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The 2017-2018 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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I hope Real Madrid don't collapse because as you said they will sack Zidane and steal Pochettino and along with him half our squad.
That's not a bad thing though. One team to win everything is never good for the sport.
Nobody wants to see one team win everything, so congrats to Wigan. They seem to have Man City's number in the cup.
Sad to see some of the stuff I've read regarding the pitch invasion at Wigan.
What should have been a great day for the club, may well be remembered for the wrong reasons.
What should have been a great day for the club, may well be remembered for the wrong reasons.
Shocking behavior from a small group of fans from both teams, I hope they identify the worst offenders and nail them. I don't necessarily have a problem with a pitch invasion per se (even though it is certainly illegal), but the moment people start vandalizing the pitch, threatening members of either club, fighting, rioting, or engaging in any kind of bad behavior it crosses the line.
From a competitive perspective it was a failed gamble by Guardiola, though if Man City take the League Cup and the league this will be seen as a minor "blip".
Not the Champions League then?
They could still do the treble.
[doublepost=1519153176][/doublepost]
???? You're welcome???
Sure. Man City are better than Real, if not Barca, this season.
EDIT: The discriminatory conduct charge against Firmino has been dropped by the FA, though they have emphasized that Holgate's accusation was made in "good faith". I assume it all came down to a lack of corroborating evidence.
I would like to think it was all just a misunderstanding, but if it wasn't I hope it at least makes Firmino (and all players) think harder abut what he says to people from here on out.
Sometimes people say things in the heat of the moment that they regret later, but there must be consequences for discriminatory behavior, period. Otherwise it will never stop.
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Pretty poor stuff from United at Sevilla tonight. They set up the midfield to stifle the hosts, but still got passed through with ease. Sevilla will regret not finishing better, and De Gea made a few more superhuman saves. United will probably do enough at Old Trafford to advance, but they are sure to get overmatched by their opponent in the next round at this rate.
United were so poor tactically today. The team/selection is so unbalanced and to think that for all the money spent, the LB and RB are Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia :|
I wonder why there are no talented youngsters coming through the ranks at OT.
I wonder why there are no talented youngsters coming through the ranks at OT.
Mourinho is not exactly known for developing young talent. You won’t see young players coming through while he is there.
Interesting to see Sevilla match Mourinho’s defensive approach with a good defensive performance of their own. After watching their tie with Liverpool I would have expected them to be be pretty weak defensively. Despite that, and while Man Utd offered relatively little going forward, Sevilla were still surprisingly effective in squelching their attacks. De Gea bailed them out for about the millionth time with some excellent saves.
I assume Man Utd will win the home leg with a classic Mourinho 1-0 but if Sevilla get an early goal it could get very interesting.
Agree with @Lord Blackadder that Mr Mourinho has never had a name for developing local, young talent; he fears prefers to buy the finished product, either to use as a player or to deprive another team of that player's skills.
A negative mindset defines his vision of the game.
A negative mindset defines his vision of the game.
I know Mourinho does not have a habit of playing youngsters. His tradition of throwing money at the problems are probably not going to work in this kind of an inflated market. These days you can't (afford to) buy 11 outstanding players. United need a couple of good defenders (Bailly seems perennially injured), good fullbacks (Young and Valencia while serviceable should not be a first choice for United) and some midfield workhorse and a back up for Matic.
Looking at that, I wonder what kind of money will have to go into the team. And even after buying the best, it will be boring, ultra cautious football.
Edit:
I think the negativity in the away game will haunt United- a scored draw and they're out.
Looking at that, I wonder what kind of money will have to go into the team. And even after buying the best, it will be boring, ultra cautious football.
Edit:
I think the negativity in the away game will haunt United- a scored draw and they're out.
Mourinho has been involved in a lot of "win now" scenarios since leaving Porto: Chelsea and Real Madrid in particular, and certainly United won't tolerate an extended run of mediocrity.
As for United's youth setup, Marcus Rashford certainly gets plenty of time (although he got his first team start under LvG out of necessity more than anything). Martial is still quite young. Scott McTominay was given a start in a UCL knockout away match. On the other hand, given the lackluster quality of some of the defenders in the first team, I hope that Tim Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe get some legitimate chances last year: both look very promising.
As for United's youth setup, Marcus Rashford certainly gets plenty of time (although he got his first team start under LvG out of necessity more than anything). Martial is still quite young. Scott McTominay was given a start in a UCL knockout away match. On the other hand, given the lackluster quality of some of the defenders in the first team, I hope that Tim Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe get some legitimate chances last year: both look very promising.
I just think Mourinho is a poor fit for United. Yes, he's been a winning manager, and yes, he's managed some of the biggest clubs in the world, but he is not suited to a club that expects both results AND style.
A fair number of Man Utd fans are still defending Mourinho, but if Alex Ferguson is the standard they compare managers to, then Mourinho is a poor substitute. He is a path-of-least-resistance, short-termist, big-spending, mercenary win-at-all-costs manager who doesn't give a damn about style, club culture, or any sort of "project". He wants to win trophies - now - and the rest is irrelevant. With that kind of attitude, and all that comes with it, should Man Utd fans be satisfied with domestic cups or the Europa League?
If he comes away from this season empty-handed, one would think that patience with him would really start to wear thin.
Liverpool were not necessarily at their best today, but David Moyes went with a pretty slow, old back four and Liveroool’s front three were always going to get the better if that battle. Karius did look a bit more confident today.
Big match tomorrow in the race for second. Liverpool and Chelsea have essentially caught up with Man Utd. Chelsea are picking up a bit after their recent slump, so it could be a really tight match. But I’m most interested in seeing the rancorous relationsionship between Conte and Mou explode on the touchline tomorrow.
Big match tomorrow in the race for second. Liverpool and Chelsea have essentially caught up with Man Utd. Chelsea are picking up a bit after their recent slump, so it could be a really tight match. But I’m most interested in seeing the rancorous relationsionship between Conte and Mou explode on the touchline tomorrow.
...and throw in the Pogb trouble, let the wrestling match begin!
Excellent win by a confident, and composed Liverpool; yes, Mr Mourinho could well end up ceding second to others and might find himself having to scramble for third or fourth.
And, as @Lord Blackadder has pointed out before, players don't develop or grow under Mourinho - indeed, a surprising number of them end up losing their confidence in themselves.
Why don't they just scrap the match and have the two managers go for it in a boxing ring?
I'm sure people would be interested to see Mourino get punched!
I'm sure people would be interested to see Mourino get punched!
No, firstly, Antonio Conte is too elegant and stylish for me to wish to inflict such punishment on him; secondly, I want to see Jose Mourinho get his comeuppance on the pitch, which is where it will hurt him most.
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