MOTD would be all over him if he had played last two fixtures. He does make the odd mistake but we will need him this season
why the heck no one is seeing Ivan at CB? Ivan was played at RB to accommodate Ricci / Alex, right? imho Ivan is better than Luiz at CB.
He brings 2 things our current CDs don't have, pace and flair. He will be a sensation with Barca come January, they know talent when they see it and they don't have an egomaniac wanting to be more popular than the players.
CP, Jose is egoistic, but let's not get carried away. His conceit will not blind him totally. He will make immense, trust him. After all, we are what we are today thanks to Roman & Jose!
CP. Have a bit of faith in out system will you? Banging on about Mata and Luiz leaving in January is not only tiresome but irritating. At last count Mata had played 4 consecutive matches. He looks great and is clearly happy to be in the team. Jose is not forcing anyone out, nor will the board allow out best players to leave. We're not Arsenal you know!
Stop whingeing. You only seem happy when you are criticising and complaining. Maybe you should go and support Barca if you like them so much; or Spurs, they like whingers down at the lane who expect to win every game 4-0 like Brazil 70
Luiz is injured though. He hasnt been forced out. He'll be back in the side I'm sure, and we need him.
Luiz and Cole have both been dropped since the Newcastle game. Cole I can understand, but Mourinho not playing Luiz is criminal just because he wants to force players to adjust to his sytem rather than have them play to their strengths.
There's a difference between whinging and sticking your head in the sand. Valid criticism is usually more helpful than pretending everything is great. Actually can't stand Barca, but they don't piss off their best players or play silly games with them.
No one is sticking their head in the sand, CP. Of course not everything is perfect. That's life: suck it up. But when you are third in the league rather than fighting relegation, then the positives outweigh the negatives. Barca have pissed of Fabregas, Ibra and Ya Ya Toure in recent years. Also, Luiz in injured, and can't replace JT or Cahill atm
exactly. We are pretty much where we should be based on the last few league seasons and given we are in a transition of sorts. Just happens to be we are behind Arsenal and Liverpool rather than the mancs. Could be a lot worse and 5 points off the top at this stage of the season is nothing, especially when it is Arsenal who are top instead of proven winners ala the mancs. Arsenal have City and us next I believe - 2 games that'll shape the table for xmas.
City have a much better balanced squad than us, no shame in finishing behind them. Or arsenal, who have had 10 years of stability to build a title winning side. It is only December, why all the Sky hysteria, red top newspaper panic? People demand immediate success the whole time these days, admittedly hyped by the media, why can't people be more patient?
How so? Just because others have had bad games doesn't negate the fact he's an absolute liability. Before the season began the majority were hoping for 2nd or 3rd, a domestic cup win and progress in the CL and then next season a real go at the title. For me that hasn't changed but some seem to want instant success and can't see the big picture.
I am not disagreeing with you nor EC winners about where we are in the table, about patience, or positives vs negatives. With our squad we should be in top 4, and we are. Jose has 3 years to get a foundation in place, then build on it. So far so good. What I am concerned about is the bizarre selections, players out of position, over reliance again on a core of untouchables, inconsistent form of great players, and alienation of some players for whatever reason. What I wish I was seeing is improvement. Followed closely by consistency, progress, strikers scoring, midfield being sorted, defence tighter and meaner, youngsters getting chances, and a glimpse of what the plan is......... but I'm not. Something is not right with our squad off the field. My opinion is that Jose is struggling to get the squad to play the way he likes because too many of them have to subdue their natural skills to do so. A little compromise could solve some big problems.
On who's part? Because if I were a player and a manager like Jose was telling me to play a certain way, with the credentials he has, I would give it a fecking try.
Spot on. Jose is the football equivalent of a silver bullet. He WILL win you something, be it the league, a domestic cup or European trophy. If players are resisting his methods they deserve to have their position in the squad and team seriously scrutinised. Did anyone ever question Ferguson? Yes and we saw what happened to them. He is a winner and knows how to win. If you do what he tells you, you will also be a winner. Simples.
You may have to wait til next season to sort those issues. He tried to get a striker in and failed, and has only marginally improved Torres thus far. A thankless task that one. He tried to freshen up pivot with new blood and van ginkel got injured. Be patient. He is experimenting with a squad that is not his and has not got it right yet. He may need a summer transfer window and a full preseason to do so. There again he is such a good coach he may even get it right before then. If we had big problems we would be ninth not third
