I think our team just needs freshening up a bit. Just like it did in the summer. Our recruitment was poor and it has affected our start to the season. Zouma would be about my fifth option to play right back. He's a centre half. A decent holding midfielder, but he's definitely a centre half. Not a right back. He hasn't got enough quality going forward for that. Our main issue is still getting somebody to play alongside Matic. Mourinho likes Fabregas there because he's good on the ball and can get things going from deep. He just has no defensive ability. We need someone who can do both but they aren't cheap. Absolutely no way I'd sell Hazard either. He was almost single handedly carrying us through games last season and now he has a few bad ones we should get rid? No chance. We just need a couple of players to freshen things up, which we should've done earlier and we'll get back to where we were. This season could be a bit of a struggle though.
I said during the summer we should have gone for Khedira and Vidal, possibly selling Oscar, as we would never sell Fabregas two years into a contract. Anyway hopefully RLC will come through. Last season I was saying we need two quality Matic types regardless of our domination of English football. City had 3 good classic CMs; the Ferds and Ya ya. Thing is now do we hold off and let RLC develop and go through another season of Mikel/Ram/Fab alongside Matic
I think Oscar will flourish in another team, he's just not suited to you and imo is a fantastic player who needs to move on.
He was superb at start of 13/14, but maybe we should have moved him on and got Vidal in for this season. City have bought Delph too, so they have four pivot players now
A sensible post among the panic-merchants and WUMS. I thought something happened behind the scenes, but it is astonishing the press has not got wind of it by now if something did happen. Maybe you are right, it was just complacency. Whatever happened, it was Jose's responsibilty, he ****ed up something from pre season onwards. We seen sorted again now fingers crossed. Much more compact last night
Sometimes things just go wrong for no real explainable reason. A combination of smaller factors adding up to a bigger problem i.e results not going our way. Look at Klopp's last season at Dortmund. No one would have predicted that. He had a really good squad (albeit minus Lewandowski) and they clearly loved him there. A bad start snowballed and they never really recovered. That may well be a season we are in for. United suffered similarly under Moyes first season, having been champs the year before with the same team. I don't believe there is a single factor responsible and we wont just improve overnight either. A few more performances last night and the results will come and slowly we may turn this season around. There is no quick fix out there though.
They finished in the Europa spots and lost the German Cup Final so there was a recovery of sorts. I would be disappointed with Jose last night, there was no need to open his gob again.
Alright then, ill just send jose down to suarez 'r' us to pick up a few suarezs. Shouldnt be more than 140 mill eh? Who cares about losing our best player when all this wc players are sitting around waiting for us to buy them.
I get your point but if we finished in the Europa league spots it would be seen as a massive failure and not a 'recovery' despite our current league position. Out of interest, what comments are disappointing from Jose? The ref comment perhaps a little strong but that's the second stonewall we've been turned down in 2 C.L games already. We could be 3 points better off but for.
I just think that like I mentioned in the OP it's time to look inwards and concentrate on the team and the club other than offering a soundbite after every game.
Perhaps. I personally don't read much into what is said in press conferences. I'm sure Jose, management etc are still looking at any internal issues if there are any. That won't stop regardless of a few flippant comments in a press conference. It's just nonsense for the press to get excited about.
is it? we just had our est performances of the season in the wake of him getting a 50,000 pound fine. hes just saying what he wants. the media spins it, and small minded people get caught up in it. do you think players sit there and worry about him and wenger pushing eacch other? do you think oil magnate mr abramovic has time to listen to jose call refs weak and naive? its all a load of bollocks, and more fool you for falling for that tabloid line.
I wonder how good we could be with our attacking players let off the leash a little. Linked with Douglas Costa last year, looks a real talent and it's a big shame. Players like Willian, Diego Costa and Salah have done brilliantly in the CL, but when we get these players on board they seem to not be the same anymore.
Shurle is a good player, de Bruyne is a good player. The problem is they are free spirits, not defenders.
I think Willian is continuing to get better. He's been our best player this season by some distance. I know that hasn't be difficult but if the season ended now then and only him and probably Begovic would get any credit.
Not falling for anything. Best performance but still a draw and maybe a bit less mouth and a call goes your way.
