Jose Mourinho | 2017/18 Assessments | Poll Added

[Ace of Spades]

Yeah I think Mourinho is obviously a very good manager, but it is hard to complain on the player when you look at the players Mourinho rejected. I think he is getting outdated with his lack of coaching attacking football in terms of movement, moves and ways to open up space.

He did let Salah and Kevin De bruyne go from Chelsea didn't he and also Lukaku. I thought it was very weird at the time as I thought Chelsea had a nice set of players for the future.

They might not have suited his style, but that defensive style is also a big problem for him in the big games these days.

If you give him Salah and De Bruyne we would still look the same or even worse maybe. He got the players he wanted as well. Maybe a winger over Martial would make us better, but it would be the same tactics and no revolution in the way we play.

Exactly, we do have some really talented players, it is just about getting the right balance and coaching to get the best out of them. Unfortunately, not sure if Jose is able to do that.

 

[Pyroblazer]

@Ace of Spades
Don't be silly, mate. Pep is only good because of unlimited money he has to spend.


I've heard this a lot and it's a complete 180 (feck, even a 360) to what people were saying about Van Gaal. The complaint then was that he didn't give the players enough freedom, that he shouldn't be coaching the attack. It's complete fickle, whimsical bullshit from the fans.

Why? LvG gave the attackers not enough freedom, they get that under Jose but without any game plan on the attacking side either. The solution is somewhere in the middle, give the attackers enough freedom, but still have a idea in mind how you want to get the ball forward. When I watch what Henry said about Pep's coaching, it seems like he has an untouchable plan how the players have to bring the ball forward to the penalty area and how they position themself and move around, but they can do what they want once they are there. Jose doesn't have a plan how to bring the ball forward at all, we are solid and organized at the back but then the players are just expect to do something when they get the ball lacking any movement and positioning to make it much easier and lacking any pressing to get the ball faster in areas further up the pitch.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

We were poor today but the reaction here is odd considering the outbreak after the Pogba red last week - which was then followed by the "doomed" nature of the forum over the past 7 days. I look at our team and I really think we're not good enough, in fact, I'd sort of wish Valencia and Young would stop putting in the effort and trying really hard here and there as they're simply papering over cracks. It's nice to see that they both play with passion and fire, but they're incredibly limited in what they offer both defensively and offensively. Valencia's positioning is still awful and he always seems to be playing attackers onside when everyone else steps up. Young... we saw what a left back should offer when Shaw played on Tuesday and well Ashley just doesn't do that.

At the start of the season we added Matic, who was good today, to a blossoming midfield comprising a world class Pogba, POTY in Herrera and a revitalised Fellaini. I don't think Mourinho could have imagined Fellaini to be constantly injured, Pogba to miss so many games and Herrera to forget how to play football. These three have hurt us so much this season in more than one and very different ways. I'd like to think that if you took De Bruyne out of City's team, they wouldn't be as effective, yes still better than us and the league, but they'd miss an incredibly good player. Same works for us and Pogba, you take him out and you're left with a team not capable of linking defense and attack but that isn't all that he offers. The assist for Lingard last week was another of his strengths, his bombarding runs from midfield, his physicality and ability to play when under pressure. Missing him is just one issue, we have no one as a replacement but you can't really replace an £89m player, can you?

As for the attackers, this is an issue is so many ways. You can see why we went with the XI that started, we wanted Martial and Rashford to have a go at their fullbacks, but when neither sees much of the ball, they're unable to create much. Lingard plays on merit of his last few performances and Lukaku is the main striker. I don't think we had many options to choose from in terms of formations, it had to be a 4-3-3 or so form of it - looked like a 4-2-1-3 with Lingard hovering behind the front three. But, many here agreed that we'd approach the big games with a 3 man midfield which we're unable to do so due to the lack of options. City played with 5 or 6 fecking midfielders and completely controlled the game. Mourinho got it wrong today, he should have sacrificed Rashford and played a 3-5-2 with more license for the front men. Another issue is the link up between fullback and winger, its fecking awful. I can't remember the last time we have constant overlapping full backs. I'll always look back to the game against City in 2014 and how Valencia/Mata and Young/Blind performed on their respective and contributed heavily in the 4-2 win.

There's a few issues for Mourinho to sort, left back and right back are playing out of their minds currently but need to be replaced. Neither are good enough. As much as I hate to say, I don't think Herrera is good enough, I have no idea how and why he regressed so much in just a few months but he is central to how bad we have been. Where the hell has the guy gone who bullied Chelsea out of the park in April...? As for Mourinho, he's really improved us but he falls into his shell when Pogba isn't available, part of me feels that it is justified given the difference he makes. It'd have been a different story if Pogba was available... it's a real shame he wasn't. You feel as if the hate brigade will be out till Jan or Feb as we don't play any top opposition till then.

 

[Zoo]

Gary Neville said it, string four or five passes together and we’d hurt them. The approach was all wrong in the first half.

 

[coventry red]

Need to buy at least another playmaker and a winger in January and not limit the search to players over 6"1.
Anything less than 2nd and CL quarter final is a terrible season given the investment.

 

[MJJ]

Go look at the threads in preseason. People were gutted with the transfer activity City were making. They thought we'd be close to them but that they'd win the title. Any other season we would have been close to them.

With some more attacking intent this season we would be close to them. We have faced sides who are there for the taking and haven't attacked them.

 

[Womp]

If you remember we played this same style of football against every better opposition so far under Mourinho.

No, we are more proactive with Pogba. All 3 of our goals against Arsenal were goals played on the ground with quick, intricate passing. We were able to do that as Pogba allowed us to get into those areas with his ability to dominate the midfield.

We do hoofball at times, more so than other teams, but all teams hoofball at times. As I said, how many times did Walker punt the ball up field this game?

Without Pogba we are simply shite and what makes it worse is we don't have another player who can do that playmaking role.

 

[prath92]

Where to start. Complained LVG left him a terrible unbalanced squad, yet he's done nothing to fix that. Basically we played with 3 strikers up front with 2 of them asked to play as wingbacks, a less talented park ji-sung, 2 defensive midfielders, and a back 4 with FB's who can't overlap and cross. And then the genius substitution move was to take our only link to midfield off, and play with 4 strikers hoofing the ball. I get that he wants to play on the counter, but if we don't have anyone like Mkhi, Mata, Pogba linking up the play you end up with the garbage we saw today. All that's left then is long ball football

If we are going to play this way might as well get Big Sam, because he for one actually knows how to play long ball. Basically all Mourinho does is organize his team defensively, and then hope Pogba and Co. can make something happen. If it doesn't well then i'm just going single out a player leave him out of the team, until he's willing to run around like a maniac.

Oversimplification, but craziness is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. We watched this same crap football last year. From squad building, to man management, to tactics. Just so poor. I don't blame any player for this loss because it just looked like a bunch of pieces were thrown on to the field. Mourinho has officially sunk worse than LVG in my opinion. At least LVG had a philosophy, as shitty as it was. Mourinho just seems lost and conflicted. When its only the individual talent that's winning you games, you have to question what value your manager brings to the table?

What a stupid post. I don’t even know where to begin.

 

[Saad138]

I have a feeling if he doesn't win a major trophy this season, Mourinho's going to be sacked at the end of it.

 

[Kush]

We're poor in possession, because Jose bypasses possession in big games. He goes direct as he can to bypass the midfield.

Look at what Napoli did to City a while back during the 1st half in Naples. You don't need Xavi-Iniesta-Messi to be able to keep the ball.

Napoli’s team is literred with small nimble players who can dribble through the press, we don’t have the same luxury.

Well he coaches them. It's what he's paid for but seemingly this is given a complete by-ball by some of our supporters.

This isn't a new thing with Mourinho - we've played like this before against Liverpool and Chelsea as examples (this season, I'll not even go into last season). City just put a real amplifier on it.

I was talking about composure in pressure situations, not ability to pass the ball. I’m sure our CBs and mids do fine in passing drills in training but they can’t execute that in matches. Ignore today’s match, why were we making hash of clearances against Arsenal? Why were we unable to hold the ball and kept panicking even though we had Pogba in the XI? It can’t be just instructions from the manager.

Look I’ll be first to admit our attacking patterns as in off the ball running leaves a lot to be desired which makes it difficult to create chances but there is no excuse for bunch of pro footballers to toss the ball like grenade under slightest bit of pressure.

Our main problem in all those matches which you’ve discussed stems from midfield, we’ve lost midfield battle in each and every game hence why we’ve looked so limp. This can only be sorted by buying better quality or changing formation to add another body.

 

[dichinero]

I'm not trying to deflect away from the point difference. City are storming away, fair play to them. 2 points dropped out of 48 is ridiculous. Never even been done before, it's so good. Look at other big teams across Europe. Juventus 38 points from 16 games. Bayern 35 points from 15 games. Madrid 31 points from 15 games. They would all be miles behind in their leagues too if they were up against a team crushing it like City are.

We could finish this season with more points than a Utd side has ever collected in the league before, and still end up 20 behind City. Would you still call that a failure and demand a managerial change?

In my opinion, that would be a massive failure. No one really cares about these kinds of records if it never produces anything fruitful and neither has it saved any manager from his job.

As awesome as the points tally sounds, it is only worth talking about if this was 10 years ago. The reality? We are 11+1 points behind now.

Same like last season when we had some somewhat impressive run for months, the result was us still being 6th in that run, nothing changed. And if we lost the EL, it would not be surprising if his position as manager was questioned.

We have an amazing run at home. The reality is that we are as close to Leicester City in 8th as we are as close to City in 1st position.

Runs and records are great, if we don't want talk about what's on ground now.

I do appreciate that you're trying putting to put a positive spin on this but I just don't share that sentiment right now.

 

[notcool]

Why? LvG gave the attackers not enough freedom, they get that under Jose but without any game plan on the attacking side either. The solution is somewhere in the middle, give the attackers enough freedom, but still have a idea in mind how you want to get the ball forward. When I watch what Henry said about Pep's coaching, it seems like he has an untouchable plan how the players have to bring the ball forward to the penalty area and how they position themself and move around, but they can do what they want once they are there. Jose doesn't have a plan how to bring the ball forward at all, we are solid and organized at the back but then the players are just expect to do something when they get the ball lacking any movement and positioning to make it much easier and lacking any pressing to get the ball faster in areas further up the pitch.

Because plan and freedom are the antithesis of each other. And people weren't saying not enough freedom, they were saying freedom simply. Their solution was for Van Gaal to tell the players: there's the ball, lads - do whatever you think best.

 

[Zoo]

Spot on.

 

[Richrip]

Obviously everybody is a bit gutted after today’s loss but remember no team has a god given right to win the league......

We’ve regularly finished outside of the top 4 the last 4 seasons had 3 different mangers and a massive turnover of players....... basically we’ve become a bit of a laughing stock ( we even signed a former player for almost 90m pounds)

We are currently second admittedly a long way of City both in terms of points and squad development, unfortunately there’s no quick fix but there most definitely has been progress.......

Jose is never going to play Possession football the way guardiola does and credit to Pep for being able to get his instructions over to his players so well.

One of the big problems we face from City and it was the same with Madrid/ Barca is they seem to be everybodies favourite....... playing beautiful football while Utd and Jose kill the game.....We are everything that’s wrong with football......

Look at the Liverpool game today. In my opinion a harsh penalty...... I’ll tell you this...... if that was Kompany not Lovren that’s never a penalty.......
Flip it round. Kompany on Vardy a few weeks ago.......if that’s Lovren off he goes all day long.

Sorry if it sound like sour grapes but

City have an amazing ability to make fouls which breaks the counter attack up time and time again...... refs don’t see it...... because it’s flair players Silva, Sterling, sane, Aguero...... Like I say Barca were very similar. Where as Matic, Fellaini Pogba are all big strong guys/ aka thugs. The Pogba red wouldn’t it have been a red if it was De Bryne who made the challenge.

City are proving a great side with a character to match as much as it hurts you have to applaud them and Pep.

Comparing Pep to Jose .

Pep inherited a better side and has spent slightly more and is still has a better side. Jose has won more though!

Befire asseaing Jose remember where we’ve been these last few years and we’re we are now........ I think we are doing ok...... could always be better though. The Hull and Stoke games stand out!!!

To sum it up I feel we are one top creative player from really competing with them. Much like when SAF signed Cantona we need that player to come in and lift everybody.......Hazard would be the one playing form the right (not gonna happen) Bale worth the risk? Probably not but Cantina was a risk!

Sorry for the ramblings........ despite all the obvious disappointment just remember Rome wasn’t built in a day!

 

[Footyislife]

Obviously everybody is a bit gutted after today’s loss but remember no team has a god given right to win the league......

We’ve regularly finished outside of the top 4 the last 4 seasons had 3 different mangers and a massive turnover of players....... basically we’ve become a bit of a laughing stock ( we even signed a former player for almost 90m pounds)

...

Sorry for the ramblings........ despite all the obvious disappointment just remember Rome wasn’t built in a day!

If we are working towards building Rome, then i don't think we even know where Rome is at the moment.

 

[bosnian_red]

Spot on.

Yep. Mourinho has turned into a bit of a coward for big games. He went defensive before, sure, but with us he pretty much goes with no game plan in possession until we start losing.

 

[Hed Zitin]

Coward football against these top sides cannot continue. It's disgusting to watch.

 

[Ishdalar]

Yeah I guess we all know he is defensive, but maybe it feels even more so when we got him as a manager.

Probably not even that, the way everyone feels about Mourinho is 100% result based, he wins and he's a god, he loses and he's a dull/defensive manager.

For example, today was an awful game, but still it's just 1-2, had Lukaku been better in two actions (2nd goal clearance and his last chance) then you have a 2-1 and suddenly, with the same game in mind, people would be praising him for beating City without Pogba and being the ultimate manager able to beat anyone as an underdog.

He coaches for odds, it's always going to feel worse when you lose because it leaves you with that sensation of "we should've tried more" at the end, but after more than 10 years he won't change and everyone should have his style as a coach framed by now.

 

[Ludens the Red]

We were poor today but the reaction here is odd considering the outbreak after the Pogba red last week - which was then followed by the "doomed" nature of the forum over the past 7 days. I look at our team and I really think we're not good enough, in fact, I'd sort of wish Valencia and Young would stop putting in the effort and trying really hard here and there as they're simply papering over cracks. It's nice to see that they both play with passion and fire, but they're incredibly limited in what they offer both defensively and offensively. Valencia's positioning is still awful and he always seems to be playing attackers onside when everyone else steps up. Young... we saw what a left back should offer when Shaw played on Tuesday and well Ashley just doesn't do that.

At the start of the season we added Matic, who was good today, to a blossoming midfield comprising a world class Pogba, POTY in Herrera and a revitalised Fellaini. I don't think Mourinho could have imagined Fellaini to be constantly injured, Pogba to miss so many games and Herrera to forget how to play football. These three have hurt us so much this season in more than one and very different ways. I'd like to think that if you took De Bruyne out of City's team, they wouldn't be as effective, yes still better than us and the league, but they'd miss an incredibly good player. Same works for us and Pogba, you take him out and you're left with a team not capable of linking defense and attack but that isn't all that he offers. The assist for Lingard last week was another of his strengths, his bombarding runs from midfield, his physicality and ability to play when under pressure. Missing him is just one issue, we have no one as a replacement but you can't really replace an £89m player, can you?

As for the attackers, this is an issue is so many ways. You can see why we went with the XI that started, we wanted Martial and Rashford to have a go at their fullbacks, but when neither sees much of the ball, they're unable to create much. Lingard plays on merit of his last few performances and Lukaku is the main striker. I don't think we had many options to choose from in terms of formations, it had to be a 4-3-3 or so form of it - looked like a 4-2-1-3 with Lingard hovering behind the front three. But, many here agreed that we'd approach the big games with a 3 man midfield which we're unable to do so due to the lack of options. City played with 5 or 6 fecking midfielders and completely controlled the game. Mourinho got it wrong today, he should have sacrificed Rashford and played a 3-5-2 with more license for the front men. Another issue is the link up between fullback and winger, its fecking awful. I can't remember the last time we have constant overlapping full backs. I'll always look back to the game against City in 2014 and how Valencia/Mata and Young/Blind performed on their respective and contributed heavily in the 4-2 win.

There's a few issues for Mourinho to sort, left back and right back are playing out of their minds currently but need to be replaced. Neither are good enough. As much as I hate to say, I don't think Herrera is good enough, I have no idea how and why he regressed so much in just a few months but he is central to how bad we have been. Where the hell has the guy gone who bullied Chelsea out of the park in April...? As for Mourinho, he's really improved us but he falls into his shell when Pogba isn't available, part of me feels that it is justified given the difference he makes. It'd have been a different story if Pogba was available... it's a real shame he wasn't. You feel as if the hate brigade will be out till Jan or Feb as we don't play any top opposition till then.

This, I've felt this for a long time. Because the pair of them are so professional and work so hard it masks the actual fact none are specialist full backs. In fact they're both failed wingers, I do think we have a more pressing need for a MF to play alongside Pogba and Matic and a left footed winger but we should also seriously start looking at our wing backs. City spent 100 million on FB's in the summer, they're hugely important, we need to stop just shoving players there because they work hard.

 

[Womp]

Probably not even that, the way everyone feels about Mourinho is 100% result based, he wins and he's a god, he loses and he's a dull/defensive manager.

For example, today was an awful game, but still it's just 1-2, had Lukaku been better in two actions (2nd goal clearance and his last chance) then you have a 2-1 and suddenly, with the same game in mind, people would be praising him for beating City without Pogba and being the ultimate manager able to beat anyone as an underdog.

He coaches for odds, it's always going to feel worse when you lose because it leaves you with that sensation of "we should've tried more" at the end, but after more than 10 years he won't change and everyone should have his style as a coach framed by now.

This is actually a very good assessment.

 

[Pyroblazer]

Yep. Mourinho has turned into a bit of a coward for big games. He went defensive before, sure, but with us he pretty much goes with no game plan in possession until we start losing.

Yeah it got worse over the years. A lot of people always remember the second Barca - Inter leg, but forget the fact that Inter played fantastic in the first leg and beat Barca fully deserved 3-1, that was the game which brought them into the final, not the second leg. Today he would play like he did in the second leg for 180 minutes and go out. He did it already in his second Chelsea stint and got punished against PSG with 10 men and Atletico (who are pragmatic too but Simeone was the one who decided to attack away from home and won it 3-1).

 

[Fracture90]

No, we are more proactive with Pogba. All 3 of our goals against Arsenal were goals played on the ground with quick, intricate passing. We were able to do that as Pogba allowed us to get into those areas with his ability to dominate the midfield.

We do hoofball at times, more so than other teams, but all teams hoofball at times. As I said, how many times did Walker punt the ball up field this game?

Without Pogba we are simply shite and what makes it worse is we don't have another player who can do that playmaking role.

Stop deluding yourself mate, even with Pogba in team we played the same way on many occasions.

 

[Witchking]

So you're answer it to try and outplay City at their game and go against how United have player for the past 2 years? Jose will never have his teams play like Pep. We all knew that when he was hired, don't expect something different now. Also City dominated the midfield but hardly created any real chances. So he obviously knew how to control city. We had our chances and didn't finish, and of story. Thats not on the manager it's on the players.

Jose's style is to defend the whole game and then on an counter score a goal and shut shop. Unless you are Messi, scoring with just a shot on goal against the big teams is not always possible especially if you do not even have the ball 80% of the time and then coming out and saying we had a chance and did not score is ridiculous.

You need you create chances, you will not be able to put away 1 chance per game all the time and if you sit back against the big teams you are only going to get chances to score based on the mistakes made by the opposition and not on your strength. Big teams will kill you like City have and it sucks to see City having the upper hand over United due to Jose's idiotic bus parking at home.

 

[Canagel]

I can't really blame the manager for the result today. Man City are a better footballing team than United. They completely outplayed us and fully deserved to win. It doesn't matter what tactics we deployed. If we'd come out and attacked they would've killed us on the break. We played with fear and zero personality on the pitch and that is what I can't accept. If you go down then you go down fighting not like a bunch of pussies. What Mourinho should be blamed for is entering the season without a quality backup for Pogba or spend 75 million on Lukaku when it was clear there were better options out there.

 

[Womp]

Stop deluding yourself mate, even with Pogba in team we played the same way on many occasions.

Are you daft pal? I literally gave you an example of the last fecking league game we played, where we scored 3 goals, not one coming from hoofball, all being played along the ground and yet you're still recycling the same rubbish you've been saying.

Fact of the matter is with Pogba in the team, we are more proactive. We've played one top side all season with Pogba and and four without him. All four without him have been about the same, defensive football with hoofballing whereas the one we played against Arsenal with him, we scored 3, none of which were the results of hoofball but quick, intricate passing. Really isn't rocket sience mate.

 

[Paxi]

Where to start. Complained LVG left him a terrible unbalanced squad, yet he's done nothing to fix that. Basically we played with 3 strikers up front with 2 of them asked to play as wingbacks, a less talented park ji-sung, 2 defensive midfielders, and a back 4 with FB's who can't overlap and cross. And then the genius substitution move was to take our only link to midfield off, and play with 4 strikers hoofing the ball. I get that he wants to play on the counter, but if we don't have anyone like Mkhi, Mata, Pogba linking up the play you end up with the garbage we saw today. All that's left then is long ball football

If we are going to play this way might as well get Big Sam, because he for one actually knows how to play long ball. Basically all Mourinho does is organize his team defensively, and then hope Pogba and Co. can make something happen. If it doesn't well then i'm just going single out a player leave him out of the team, until he's willing to run around like a maniac.

Oversimplification, but craziness is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. We watched this same crap football last year. From squad building, to man management, to tactics. Just so poor. I don't blame any player for this loss because it just looked like a bunch of pieces were thrown on to the field. Mourinho has officially sunk worse than LVG in my opinion. At least LVG had a philosophy, as shitty as it was. Mourinho just seems lost and conflicted. When its only the individual talent that's winning you games, you have to question what value your manager brings to the table?

agreed.

 

[Witchking]

Stop deluding yourself mate, even with Pogba in team we played the same way on many occasions.

Exactly as seen last season where Pogba was happy to not lose against Liverpool at home. The mentality at this club now is not to lose before thinking of a win and that is what is hampering this club. Talented players like Martial are playing second fiddle to a limited striker and are expected to keep tracking back instead of taking players on.

 

[Ludens the Red]

Probably not even that, the way everyone feels about Mourinho is 100% result based, he wins and he's a god, he loses and he's a dull/defensive manager.

For example, today was an awful game, but still it's just 1-2, had Lukaku been better in two actions (2nd goal clearance and his last chance) then you have a 2-1 and suddenly, with the same game in mind, people would be praising him for beating City without Pogba and being the ultimate manager able to beat anyone as an underdog.

He coaches for odds, it's always going to feel worse when you lose because it leaves you with that sensation of "we should've tried more" at the end, but after more than 10 years he won't change and everyone should have his style as a coach framed by now.

So true, the fact only seven days ago we went into a big game with almost identical counter/defensive tactics as today and played superbly well on the counter seems to have been erased from memory by a lot on here purely because today it was a bad result. I don't know, do people think Mourinho today deliberately instructed the players to pass the ball badly or to get rid of it as soon as possible? Do people think he said to the players "You know all that good counter attacking football you did at Arsenal last week, how about you not do that today?". People sees things way too black and white at times.

 

[Fracture90]

Are you daft pal? I literally gave you an example of the last fecking league game we played, where we scored 3 goals, not one coming from hoofball, all being played along the ground and yet you're still recycling the same rubbish you've been saying.

Fact of the matter is with Pogba in the team, we are more proactive.

Thing is that's just one example when having Pogba in a big game led to a favourable result.

What about other instances when we had him in team and still played poorly like today?

EDIT: the only example.

 

[Fracture90]

Exactly as seen last season where Pogba was happy to not lose against Liverpool at home. The mentality at this club now is not to lose before thinking of a win and that is what is hampering this club. Talented players like Martial are playing second fiddle to a limited striker and are expected to keep tracking back instead of taking players on.

Sad but true. Walker was on a yellow from 3rd minute yet Martial was playing on the right and we did not even try to attack City and put some pressure on Walker.

 

[Kraftwerker]

Probably not even that, the way everyone feels about Mourinho is 100% result based, he wins and he's a god, he loses and he's a dull/defensive manager.

For example, today was an awful game, but still it's just 1-2, had Lukaku been better in two actions (2nd goal clearance and his last chance) then you have a 2-1 and suddenly, with the same game in mind, people would be praising him for beating City without Pogba and being the ultimate manager able to beat anyone as an underdog.

He coaches for odds, it's always going to feel worse when you lose because it leaves you with that sensation of "we should've tried more" at the end, but after more than 10 years he won't change and everyone should have his style as a coach framed by now.

Spot on.

 

[Womp]

Thing is that's just one example when having Pogba in a big game led to a favourable result.

What about other instances when we had him in team and still played poorly like today?

EDIT: the only example.

Pogba wasn't in the team today, for starters. Secondly he played one game all season against a top side - Arsenal, we won it 3-1 and didn't score a single goal from hoofball. Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and City were all played without him and were all dour hoofballing. Not hard to see a pattern developing. We play better football and look more threatening with Pogba. We are simply shit without him.

 

[gavdim2002]

In my 40+ years as fan, today is one of the few days with me being embarrassed by our game and attitude – I never thought I would experience us being plain and simple IN FEAR of City – what have we become, José?

 

[snk123]

Mourinho has always and will always play counter attacking football against a top side with a possession football style. The sooner you lot realize it the better. We are going to win some like the Arsenal game and Chelsea last season and lose some like this game. Get over it ffs. Simeone does it as well - SAF did it numerous times

 

[Fracture90]

Pogba wasn't in the team today, for starters. Secondly he played one game all season against a top side - Arsenal, we won it 3-1 and didn't score a single goal from hoofball. Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and City were all played without him and were all dour hoofballing. Not hard to see a pattern developing. We play better football and look more threatening with Pogba. We are simply shit without him.

So you just gonna conveniently ignore the last season when we had Pogba in team but still played cowardly and just hoofed the ball upfront?

 

[broccoli]

Not sure what you guys expected. First half was dire yes but with no options in midfield you might as well accept that you won't have possession.

The main problem is that United has no midfield or attacking options, simple as that. Today City had luck on their side

 

[Fracture90]

Mourinho has always and will always play counter attacking football against a top side with a possession football style. The sooner you lot realize it the better. We are going to win some like the Arsenal game and Chelsea last season and lose some like this game. Get over it ffs. Simeone does it as well - SAF did it numerous times

Think majority of us is aware of that but that doesn't mean we have to be OK with it.

 

[gavdim2002]

Mourinho has always and will always play counter attacking football against a top side with a possession football style. The sooner you lot realize it the better. We are going to win some like the Arsenal game and Chelsea last season and lose some like this game. Get over it ffs. Simeone does it as well - SAF did it numerous times

Simeone is in fear of nobody - he is just get the best out of his players, that's all. We are IN FEAR of Manchester City and José is not getting the best out of his players.

 

[Womp]

So you just gonna conveniently ignore the last season when we had Pogba in team but still played cowardly and just hoofed the ball upfront?

Don't know why we'd focus on last season when we are a different side. We have Matic who has improved us immensely, not to add Pogba has settled and has played a bigger role and been more influential this season.

What we played last season doesn't concern me. Just like City winning feck all and looking toothless at times last season doesn't concern me either. It's a new season and both teams have improved and using this season as a metric considering you know, we're half way through now, the evidence suggests without Pogba we just can't play football.

 

[spontaneus1]

In my 40+ years as fan, today is one of the few days with me being embarrassed by our game and attitude – I never thought I would experience us being plain and simple IN FEAR of City – what have we become, José?

Has been the same for many years now. Even going back to Saf it was always back against the walls vs them.