pathetic!!! Even if the players were scared, had he signaled to them to move the ball quicker and forward, those boys would have responded. I dare say Van Gaal would have given us a great game with that squad.
We really could have beaten them. We could have drawn them. And we could argue that Eder son made a ridiculous save and it could easily have been at least a draw. That would have been a travesty. The first half city was attacking and united defending as if playing at the Etihad. That was the most disappointing aspect. United played as if they were scared of City. Once they fell they started attacking and showed that with a bit of luck (lukaku gifted them the winning goal) they could have a result. But why be so defensive at Home? Why wait until behind to drop that excessive respect? I am in a way satisfied that jm's excessive caution was not rewarded. We needed to play like we did after falling behind. Against the top teams right from the start.
I'm with you on that point. Winning that game would have further validated that b.s. method after winning at Arsenal. So yes, I'm glad we got nothing out of it. Even at Arsenal, we could have kept the tempo up but we quickly reverted to defending for no fkin reason when we know that Arsenal has sht defenders. But I was happy to defend that tactics given it's away from home but it's still a poor excuse. Mourinho surely has to fkin learn after that and I dare say that he may start losing the players if he continues to shackle them mentally in big games. They are as good as any in the league.
Enough with this foolish assertion of weak teams. We've won 11 out of 16 and this is tracking historical championship form. The table and especially the GD certainly do not lie. We have a great team. Only a fool would suggest we don't. It is tactics against the big teams that blows. We should have beat Liverpool and fkin Chelsea with the team that we have and the capabilities that we've displayed this season.
Yes, it's no coincidence that Guardiola and Mourinho, the two most successful remaining managers of the last decade, have also spent by far the most money in the transfer market. There was actually a study carried out which showed team's final league positions can be determined with 90% accuracy based purely on their player wage bill.
It's only bad when done at home, we went to Arsenal and won three one, we can surely have no complaint about that? Fergie employed the same tactics there in the champions league semi final (for example) and got the same result, no one complained then. At home though, what the ****? What do we want to be, I'm not sure Mourinho even knows as he hasn't settled on three centre halves or two for a start? I was under the assumption that getting Matic would protect the back four, yet he's been employing three centre halves behind him. I think bin that idea for a start and go with a back four plus Matic in front. Then with Pogba and, my current personal choice, Mata we've at least got some guile and creativity to match the likes of Silva and De Bruyne. Lingard just isn't of the required class to fill this role. Ultimately though, the Mata position needs to be improved so that's one much needed purchase. Then Mkhitarian and Herrera and Fellaini can and should all be allowed to leave the club. That leaves a front three of Rashford, Lukaku and Martial. That should be excellent. Shouldn't it? Lukaku though looks as **** as everyone predicted he could be so he's got the rest of the season to prove that assertion wrong or he gets binned as well.
But if we bin everyone, then we go back to buying even more. Where does it end? Why not just buy the Championship before kicking a ball? I personally wouldn't give Mourinho a dime to spend with the squad that we have. That's where I think modern managers lack creativity. It is why many of them have excellent youth setup but never graduate players from there. Just buy and buy until you get it right. This is why I admire Wenger in spite of all his shortcomings. Poch is also very resourceful. I read too that Citey put in a ridiculous salary bid for Messi before he signed his contract. Even Football Managers game has spending constraints that modern managers don't seem to have. Just fkin buy anyone that you want then celebrate a regular league game won like a mad man that just won the lottery.
It's square pegs in round holes trying to fit Ferguson to Mourinho. In the 2009 CL semi final, we played more on the counter than usual but still retained 40% possession and had more shots than Arsenal. It was stark contrast to last week where we went so defensive we had only 25% possession and were outshot 3:1. The win was secured by De Gea's brilliance but it wasn't the tactics I'd expect of United either home or away.
It should be, but it doesn't matter who the front three are when the wide forwards are expected to play with such defensive responsibility and our centre forward is either so isolated or the furthest man back clearing the ball to Otamendi.
I think we would have actually won that game without De Gea had we kept the same tempo as the start. Mourinho made them bring that situation on De Gea by sitting on the lead. It was stupid. I firmly believe that we could have torn Arsenal apart by at least four goal differential. Imagine what Fergie would do with these talents at his disposal.
