Jose Mourinho | 2017/18 Assessments | Poll Added

Your stance

  • Top manager in charge of a major rebuild. Needs more time and/or money.

    Votes: 684 43.8%

  • Made improvements but we've stagnated. Sack him if we drop out of top 4

    Votes: 377 24.1%

  • He's not the right fit. Sack him and get someone else who can get more out of our squad

    Votes: 502 32.1%
  • Total voters
    1,563
  • Poll closed .
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I'm surprised that people expect Jose to adapt a more attacking or counter attacking role in away games against big teams. He has an established approach in such games in the form of a 'win, only if we must ' plan.

He won't change now, I have really enjoyed what we have seen this season and hope for more of the same. Except games of this nature where we play city, spurs, Chelsea or pool away.
 
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Varun said:
It'd be a tad weird to hire a guy who's done this his entire career in away games vs rivals and then brand it unacceptable when he does it here.
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To be fair the fans didn't hire him.
 
Appalling tactics yesterday. Extremely defensive with no interest/effort to score a goal. I would've taken a draw coming into the game but not in the manner we did. We were bossed around like a mid table team and it's completely down to the manager. He set the team up too defensively with the wrong players in important positions. I see some people making excuses for him saying we're missing important players in Pogba and Fellaini; I thought we had one of if not the deepest squad in the league? It's not like Liverpool weren't without some of their best players as well. Anyway, I hope it's a one off and not something that will carry on to other big games.
 
Varun said:
It'd be a tad weird to hire a guy who's done this his entire career in away games vs rivals and then brand it unacceptable when he does it here.
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Not as weird as the people who were calling him out for it when he was Chelsea manager but lapping it up now he's here
 
amolbhatia50k said:
To be fair the fans didn't hire him.
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I wasn't responding to the criticism here on caf. It was in response to the guy above who said Utd should make it clear that its not acceptable so I'm guessing he's talking about the club owners, Woodward etc.
 
In these circumstances of playing without the injured players, the international break and Liverpool knack of beating the big teams. A question for all the moaners, would you be happier if we went and played our regular good football displayed up till now and probably lose, or taking this more cautious approach and take the point?
 
Leroy The Red said:
Should be some context there. Firstly the Spurs and Arsenal away games we basically had other priorities, rested players and were more concerned with staying injury free. On the face of it 0-0 draws at Anfield and Etihad are fantastic results. Chelsea was bad but we conceded after 17 seconds so we don't really know how the team would have approached the game. In the FA Cup game we were actually playing quite well until the referee decided he needed to hand Chelsea the win.
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You're right to put the games into context. I'm disappointed in our approach today, but as I said in my earlier post it's more so the worry that he'll adopt the approach vs the other top teams that today's performance in isolation. It remains to be seen just what he does. Injury crisis aside, IMHO there's only 2 more fixtures in which Jose can reasonably justify the bus and they are at Stamford Bridge, and at the Etihad. At OT surely it has be United who impose themselves onto the opposition - even City and Liverpool. Last season I didn't mind parking the bus at home against any team, but this season is a different matter.
 
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Kostov said:
In these circumstances of playing without the injured players, the international break and Liverpool knack of beating the big teams. A question for all the moaners, would you be happier if we went and played our regular good football displayed up till now and probably lose, or taking this more cautious approach and take the point?
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I don't doubt that the international break affects our momentum, but did Liverpool not also have an international break too? Many of their players featured for their respective teams. Liverpool were also missing arguably their most key player in Mane.

You say that if we played our football till now, we'd have probably lost as opposed to being cautious and taking a point. Probably lose, is your perspective on it. The reality is that we'll never know what would've happened if we played as we have been doing this season. What did happen is that we played cautiously, yet that very approach could've easily cost us had Liverpool taken their chances, a couple of which were sitters. In this fixture last season, I thought Jose genuinely delivered a masterclass and nullified Liverpool. This time however I felt we rode our luck more, and Liverpool definitely have a case for 2 dropped points. Of course we ended up getting a precious point, but in no way we were comfortable defending that game this time around.
 
Thought after he left Madrid that they broke his swagger and hurt his ego big time. And predicted on here that his second stint and Chelsea won't be as successful as the first. He won a title with Chelsea but the league wasn't competitive at all. No wonder that Leicester won it next season.

His tactics looks a bit dinosaurish against big teams: the team struggles with possession and looks less mobile and quick than the opposition. If he wins something big this season it will be with a lot of luck a la Di Matteo's Chelsea 2012.
 
Kostov said:
In these circumstances of playing without the injured players, the international break and Liverpool knack of beating the big teams. A question for all the moaners, would you be happier if we went and played our regular good football displayed up till now and probably lose, or taking this more cautious approach and take the point?
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Your question just shows that you dont even know with what people (you call them moaners) have issue with regarding yesterday game vs Liverpool.
 
Treble said:
Thought after he left Madrid that they broke his swagger and hurt his ego big time. And predicted on here that his second stint and Chelsea won't be as successful as the first. He won a title with Chelsea but the league wasn't competitive at all. No wonder that Leicester won it next season.

His tactics looks a bit dinosaurish against big teams: the team struggles with possession and looks less mobile and quick than the opposition. If he wins something big this season it will be with a lot of luck a la Chelsea 2012.
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I'm not having that. We effectively sold our soul to get the man here, so the idea he's not the trophy hoovering monster he's been at some points in his career is to horrible for me to contemplate. We won some trophies last year despite a disastrous league campaign, I'm sure we'll be up there this year.
 
Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber said:
He needs to be counter attacking away from home vs rivals. Not just defensive.
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Not sure how you can counterattack when your players are losing every 50/50, and can’t hold the ball for more than 3 passes.

The one passage of play when our players showed some composure and ability to pass, we worked the keeper and probably should have scored.

Of course Mourinho’s approach to big away games is cautious, but his teams will nearly always create chances nonetheless. How that only happened once is down to the players in my view.
 
We lost the midfield battle as we only had two 6's who could play. They took control and we couldn't get any passing going due to their press and couldn't even bypass it due to no Fellaini. Think we lacked Mata and that affected Mhki but with Salah it would have been suicidal to play Mata on the right.

The Internationals ruined the game by injuring and tiring out many of both teams players. Internationals should only be in off season imo. Amazed that in the age of football Plc's that they allow internationals mid-season. Would have been a better game to watch if both sides were full strength--so we denied a rival an extra two points at their home and kept our unbeaten run, nothing wrong with that. Just hope we get some players back from injury.
 
Kraftwerker said:
Not sure how you can counterattack when your players are losing every 50/50, and can’t hold the ball for more than 3 passes.

The one passage of play when our players showed some composure and ability to pass, we worked the keeper and probably should have scored.

Of course Mourinho’s approach to big away games is cautious, but his teams will nearly always create chances nonetheless. How that only happened once is down to the players in my view.
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He's coachinng them for two years now. Poor excuse that.
 
Wumminator said:
I'm not having that. We effectively sold our soul to get the man here, so the idea he's not the trophy hoovering monster he's been at some points in his career is to horrible for me to contemplate. We won some trophies last year despite a disastrous league campaign, I'm sure we'll be up there this year.
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Post SAF, we had no bloody soul to speak of. Our identity now is Mourinho's tactics, some just have to get used to it and not vacillate after every good and bad match.

We can expect decent football against fodder and cautious football against top sides away. That's just how Jose is and there is nothing more to it.
 
Treble said:
He's coachinng them for two years now. Poor excuse that.
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Yep and we’ve seen evidence that it’s working given our fabulous start to the season and goal return.

All the more reason to be annoyed that yesterday they showed none of what’s made them great this season.

It can happen. It only takes a few key performers to shit the bed to turn the whole thing upside down. Combine a raft of sub-par performances with cautious tactics and you get yesterday.

It would be 10 times worse if it’d ended in defeat though.
 
Kraftwerker said:
Yep and we’ve seen evidence that it’s working given our fabulous start to the season and goal return.

All the more reason to be annoyed that yesterday they showed none of what’s made them great this season.

It can happen. It only takes a few key performers to shit the bed to turn the whole thing upside down. Combine a raft of sub-par performances with cautious tactics and you get yesterday.

It would be 10 times worse if it’d ended in defeat though.
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Hopefully they will look different against Spurs and play with more confidence.
 
I always worry about performances like yesterday having psychological harm to a teams confidence. The reaction of the players walking off kind of intimated that they knew they had been a bit shite - certainly against the expectations rightfully gained by our good start to the season. As so happens often in football, one poor, uninspired game can do a lot of collective damage.
 
togg said:
I always worry about performances like yesterday having psychological harm to a teams confidence. The reaction of the players walking off kind of intimated that they knew they had been a bit shite - certainly against the expectations rightfully gained by our good start to the season. As so happens often in football, one poor, uninspired game can do a lot of collective damage.
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We'll see what they're made of.
But it must be a bit depressing as a player for your manager telling you to park the bus against a team you're better than.
 
R'hllor said:
Your question just shows that you dont even know with what people (you call them moaners) have issue with regarding yesterday game vs Liverpool.
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How should I call people who all they do is complain and look for the negatives after a hard earned point away at Liverpool in this circumstances. The question is simple enough, if you don't find yourself in that group don't waste my time.
 
Hawks2008 said:
Not as weird as the people who were calling him out for it when he was Chelsea manager but lapping it up now he's here
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Heh

There are quite a few of those I’d guess

Either lapping it up or we hear, but fergie did it too at some stage in 25 years
 
Mou will set United up this way in all tough away games. It's what all opposition fans (including on here when he was at Chelsea) give hik flak for.

As long as he lifts a trophy in the end who cares.
 
Jose is probably my favourite person right now. He managed to piss off Mancs, Scousers and the neutral. 10/10 performance in this game.
 
I mean, I think his game plan could have worked if Mhki and Herrera weren't so shit, and Pogba was playing. We didn't hold the ball well enough to get ourselves up the pitch.

Really, the only proper chance Liverpool really had was the Matip one. I wasn't nervous about them scoring at all.
 
Go away at Anfield and come out with a draw without our best defender and midfielder.

Moan moan moan.
 
Hawks2008 said:
Not as weird as the people who were calling him out for it when he was Chelsea manager but lapping it up now he's here
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Randall Flagg said:
Heh

There are quite a few of those I’d guess

Either lapping it up or we hear, but fergie did it too at some stage in 25 years
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Football fans backing the manager of their football club. How weird.

You’d never have heard Fergie being criticised by fans of other clubs, would you?
 
GrandJury said:
Go away at Anfield and come out with a draw without our best defender and midfielder.

Moan moan moan.
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See this a lot. Merely staying the game was at Anfield seems to justify any tactic or result.

Anfield got it's rep because the team that played there was brilliant. That's obviously not the case anymore. So maybe it's time for a few to update their preconceptions?

Or don't and turn a fixture that used to be the most thrilling into the most boring.
 
Dobbs said:
See this a lot. Merely staying the game was at Anfield seems to justify any tactic or result.

Anfield got it's rep because the team that played there was brilliant. That's obviously not the case anymore. So maybe it's time for a few to update their preconceptions?

Or don't and turn a fixture that used to be the most thrilling into the most boring.
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Not sure if serious. Unless by “the most thrilling” you actually mean “a game where United usually play badly”
 
Dobbs said:
See this a lot. Merely staying the game was at Anfield seems to justify any tactic or result.

Anfield got it's rep because the team that played there was brilliant. That's obviously not the case anymore. So maybe it's time for a few to update their preconceptions?

Or don't and turn a fixture that used to be the most thrilling into the most boring.
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By the same logic people should really stop wanting United to play "The United Way", because that was an entirely different team in a different time, and instead be happy we have a manager focused on and looking able to go and get the results needed to win titles and trophies.

Would you prefer a yes man like we've had before doing what he's told and getting 8th place or worse, attracting nobody to the club
 
Dobbs said:
See this a lot. Merely staying the game was at Anfield seems to justify any tactic or result.

Anfield got it's rep because the team that played there was brilliant. That's obviously not the case anymore. So maybe it's time for a few to update their preconceptions?

Or don't and turn a fixture that used to be the most thrilling into the most boring.
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This. They also missed their best player and key midfielder.

And it's not like Dalglish & Co. Or Suarez and Gerrard are there now. This was the best time to beat them on their home turf. With or without Pogba.
 
There's a reason he's a top class manager and we're all not.

Would have loved to gone to Anfield and smashed them to try prove a point. But we didn't have a full strength team, Jose 'obviously' knew this. Away from home in a derby game, passion can get the better of you sometimes but he wasn't willing to take the risk. And honestly, I'm fine with it. It was all on Liverpool to get 3 points today, they didn't get it.

Their problem, not ours.
 
VP89 said:
This. They also missed their best player and key midfielder.

And it's not like Dalglish & Co. Or Suarez and Gerrard are there now. This was the best time to beat them on their home turf. With or without Pogba.
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We've lost to a lot worse Liverpool sides over the years. We would often get outplayed despite being the best side in the league. It's a tough ground to go to, regardless of form.

I mean just compare their front three yesterday to the likes of Babel, Riera, Kuyt and Keane.
 
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