L1nk
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Last 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
Thing is though, if they’re in a fluid 4-3-3 they seem to be able to do so. It’s almost invariably in this wretched 4-2-3-1 where they look so clueless. Problem is, the latter is Jose’s default formation.I do think it's becoming crystal clear that Mourinho just expects his attackers to 'sort it out' for themselves. So basically it's russian roulette every match.
Even more so when the one win came against the weakest of that lot. And especially when our goals tally is also shocking in such fixtures.Last 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
Van Gaal's ten away matches to the other 'top six' with United for sake of interest:Last 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
Yeah. My concern though is how much of it is instructed and how much of it is the players not being good enough on the ball. I think it's a bit of both and comes to a wider issue that it just doesn't feel like there's as much of an understanding in the team as you would expect. When you look at the other teams around us it feels like as teams they're on the same wavelength but that they have issues with individual players i.e. Arsenal/Liverpool with their defences. With us I just can't shake the feeling that whilst there are some problems with the players and injuries to some i.e. Bailly haven't helped, that we're still not quite getting as much out of our best players as we should be.Yep. Same issue we had against City with Rojo lumping the ball forward so much, that even if Lukaku wins the ball hes isolated and nobody gets the knock down. We need a defender who can get the ball and pass it forward to a midfielder and taking out an attackers press.
To defend Mourinho slightly the big teams are way stronger than they were when Van Gaal was in charge. That being said this was supposed to be a huge strength of his and we've generally been shit in these big games, even the win at the Emirates was a bit of a fluke.Van Gaal's ten away matches to the other 'top six' with United for sake of interest:
W: 4
D: 2
L: 4
Goals: 7
With a record like that against big clubs, who are we going to beat over two legs in the CL? Jose is a fraud.Last 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
It was that whingy little bitch Owen Hargreaves, you should know better.Heh. Paranoid is the last thing I am. Was led up the garden path by BT commentators. Gullible, if anything. The opposite of paranoid!
I expect us to be able to string 2 passes together and have some idea going forward.Every match away from home is tough. But we have five real tough ones. Arsenal, Spurs, City, Chelsea and Liverpool. You will simply not go to any of those sides and get an easy win. If you do win, you need a lot of luck. So expect more of it.
You get to play at home in the CL, which balances things out.With a record like that against big clubs, who are we going to beat over two legs in the CL? Jose is a fraud.
This is pretty much the crux of the matter. Individually we have a pretty great team bar the odd upgrades needed. The issue comes from how Mourinho is clearly coaching this squad, or lack thereof, it's no secret he doesn't seemingly coach his teams in an attacking sense but this seems to be a huge problem, the last 15 games away to the Top 6 in this league in all competitions is a staggering 1 win out of 15, 6 draws and 8 losses. I'm sick and tired of hearing 'well he clearly needs to put his stamp on the team', 'this isn't his team give him more money', 'he needs more time to get it right', the vast majority of managers work with what they have and upgrade what they have, and have done so in their first season or two, you can argue that yes, individually some players have clearly upped their game since he's got hold of them, but as a team I wouldn't say this is the case at all. Is it better than the Moyes/Van Gaal era? Yes, sure, not very difficult though is it? As far as i'm concerned, yes, we are second, but is that a reflection on how good we've been this season or just how poor everyone below City has been? It's the latter, i mean we can still conceivably end up 5th at this rate.Individually our team is up to standard and much better than say 3-4 years ago. In my opinion today's team individually also is better than the team Sir Alex left us with. The issue here is that we do not seem to have plan(s) coached into our players; hence they are running around as individual on a big pitch often agains well coached teams with a plan or two ...
That's what happens when you employ a has-been who insists on living in a HotelLast 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
Makes it all a bit difficult looking forward to these big games. Not only are the results abysmal we are also playing incredibly shit football in themLast 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
Sadly most can't see it and figure he's done some fantastic job cause he's invested heavily on the team, managed to win a couple of second rate trophies and is lying in second place a country mile away from the first placed team. Looking hopeless in the vast majority big games which is a big problem given we have 10 of them in a season. At this rate, how many of those 30 can we honestly expect to get each season when we either park the bus and hope for a draw or attack and get outplayed? Forget an actually cohesive team, when was the last time we saw this side play with great intensity? we seem to be outworked by each and every team.Forget the formations and the players, what exactly is our style of football. Its not attacking football, neither is it defensive football, players look ridiculously disjointed and that is down to the manager.
This is a problem that has been apparent for a while now, we manage to win games against worse teams simply because we have superior players, and that individual quality is enough most of those times. But anytime we come up against a half decent or top side we struggle, especially against the top sides. I can't remember the last time we dominated against a top side, every game is pretty much the same story, no matter the players or formation picked. We sometimes scrape results, but every single time without fail we are outclassed and out performed by a large margin.
We struggle to build play and string passes together, we have no cohesion to our play, our tempo is slow and tumescent. The players always look devoid of confidence and hesitate and eventually we resort to hoofing, and without Fellaini that never works. As if that's not bad enough, we don't even look defensively well drilled. Teams outplay us easily, and it is ridiculous at the ease of which they attack. We apply no pressure from the front, teams easily build from the back, with even their defenders push into midfield, where we are usually outnumbered because of their numbers. Pretty much every team manages to play through us, but it becomes very evident against a top side, and considering that this happens regardless of which personnel we choose and which formation we play, the finger can only be pointed at Mourinho.
People need to stop making excuses about Jose, Pogba is not great defensively, but he is not lazy. We see Prep managing to convert KDB into a CM, and he was a fully fledged AM. They have a midfield consisting of KDB and Fernandinho and Silva and it works, and that is not down to personnel but tactics.
We are reaching a point where Jose is running out of excuses for these abysmal performances. I am sure that in the next window we will buy even more players, but if our tactics and cohesion as a team don't improve, then I can't see great improvements in the future. Just buying better players is not going magically improve us and transform us into a top team.
Exactly, for all the talent we have, we really should be doing better. I am not really obsessed about the results, but if we are going to lose, then I at least want to see the team play decently well and put up a fight. I do not want us to be completely outclassed and humiliated in every big game.Sadly most can't see it and figure he's done some fantastic job cause he's invested heavily on the team, managed to win a couple of second rate trophies and is lying in second place a country mile away from the first placed team. Looking hopeless in the vast majority big games which is a big problem given we have 10 of them in a season. At this rate, how many of those 30 can we honestly expect to get each season when we either park the bus and hope for a draw or attack and get outplayed? Forget an actually cohesive team, when was the last time we saw this side play with great intensity? we seem to be outworked by each and every team.
Exactly just chucking more money to get more players won't solve anything, our problems start and end in the coaching room.Forget the formations and the players, what exactly is our style of football. Its not attacking football, neither is it defensive football, we look like a side that is incompetent at doing both those things. Players look extremely disjointed, and we just look clueless most of the time in these games and that is down to the manager.
This is a problem that has been apparent for a while now, we manage to win games against worse teams simply because we have superior players, and that individual quality is enough most of those times. But anytime we come up against a half decent or top side we struggle, especially against the top sides. I can't remember the last time we dominated a game against a top side, every game is pretty much the same story, no matter the players or formation picked. We sometimes scrape results, but every single time without fail we are outclassed and out performed by a large margin.
We struggle to build play and string passes together, we have no cohesion to our play, our tempo is slow and tumescent. The players always look devoid of confidence and hesitate and eventually we resort to hoofing, and without Fellaini that never works. As if that's not bad enough, we don't even look defensively well drilled. Teams outplay us easily, and it is ridiculous at the ease of which they attack. We apply no pressure from the front, teams easily build from the back, with even their defenders pushing into midfield, where we are usually outnumbered because of their numbers. Pretty much every team manages to play through us, but it becomes very evident against a top side, and considering that this happens regardless of which personnel we choose and which formation we play, the finger can only be pointed at Mourinho.
People need to stop making excuses about Jose, Pogba is not great defensively, but he is not lazy. We see Pep managing to convert KDB into a CM, and he was a fully fledged AM. They have a midfield consisting of KDB, Fernandinho and Silva and it works, and that is not down to personnel but tactics.
We are reaching a point where Jose is running out of excuses for these abysmal performances. I am sure that in the next window we will buy even more players, but if our tactics and cohesion as a team don't improve, then I can't see great improvements in the future. Just buying better players is not going magically improve us and transform us into a top team.
The worst part? The approach hasn't changed incredibly in a single one of those games.Last 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;
Won: 1
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8
Goals: 8
Damning.
His outdated style of football is effective in leagues where you have 1, 2 contenders at best and where you can afford to have a slip-up against those teams. In conditions like that you can afford to go missing in 2 odd games a season and win points on your attacking talent improvising alone.Mou is the problem!
I have been saying this for a while now and I stand behind my view even though I get a lot of hate for that. His record against the other big teams in the league since joining us is a shame! We look like school kids playing against some football aliens every time we face a side we should be on par with or even slightly above.
His coaching style is outdated and the fact that he (1 1/2 years in) still doesn't know how to utilize our best players (Pogba and Martial) in the best way possible just shows that he isn't able to adapt his style to the players he's got bur rather tries to press them into a style which was played a decade ago.
As long as we are stuck with him we won't win anything notable. Maybe a Mickey Mouse cup here and there but we'll always fail in the big games...
This has been a problem for a while now, it is not even new. Our lack of cohesion and tempo in attack, our lack of intensity and effort in defense, and lack of a general style of play and game plan in general is a recurring problem. It usually is overlooked because we manage to get results against worse teams overall on just better individual quality, but it is very painfully exposed against the top teams.Exactly just chucking more money to get more players won't solve anything, our problems start and end in the coaching room.
Even there you can't allow that if you want to win the league - just ask Atleti for example. Mou plays like he's coaching a mid-table team and just wants to reduce the damage in games against the big boys. This is what makes me angry because he makes us look like scared kids! The contract extension was the worst decision that has happened for quiate a while - I really hoped he would be gone at the end of the season.His outdated style of football is effective in leagues where you have 1, 2 contenders at best and where you can afford to have a slip-up against those teams. In conditions like that you can afford to go missing in 2 odd games a season and win points on your attacking talent improvising alone.
Last 15 games away to the Premier League Big Six in all competitions;Jose got it wrong but will learn from this. Looks like back to bus parking in big games.