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Jose Mourinho - ''First season at Man Utd has been the toughest year of my career''

Discussion in 'Manchester United' started by Matth_2014, May 12, 2017.

  1. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    You do talk total bollocks <laugh>
    we (and Liverpool) were in it because we weren't good enough to enter the CL, we were later joined by teams from the CL yet both managed to get to the final (the CL teams didn't). We did get a favourable run but Liverpool came up against some "big" teams in their run.
    Are you saying that any PL team should win this because the opposition is so poor? if so you should really look at teams that have failed to win it <ok>
     
    #41
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  2. carlthejackal

    carlthejackal Well-Known Member

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    Watford has got a point though ;)
     
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    Last edited: May 27, 2017
  3. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    True, having beaten us and Dortmund you should have pissed the final :bandit:
     
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  4. Bwood_Ranger

    Bwood_Ranger 2023 Funniest Poster

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    Putting words in my mouth. No I'm not saying that but United aren't just any PL team- they're the biggest, most successful PL team with resources beyond the wildest dreams of the teams they faced. As I said, you can only win the competition you're in but winning it shouldn't be seen as some sort of tactical masterstroke by fans with this weird need to give Mourinho more credit than he's due.
     
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  5. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    So basically you are saying we shouldn't be happy with 1 domestic trophy, 1 European trophy and CL group stage qualification in the managers first year?
    Like I said, you do talk bollocks <ok>
     
    #45
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  6. Bwood_Ranger

    Bwood_Ranger 2023 Funniest Poster

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    Putting words in my mouth again.

    Be happy if you want. Be unhappy if you want. I just don't think it's been any great achievement from Mourinho and it was a cigarette paper away from being a terrible season. Not that that will matter in ten years when people look back on his record but for next season I'd be concerned at the level he managed to get this group of players playing at.
     
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  7. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    So are you concerned at the level Pep, Poch and Klopp have their teams playing at?
    Pep first season, fair enough like us they will improve.
    Klopp second season, much work to do.
    Poch third season, looking good but nothing to show for it.

    Do you think we have had a poor season compared to any of these?
     
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  8. Bwood_Ranger

    Bwood_Ranger 2023 Funniest Poster

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    No you've had a fabulous season compared to all of them on paper but if I were a Spurs fan I'd be delighted at the level of performance Poch got them playing at and would be optimistic in the unlikely scenario they hold onto their players. City and Liverpool both have huge gaps in their squads that I doubt will be adequately filled.

    Obviously trophies are what's important but they shouldn't gloss over how much improvement will be needed to bridge a 24 point gap in the league and compete in the CL, where presumably people will expect a quarter-final at the absolute minimum.
     
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  9. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    I think Chelsea just did better than that with moderate investment.
    Jose usually takes a season to asses his squad then in the second season wins the league <ok> :emoticon-0104-surpr
     
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  10. King Shergar

    King Shergar Well-Known Member

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    It's a 24 point gap in theory, but how many points did Chelsea bridge on last seasons performance?

    Look at the number of games we had to play in comparison to Chelsea this season? We did prioritise the cups, and that's why we won 2 of them.

    I don't think it can be underestimated either just how much playing on a Thursday night affects your league form. If we hadn't gone so far in the cups we'd of definitely got more points.

    There really isn't all that big a gap between ourselves and Chelsea. Yeah they thumped us early in the season when Mourinho was still struggling to get to grips with the players he had, but in the 2nd half of the season the 2 games we played against them prove we can compete.

    We got beat 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Cup, but we played with 10 men for a full hour after a dodgy red card for Herrera. Im confident we'd of won that game if it wasn't for the referee. Then we completely outplayed them in the league, the only time in their history that they've not had a shot at goal for an entire PL game. It was an easy 2-0 win.

    Next season when it's a level playing field, with all the big clubs back in Europe, and we aren't having to play Thursday's. That 24 point gap will close very quickly. Especially with the additions to our squad that we intend to make.
     
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  11. cytrax

    cytrax Well-Known Member

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    I'm by no means a fan of how we have played in the league under Mourinho - especially against top team. However, your statement here is very confusing. If we can't give credit for winning the competition that we are in and calling it an absolute tactical masterstroke, then what else is the point of even taking part? As someone mentioned, this is the same competition that Tottenham got disposed from.

    Wenger is getting all crazy praises for winning the FA as tactically masterstroke, and rightly so; but why should Mourinho be treated any differently? Why the bias? I get it that many think that Mourinho is a dk, but why diminish his achievement because you don't like him? Maybe Mourinho needs to become a poet and start using fancy terms to describe his football philosophy such as gegenpressing.
     
    #51
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  12. Swarbs

    Swarbs Well-Known Member
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    That is, of course, assuming that the league winners end up with 90+ points again next year. Unlikely imo, as none of the top clubs will have seasons free from Europe as Chelsea did this year, and Chelsea will have retained their manager from the previous season, which always sees them perform much poorer the season after success.

    I reckon next season is more likely to be a more average season, where 86-87 points is enough to take home the title. Still a big ask to make up 18 points, but given we sacked off ten points over the last five matches of the season in favour of the EL, it is possible in theory.

    That said, I'd be surprised if we won the league next season - we are behind Chelsea and Spurs in terms of our ability to secure wins on a regular basis. Unless Mourinho can pull some great signings out of the bag and build a system which actually works for all our players then 2nd or 3rd is likely to be the best we can realistically aim for next season.

    Although that does depend on whether those two maintain their current form, and if City can improve their squad the same way we need to. We really shouldn't be finishing behind Arsenal and Liverpool again though, if that happens then serious questions will have to be asked of Mourinho's ability to challenge at the top.

    For the CL, I wouldn't expect anything other than to get out of the group. History has shown that you can have a strong squad and be playing well, but a bad draw or a poor refereeing decision can cost you a two legged tie. As long as we don't surrender embarrassingly, like Spurs and Arsenal did this season, then I will be happy enough. Losing by the odd goal to a top club in the last 16 wouldn't be the end of the world imo, doubt we will be in a position to win the CL next season without a lot of things going our way.
     
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  13. Swarbs

    Swarbs Well-Known Member
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    I think we can get credit for winning the competitions we have won. But it's not like we really needed any tactical masterstrokes to win the EL. We were the biggest club in it by a country mile, look at how one sided the final was. Ditto the LC - good to have in the trophy cabinet, but not like we had to play any superior teams to win it.

    You can only win the competitions you are in, but of the four competitions we were in, we won the two which were easiest in terms of the level of opposition imo. I still rate the FAC higher than the EL as a trophy and competition - only the CL qualification spot (which I still don't agree with) makes the EL more worthy of winning.
     
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  14. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    I am surprised people are using these stats as some valid measures. Of likelihood of winning the title? Of current strength? This really is a classical example of figures leading people up the garden path. Just consider the last winners and where they were the previous season before they became winners.

    Leicester were a whoppping 46 (!) points behind Chelsea.

    Chelsea were a massive 30 points behind Leicester.

    Did both say "there is no way we could bridge a 30 or 46 point gap so forget it"? The reality is that when the team clicks whether Chelsea or United or whoever the previous season's total has absolutely NO bearing at all on the season's performance.
     
    #54
    Last edited: May 29, 2017
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  15. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    I would definitely expect more. I think the team (as is) is ideally set up to be a Cup team. Rubbish as a league team because of its propensity to drop points. But able to progress in the Cups because of its difficult to beat attitude. Of course depends which team will be drawn: Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, juventus will be difficult to get past but I would think that JM will somehow make life difficult for them too. ;)

    But I would expect JM to seriously strengthen the squad and the first team. So it will be interesting to see how he does in the league next time. He won't have many (credible) excuses. Spurs will have moved home to Wembley, Chelsea would have less hunger from winning the title, Arsenal and the RS both will be distracted by the #Europa will fall well short.
     
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  16. King Shergar

    King Shergar Well-Known Member

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    The scousers for me, are not even a contender for the title, they are easily the weakest of the top 6 teams, and have managed to steal 4th thanks to playing a lot less fixtures than the rest. On a level playing field they are well short of being 4th best.

    The last 2 seasons prior to this when they where in Europe, they where 6th and 8th. So it will be more of the same for them next season. Il predict that at best they'll finish 6th, and it may well be even lower than that.
     
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  17. glazerfodder

    glazerfodder Well-Known Member

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    I think the string of injuries in defence was our undoing this season as the constant changes didn't allow JM to settle on his strongest set-up. That, in turn, caused him to be considerably more defensive-minded in midfield than he might otherwise have been in order to protect the defence. That changed the whole midfield dynamic for the season and he was forced into selecting more defensive midfield players than might otherwise have been the case. The knock-on effect meant the Ibra was isolated in many games and created the impression that our midfield was ineffective in attack - it wasn't, it was simply 10yds further down the field than it ought to have been. A strong CM to play alongside Bailly and some steel in midfield and we will be sorted. Anyone else is a bonus.
     
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  18. CFC: Champs £launderx17

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    Jose took on a squad low on confidence 12/13 at Chelsea and got third and CL semi in season 1. Season 2 he won the league on £7m net spend. Maybe he was just a better manager then.

    You seem to be behind the curve at United and signing managers past their best Moyes, LVG, possibly Jose too.
     
    #58
  19. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    That's not 'fancy'; it's German <doh>
     
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  20. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    #bookmarked
     
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