You can actually do it. Win the league without beating your rivals.
You honestly think the team was set up to attack?
Also among all the bashing happening right now, we need to give credit for the players for their immense discipline and concentration levels. Not easy setting up like this and when you think about it, Liverpool created two good chances.
Feel like Fergie might have done that a couple times.When has that happened?
Will get back with that info but if you win a majority of other games without winning vs rivals (getting point at least vs some) you can win it. It's not something you got to do to win, you have to have most points.When has that happened?
This.Fergie did it plenty of times.
Very rare that we had a great record against the top four. He was beaten on a regular basis by Chelsea, City and Liverpool. People forget that.
Today was disappointing and true Mourinho, but it's hard to be upset - it's what he wanted and what he got.
If we want to win the title we'll most likely have to win a few of them as well. We can probably win our home ones and be fine. But not trying to win any of the away games puts pressure on us to have to win the home game against the big teams.I'm fine with Jose's approach to today's game.
Anfield is a tough place to go, illustrated by the fact we have played well there three times in the last 10-15 years (2004/05, 2007/08, 2014/15). Expecting us to go to Liverpool and dominate is silly. Usually we play garbage but nick a goal or two. Sadly our attacking play today was a bit bitty. Not the end of the world.
Beat all the small teams, avoid losing to the big teams, and we'll be there or thereabouts in May.
If we win the title by a point is anyone going to be crying about today's performance..?
When has that happened?
Yes ofcourse theoretically its possible but it would be really deluded to think thats the case in practice.Will get back with that info but if you win a majority of other games without winning vs rivals (getting point at least vs some) you can win it. It's not something you got to do to win, you have to have most points.
Thank you!!
I knew people would come in here and just slate Jose when in reality he is not responsible for the awful passing and decision making by the players.
Will get back with that info but if you win a majority of other games without winning vs rivals (getting point at least vs some) you can win it. It's not something you got to do to win, you have to have most points.
You dont answer the question, say thay we lost/drew 6 matches vs the top4 for example. That'd prove it.plenty of times.
In the late 90's and early 2000's we were beaten 5 nil by Chelsea, 5 nil by Newcastle, etc etc. Can only imagine what the caf would have been like back then! Samiratins adverts would have been popping up in the sidebars.
A 4-2-3-1 with Mhkitaryan in the midfield 3 is a pretty attacking line up (I also think Young was in as much to get in behind Moreno with his pace as he was to track back). I don't think we had any illusions of being reckless or gung-ho, but I also don't think that team selection screams playing for a point from the off. I also think we started off trying to play high up the pitch, and then got pushed back by Liverpool's press and our own inability to pass the ball well enough. I think we then changed that at half time and sat deeper, but I think from the pattern of play in the first 15 minutes or so that was not the primary plan.
Compare his selection today to his selection at Anfield last season for example.
The players deserve zero credit for today. They made awful decisions, were crap under pressure, and played with virtually no composure or quality.
Fergie very rarely ever parked the bus though. That's the difference. He sometimes picked grafters towards the end of his career but even then he got them to bomb forward.Fergie did it plenty of times.
Very rare that we had a great record against the top four. He was beaten on a regular basis by Chelsea, City and Liverpool. People forget that.
Today was disappointing and true Mourinho, but it's hard to be upset - it's what he wanted and what he got.
Feel like Fergie might have done that a couple times.
Key difference is that there aren't just 3 other top teams anymore, you can't afford to drop points against 5 others (Spurs, Chavs, City, Pool, Arsenal). When it really was just the 'big 4' it was fine to lose that mini league, but if you say draw against the 5, you're dropping 20 points!
I think we'll win against our rivals at least one game. No need to panic.Yes ofcourse theoretically its possible but it would be really deluded to think thats the case in practice.
We have no right to score goals after setting up to defend.He's not going to get plaudits after that performance but his ability to hoover up points like he does makes him one of the best managers in the world.
We had no right to any points after that performance.
Yeah I guess the season is over, City has won all the big games and we haven't won one.When our rival for the title isn't doing the same, but is going to Stamford Bridge and getting 3 points, then on average, no we can't win it.
And? If anything that should go in the negative column for Fergie. It's weird how people use everything Fergie did as some sort of example to follow. For the record, I do think Fergie is the greatest manager of all time but that was not because he was perfect. It is because his pluses vastly outweighed his minuses.Fergie did it plenty of times.
Very rare that we had a great record against the top four. He was beaten on a regular basis by Chelsea, City and Liverpool. People forget that.
Today was disappointing and true Mourinho, but it's hard to be upset - it's what he wanted and what he got.
Been better than us in the league for the past few seasons to be fair.Liverpool isn't such a top team & no where comparable to the top 3 teams we played back a couple of years ago.
They have 3 top players & a relatively decent manager.
If you were talking about spurs, arsenal - I understand but Liverpool are there for the taking; their weaknesses are easy to spot and consistently manipulated by teams who are significantly worse than us.
I don't have this hatred/rivalry towards Liverpool but they are really not a Top team.
Fergie very rarely ever parked the bus though. That's the difference. He sometimes picked grafters towards the end of his career but even then he got them to bomb forward.
Fergie was a proper attacking manager. Jose is a defensive one.
And that wont be impressive too.I think we'll win against our rivals at least one game. No need to panic.
I love Jose but he can do one after today. He can make us pragmatic all he wants, but against a team whose goalkeeper is very suspect, aren't in a great run of form and whose defence truly is struggling against mid table sides, to not even try to let us have a go is appalling. The players were extremely poor too and the passing was laughable, but there didn't even look like a plan for if we managed to get forward. Lukaku looked so isolated today it was frightening.
A point is an okay result at Liverpool. But I think if our attackers like martial and Lukaku had half as many attacking openings to go at Liverpools defence, as their attackers did, we'd have torn them apart.I love Jose but he can do one after today. He can make us pragmatic all he wants, but against a team whose goalkeeper is very suspect, aren't in a great run of form and whose defence truly is struggling against mid table sides, to not even try to let us have a go is appalling. The players were extremely poor too and the passing was laughable, but there didn't even look like a plan for if we managed to get forward. Lukaku looked so isolated today it was frightening.
And?And? If anything that should go in the negative column for Fergie. It's weird how people use everything Fergie did as some sort of example to follow. For the record, I do think Fergie is the greatest manager of all time but that was not because he was perfect. It is because his pluses vastly outweighed his minuses.
Creating one chance is the bare minimum really.Oh please.
If Lukaku takes his chance, we come away from Anfield with three points and Mourinho is lauded for his ‘tactical display.’
It's not that strong. It may make them favorites but we definitely have a chance to win the league this season.Was fecking rubbish tactics but I wasn't nearly as confident coming into the game as others on here. Liverpool are always very dangerous, especially at Anfield. Form etc. means feck all when it comes to this game. Not the best result when it comes to the title race, but I don't think we have a chance anyway. City's squad is just far too strong.
So you think part of Fergie's grand plan was to go out and lose to his rivals? You think that was part of his formula for success? According to Neville only last week, nothing made him angrier than losing to his rivals. Our record against them was something to criticize Fergie for, even he would criticize his team for instead of use it in some twisted logic about the way for success.And?
And?
People are using Fergusons name in this thread to try and hammer Jose with it. "Fergie wouldn't have done that!" they write. Well, I'm giving straight examples of where he DID do exactly that.
