Shteve McClaren also found out why you don't sign Darren Bent. He'll score goals and your results will suffer. It's as consistent as Mourinho getting one over on Wenger.
To be honest, it's the only reason I can think of! I honestly don't know why he didn't give it. We rode our luck on that front, but as I said, I don't think their or our performance warranted anything more than a point apiece.
Chelsea performances rarely warrant more than a point. The problem is they keep getting more despite the complete ****e they dish up week upon week.
Mourinho has never claimed to be in the entertainment business. He's there to win any way he can. I suspect he couldn't give a **** what critics think of his style of play. As I say, cynical, but effective.
He'll try to get them on his side, if he can. But does he really give a **** what they think? I doubt it.
He's a pragmatist. He doesn't take risks. We all prefer teams to play with risk, committing players forward to try to score, but knowing that this could make them more vulnerable to conceding. It made the title races involving Arsenal and Utd interesting because nothing ever seemed settled, even when one team held a considerable points advantage. Mourinho's dry, dour football, devoid of risk to ensure that Chelsea inch home without conceding ground to would be challengers might be effective, but it's not how sport should be played. I'm sure many Chelsea fans resent his ultra conservative ways, which win the club grudging respect, but few friends and little admiration, even if they won't openly admit it.
His public spats with them in Spain and Italy would suggest otherwise. He has rows, gets into physical altercations and makes even more claims of conspiracies than he does over here. He throws tantrums when his arse isn't sufficiently kissed. Ferguson set the tone over here and Mourinho's picked up where he left off. Not happy with press reports? Ban people and throw a wobbly. Not happy with the officials? Call them cheats, fat or claim they're out to get you. Horrible stuff, but they get away with it.
I agree he uses the media to try and get his message across and to try and manipulate. And those who really upset him get banned or ignored, but does he care what they think, I don't think so.
I agree he's an egomaniac, but they are usually characterised by an absolute certainty and confidence in their own infallibility. Craving the approval of others is not a trait of an egomaniac. More of insecurity.
Liverpool really are an average, average side. Yet they are 5th and could still get into the Champions League. Mystifying.
Any side can look average when they're out of form and Liverpool are definitely out of form. It says a lot about the manager that the questions over his side at the start of the season still exist and will in all liklihood going into next season too. Well I suppose he has answered the questions about whether Liverpool can challenge for the title without Gerrard and whether Balotelli can become a top player. Some might not be sold on Pochettino but at least he's shown that our best players and young players can all work well in his system.
It's not just that. Their players aren't particularly that good. They certainly aren't better than the teams which are above them that's for sure. They're still having the same problems though. An erratic defence and a lack of composure in the final third. Aside from last season which seems to have been a once-off, they've had these issues for quite some time now and Rodgers has done very little to fix it.
Rodgers benefited from an in form Suarez, who brought the best out of Sturridge and Gerrard still contributing when the going was good. Take those elements away and what's left? Youthful promise in Sterling and Coutinho, but a still dodgy defence and a misfiring attack.
Suarez gone, Gerrard way past his best and on his way to top up his pension in the U.S. And Sturridge back to his old injury problems. They're toothless going forward and creaky at the back.
