Think it's half of his cup final have gone to extra time too. He drags teams into deep water with his defensive tactics sponging up their attacking pressure while we conserve energy then hit them on the break or with a set piece.
I'm ludicrously confident he has a plan for the predictably attacking Ajax side that are great to watch for the neutral but also very tactically naive and exposed. If it takes bringing them to extra time then we'll be ready.
One major X-Factor in this upcoming EL Cup final game is Jose Mourinho.
It is a lot easier beating Jose at the semi final stage because his whole career has shown that once he gets his team to the final, he hardly ever loses no matter which team he meets. I don't think this is a coincidence. A final game plays right into four of the most outstanding features of Mourinho:
- His knack for very detailed preparation
- His low risk approach to big games
- His sense for the big ocassion
- His insatiable desire to win silverware
I think he has won about 11 out of 12 cup finals or some insane record like that.
The problem this time around is that this period is all still part of a bad patch in his career. He has been hit hard and has lost more games in the last 18 months than he has in his entire career. He has looked unsure at times and he certainly doesn't seem to have a lot of confidence in his team hence the ultra conservative approach even against 'smaller' teams in the last few months.
Basically, if there is a best time to meet Jose in a cup final, it's now. United was just about fortunate against Southampton.
The question is: is this Jose's come back period? If it is, Ajax should be very worried. If it is not, get ready for a very rough ride.