I agree with Louis, Mourinho should be sacked for not bringing back the players louis got rid of in first place.
Manchester United 'more boring ' under Jose Mourinho, says Louis van Gaal
- Thread starter charlenefan
- Start date
Van Gaals' level is AZ Alkmaar. He's left a trail of destruction at every big club he's been to yet blames everyone but himself every time it goes tits up. The Bayern hierarchy hated him. Stoichkov never skips an opportunity to destroy Van Gaal from the Barcelona days. Here he was disastrous to say the least and only having Rashford, Rojo and Martial to show for a few transfer windows with an open checkbook of heavy spending smacks of a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing.
I’m sorry Lou but no the van gaal years were dreadful. I lost joy in watching United because of the bore fest served every week with the constant unimaginative sideways passing which usually resulted in a couple of shots on target and would usually put me to sleep personally , it was as bad as the Moyes year
It wasn't top notch. Lost to Arsenal and Spurs both 3-0 in his final season and he never beat Chelsea. His record was probably slightly over par. Compared to Mourinho his record is better.
Also got humped by Liverpool in the Europa cup.
Thanks to LVG I will take Cameron Jerome running riot in Old Trafford to the grave.
LVG's whole transfer strategy is baffling looking back. Gutted the squad and spent a lot of money replacing squad players with players of a similar or lesser quality. Left us short of top end players and probably did not markedly improve on the quality of the squad he inherited. He was looking long term which you have to take into account but a couple of more experienced types might have given him the stability and time to see his vision through. His football was the most depressing and dreary football I can recall though, joyless.
Just on my squad comment.
Rafael better than Darmian for me
Nani would have been better than Depay.
Is Rojo really better than Evans?
Falcao ahead of Welbeck and Hernandez.
Cleverley(not one thought it at the time to be fair) a better Utd player than Schneiderlin and amazingly Schweinsteiger. Given Herrera's performances this season I might have to question that comparison. Too far maybe.
Just on my squad comment.
Rafael better than Darmian for me
Nani would have been better than Depay.
Is Rojo really better than Evans?
Falcao ahead of Welbeck and Hernandez.
Cleverley(not one thought it at the time to be fair) a better Utd player than Schneiderlin and amazingly Schweinsteiger. Given Herrera's performances this season I might have to question that comparison. Too far maybe.
The beat game under himIMO was the 4-2 against city. Generally I used to look forward to big games under him but the league has 19 teams.
More than made up for with the double double over them in the league. We haven't won a single game against them under Mourinho yet.
Mourinho would have beat Brenton with ease.
Van Gaal managed to beat Klopps side once which Liverpool missed tons of chances. Then they embarrassed us in the Europa.
No debate that LVG's style was dreadful but do you see another style being coached? I am at a loss sometimes to see what Jose's attacking style and coaching are.
Passing for the sake of it was painful and pointless, not passing but hoofing the ball forward is not great either.
Our performance at Anfield in the Europa League under Van Gaal still angers me now. We were utterly fecking disgraceful that night.
Should have been 4 or 5 nil.
Should have been 4 or 5 nil.
Just a completely bitter and delusional man.
That Liverpool game.
De Gea
Varela
Smallling
Blind
Rojo
Schneiderlen
Fellaini
Mata
18yo Rashford
20yoMartial
Depay
Jeez, he really did not make it easy for himself, that midfield ffs.
De Gea
Varela
Smallling
Blind
Rojo
Schneiderlen
Fellaini
Mata
18yo Rashford
20yoMartial
Depay
Jeez, he really did not make it easy for himself, that midfield ffs.
Long, depressing post following:
van Gaal was a master at promising that excitement was just around the corner, but ultimately never delivering. There were only moments with van Gaal, and I'm not really sure how much he had to do with them. 3-0 over Liverpool, 4-2 over City, Martial's debut, the emergence of Rashford and the FA Cup win. There was no real extended period where we played entertaining football, just a couple of false dawns.
He joined us off the back of the 2014 World Cup, which saw his Netherlands dismantle Spain 5-1, and score 10 goals in their three group games, eventually ending up 3rd in the tournament after adding salt Brazil's wounds in a 3-0 win in the play-off. It also produced that penalty shoot-out moment.
United won all six of their pre-season games, including a 7-0 hammering of LA Galaxy, and 3-1 wins over both Real Madrid and Liverpool. Expectations were high as the competitive season approached. Without any European football to speak of, there was talk of a serious title challenge similar to Liverpool's the season prior.
We had a transfer window that brought us the previously hyped Ander Herrera (following the Moyes non-signing), exciting prospect Luke Shaw, and established superstars Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. Joining them off the back of impressive World Cup performances were Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind. They were later joined in January by Victor Valdes as a back-up keeper.
Along with a number of signings, there was an also apparent clearing of the deadwood. Vidic had already announced his departure, and an aging Ferdinand was to join him on his way out of Old Trafford. Patrice Evra made way for the incoming Luke Shaw, and Danny Welbeck was to make way for Radamel Falcao in attack. After failing to establish themselves in the team, Alexander Buttner, Shinji Kagawa, Federico Macheda and Bebe were all let go too, with Nani, Angelo Henriquez, Nick Powell, Wilfried Zaha (moving permanently in January), Javier Hernandez, Tom Cleverley and Guillermo Varela all sent out on loan. Darren Fletcher and Anderson were also sent packing in the winter transfer window. This huge turnover of transfer business generated a lot of buzz as van Gaal looked to make his mark as manager.
Herrera ended up in and out of the team, Shaw got stage fright, Falcao's legs seemed to have fallen off, and Di Maria pretty much stopped playing halfway through September. Rojo and Blind were never meant to shine, and didn't. Valdes was used about as much as you'd expect a back-up keeper to be used. After so much promise, not a single signing lived up to expectations, with both Falcao and Di Maria leaving in the summer.
The season itself began with a 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea (a team Moyes' United battered in his debut PL game), with this result being followed by draws at Sunderland and Burnley, as well as a humiliating 4-0 defeat to League One's MK Dons in the League Cup. United ended up without a single win in four games in August, only scoring two goals.
September started with slightly more promise, as United beat QPR 4-0 to move out of the bottom half of the table, but that balloon was quickly burst as they gave up a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3 at Leicester in the next game. That was followed by two wins against West Ham and Everton, before United went another 3 games without a win, drawing with West Brom and Chelsea, and losing to City.
There was a brief glimmer of hope that things were coming together through November and December, as United went 10 game unbeaten, winning six on the bounce, and then another before the run ended. This included a 2-1 win at Arsenal, and a 3-0 win over Liverpool. However, this unbeaten streak came to end with a defeat at Southampton, which actually marked another period of three games without a win, as it followed draws against Spurs and Stoke.
There was another glimmer of hope following that defeat though, as United went through their next 11 games losing only once (another defeat to Swansea), and went six for six following the loss, including a 3-0 win over Spurs, a 2-1 win at Anfield, and 4-2 win over City, in which United finally seemed to have clicked under van Gaal.
Following that match, with just six games left, United were sat in 3rd. They were four points ahead of City in 4th, one behind Arsenal in 2nd, and eight behind Chelsea in 1st (although they did have a game in hand). It was a long shot, but at the time I had a small belief that we could do the impossible and steal the league title from under Chelsea's nose. At the very least I thought they had enough to secure 2nd.
United's next game was a trip to Stamford Bridge, but there was also an opportunity to ensure they got ahead of Arsenal with a game against them at Old Trafford. United would have been considered clear favourites in the remaining four; away trips to Everton and Palace, both bottom half but both all but safe from relegation, and a home tie against a West Brom side in a similar situation. Only Hull were fighting for their lives.
Chelsea's run-in included home games against United and Liverpool (who were still chasing 4th), as well as a trip to Arsenal. They also had to visit both Leicester and QPR, who at the time were both sat in the bottom three. It was against the odds, but Chelsea had five matches ahead of them that you could easily highlight as potential banana skins.
In true van Gaal style, United lost to Chelsea, were then battered 3-0 by Everton, before rounding off the three game losing streak with a home defeat to West Brom. They won just one of their last six (vs Palace away), drawing their final two games. United ended up in 4th, 17 points behind Chelsea in 1st, 9 behind City in 2nd, and 5 behind Arsenal in 3rd. In six games United slipped a further 9 points behind Chelsea (or 6 if you take the game in hand into account), lost 11 points on City, and allowed Arsenal to pull a further 4 points away.
Having stuttered past Yeovil, Cambridge United (after a replay) and Preston, United were knocked out of the FA Cup in disappointing fashion, at home to Arsenal. The saving grace of the season was a return to the Champions League, providing they could win their qualifier. Despite the top four finish, there was a worrying statistic for United, as they recorded their lowest goal tally for a league season in 10 years.
van Gaal's second season saw a continuation of the squad overhaul that he started in 2014. Having been loaned out in the previous season, Cleverley, Nani, Hernandez and Henriquez were all sold. Joining them were Robin van Persie, Rafael da Silva and Jonny Evans, with Angel Di Maria being sold after just one year at Old Trafford. Any option we had to extend the loan of Falcao or sign him on a permanent basis was rightfully ignored, and previously well-regarded Adnan Januzaj was sent out on loan to Dortmund.
Following the Galactico-esque dealings of the previous summer, not-yet-established-but-definitely-potential-superstars Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Morgan Schneiderlin were all brought in. With them, and regarded as something of a coup, was the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger on a free transfer, as well as Argentina's first choice, Sergio Romero. The final signing of the summer was teenager Anthony Martial, who had apparently passed everyone by, and had warranted a reported outlay of a reported £60 million. There was widespread doubt that he could live up the price-tag, but people were excited to see what he could do.
Depay flattered to deceive, Darmian looked out of his depth, and Schneiderlin, like Luke Shaw before him, seemed to get stage fright. Schweinsteiger offered little, and Romero just replaced Valdes as the back-up keeper, and didn't come into his own until van Gaal's departure, leaving Martial the only real highlight of the 13 signings van Gaal had made.
The season started well, with United winning five of their first seven games, topping the table at that stage. This run saw United pick up an opening day win over Spurs, as well as a 3-1 win over Liverpool. The only points dropped were a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle, and yet another loss at the hands of Swansea. It all came crashing down after that, as United won just one of their next four. This included a humiliating 3-0 loss at Arsenal, and 0-0 draws against City and Palace.
Wins against West Brom and Watford were followed by a six match run in which United failed to pick up a win and scored only three goals. It also included three defeats in a row, against Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke. United went from top of the league at the end of September, to 6th at the end of December. January saw United finally end their run of defeats against Swansea, winning their first game of 2017, and provided another win over Liverpool, but also saw them lose 1-0 at home to Southampton, and throw away the lead twice in a 3-3 draw with Newcastle.
February and March brought similarly mixed fortunes, as United lost to Sunderland then beat Arsenal in consecutive games, then later followed a loss against West Brom with wins over City and Everton. With seven games left, United sat 5th, just a single point off City in 4th. Despite losing 3-0 to Spurs and drawing with Leicester, with three games left, United were four points behind City, but with a game in hand. City drew their next two games, but United let a 2-1 lead slip against West Ham, ultimately losing 3-2, and costing them a second successive season in the Champions League, not that they'd covered themselves in glory in 2015/16.
After negotiating Ipswich in their first League Cup game, United were embarrassingly knocked out in the next round after a 0-0 draw and penalty shoot-out, at home to Middlesbrough. Their Champions League campaign didn't go much better, suffering an early scare by falling behind to Club Brugge at home in the first leg of their qualifying tie. After negotiating Brugge, United were drawn in a favourable group, alongside PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg, and CSKA Moscow. Needing just a point from their final game against Wolfsburg to secure qualification to the last 16, United came from behind to level the score at 2-2, only to concede again a minute afterwards. This knocked them out of the Champions League, and down into the Europa League. The Champions League did give us that excellent moment where Nick Powell was brought on for Mata as United chased a much needed goal, only to be shipped out a month later.
The Europa League campaign followed a similar path, with United losing the first leg of their last 32 tie against Midtjylland 2-1, then ending up 1-0 behind in the second leg. After eventually overcoming the Danish giants of Midgetland, United were then embarrassed over two legs by Liverpool and sent packing out of Europe entirely.
The FA Cup win was a nice way to round off the season, and at least gave United fans something to cheer, but it was rightfully not enough to keep van Gaal in a job after he fell at the first hurdle in a relatively weak Champions League group, was once again knocked out of the League Cup by lower league opposition, and recording United's lowest goal scoring total in a league season since 1989-90 when they finished 13th.
van Gaal was a master at promising that excitement was just around the corner, but ultimately never delivering. There were only moments with van Gaal, and I'm not really sure how much he had to do with them. 3-0 over Liverpool, 4-2 over City, Martial's debut, the emergence of Rashford and the FA Cup win. There was no real extended period where we played entertaining football, just a couple of false dawns.
He joined us off the back of the 2014 World Cup, which saw his Netherlands dismantle Spain 5-1, and score 10 goals in their three group games, eventually ending up 3rd in the tournament after adding salt Brazil's wounds in a 3-0 win in the play-off. It also produced that penalty shoot-out moment.
United won all six of their pre-season games, including a 7-0 hammering of LA Galaxy, and 3-1 wins over both Real Madrid and Liverpool. Expectations were high as the competitive season approached. Without any European football to speak of, there was talk of a serious title challenge similar to Liverpool's the season prior.
We had a transfer window that brought us the previously hyped Ander Herrera (following the Moyes non-signing), exciting prospect Luke Shaw, and established superstars Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. Joining them off the back of impressive World Cup performances were Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind. They were later joined in January by Victor Valdes as a back-up keeper.
Along with a number of signings, there was an also apparent clearing of the deadwood. Vidic had already announced his departure, and an aging Ferdinand was to join him on his way out of Old Trafford. Patrice Evra made way for the incoming Luke Shaw, and Danny Welbeck was to make way for Radamel Falcao in attack. After failing to establish themselves in the team, Alexander Buttner, Shinji Kagawa, Federico Macheda and Bebe were all let go too, with Nani, Angelo Henriquez, Nick Powell, Wilfried Zaha (moving permanently in January), Javier Hernandez, Tom Cleverley and Guillermo Varela all sent out on loan. Darren Fletcher and Anderson were also sent packing in the winter transfer window. This huge turnover of transfer business generated a lot of buzz as van Gaal looked to make his mark as manager.
Herrera ended up in and out of the team, Shaw got stage fright, Falcao's legs seemed to have fallen off, and Di Maria pretty much stopped playing halfway through September. Rojo and Blind were never meant to shine, and didn't. Valdes was used about as much as you'd expect a back-up keeper to be used. After so much promise, not a single signing lived up to expectations, with both Falcao and Di Maria leaving in the summer.
The season itself began with a 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea (a team Moyes' United battered in his debut PL game), with this result being followed by draws at Sunderland and Burnley, as well as a humiliating 4-0 defeat to League One's MK Dons in the League Cup. United ended up without a single win in four games in August, only scoring two goals.
September started with slightly more promise, as United beat QPR 4-0 to move out of the bottom half of the table, but that balloon was quickly burst as they gave up a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3 at Leicester in the next game. That was followed by two wins against West Ham and Everton, before United went another 3 games without a win, drawing with West Brom and Chelsea, and losing to City.
There was a brief glimmer of hope that things were coming together through November and December, as United went 10 game unbeaten, winning six on the bounce, and then another before the run ended. This included a 2-1 win at Arsenal, and a 3-0 win over Liverpool. However, this unbeaten streak came to end with a defeat at Southampton, which actually marked another period of three games without a win, as it followed draws against Spurs and Stoke.
There was another glimmer of hope following that defeat though, as United went through their next 11 games losing only once (another defeat to Swansea), and went six for six following the loss, including a 3-0 win over Spurs, a 2-1 win at Anfield, and 4-2 win over City, in which United finally seemed to have clicked under van Gaal.
Following that match, with just six games left, United were sat in 3rd. They were four points ahead of City in 4th, one behind Arsenal in 2nd, and eight behind Chelsea in 1st (although they did have a game in hand). It was a long shot, but at the time I had a small belief that we could do the impossible and steal the league title from under Chelsea's nose. At the very least I thought they had enough to secure 2nd.
United's next game was a trip to Stamford Bridge, but there was also an opportunity to ensure they got ahead of Arsenal with a game against them at Old Trafford. United would have been considered clear favourites in the remaining four; away trips to Everton and Palace, both bottom half but both all but safe from relegation, and a home tie against a West Brom side in a similar situation. Only Hull were fighting for their lives.
Chelsea's run-in included home games against United and Liverpool (who were still chasing 4th), as well as a trip to Arsenal. They also had to visit both Leicester and QPR, who at the time were both sat in the bottom three. It was against the odds, but Chelsea had five matches ahead of them that you could easily highlight as potential banana skins.
In true van Gaal style, United lost to Chelsea, were then battered 3-0 by Everton, before rounding off the three game losing streak with a home defeat to West Brom. They won just one of their last six (vs Palace away), drawing their final two games. United ended up in 4th, 17 points behind Chelsea in 1st, 9 behind City in 2nd, and 5 behind Arsenal in 3rd. In six games United slipped a further 9 points behind Chelsea (or 6 if you take the game in hand into account), lost 11 points on City, and allowed Arsenal to pull a further 4 points away.
Having stuttered past Yeovil, Cambridge United (after a replay) and Preston, United were knocked out of the FA Cup in disappointing fashion, at home to Arsenal. The saving grace of the season was a return to the Champions League, providing they could win their qualifier. Despite the top four finish, there was a worrying statistic for United, as they recorded their lowest goal tally for a league season in 10 years.
van Gaal's second season saw a continuation of the squad overhaul that he started in 2014. Having been loaned out in the previous season, Cleverley, Nani, Hernandez and Henriquez were all sold. Joining them were Robin van Persie, Rafael da Silva and Jonny Evans, with Angel Di Maria being sold after just one year at Old Trafford. Any option we had to extend the loan of Falcao or sign him on a permanent basis was rightfully ignored, and previously well-regarded Adnan Januzaj was sent out on loan to Dortmund.
Following the Galactico-esque dealings of the previous summer, not-yet-established-but-definitely-potential-superstars Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Morgan Schneiderlin were all brought in. With them, and regarded as something of a coup, was the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger on a free transfer, as well as Argentina's first choice, Sergio Romero. The final signing of the summer was teenager Anthony Martial, who had apparently passed everyone by, and had warranted a reported outlay of a reported £60 million. There was widespread doubt that he could live up the price-tag, but people were excited to see what he could do.
Depay flattered to deceive, Darmian looked out of his depth, and Schneiderlin, like Luke Shaw before him, seemed to get stage fright. Schweinsteiger offered little, and Romero just replaced Valdes as the back-up keeper, and didn't come into his own until van Gaal's departure, leaving Martial the only real highlight of the 13 signings van Gaal had made.
The season started well, with United winning five of their first seven games, topping the table at that stage. This run saw United pick up an opening day win over Spurs, as well as a 3-1 win over Liverpool. The only points dropped were a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle, and yet another loss at the hands of Swansea. It all came crashing down after that, as United won just one of their next four. This included a humiliating 3-0 loss at Arsenal, and 0-0 draws against City and Palace.
Wins against West Brom and Watford were followed by a six match run in which United failed to pick up a win and scored only three goals. It also included three defeats in a row, against Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke. United went from top of the league at the end of September, to 6th at the end of December. January saw United finally end their run of defeats against Swansea, winning their first game of 2017, and provided another win over Liverpool, but also saw them lose 1-0 at home to Southampton, and throw away the lead twice in a 3-3 draw with Newcastle.
February and March brought similarly mixed fortunes, as United lost to Sunderland then beat Arsenal in consecutive games, then later followed a loss against West Brom with wins over City and Everton. With seven games left, United sat 5th, just a single point off City in 4th. Despite losing 3-0 to Spurs and drawing with Leicester, with three games left, United were four points behind City, but with a game in hand. City drew their next two games, but United let a 2-1 lead slip against West Ham, ultimately losing 3-2, and costing them a second successive season in the Champions League, not that they'd covered themselves in glory in 2015/16.
After negotiating Ipswich in their first League Cup game, United were embarrassingly knocked out in the next round after a 0-0 draw and penalty shoot-out, at home to Middlesbrough. Their Champions League campaign didn't go much better, suffering an early scare by falling behind to Club Brugge at home in the first leg of their qualifying tie. After negotiating Brugge, United were drawn in a favourable group, alongside PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg, and CSKA Moscow. Needing just a point from their final game against Wolfsburg to secure qualification to the last 16, United came from behind to level the score at 2-2, only to concede again a minute afterwards. This knocked them out of the Champions League, and down into the Europa League. The Champions League did give us that excellent moment where Nick Powell was brought on for Mata as United chased a much needed goal, only to be shipped out a month later.
The Europa League campaign followed a similar path, with United losing the first leg of their last 32 tie against Midtjylland 2-1, then ending up 1-0 behind in the second leg. After eventually overcoming the Danish giants of Midgetland, United were then embarrassed over two legs by Liverpool and sent packing out of Europe entirely.
The FA Cup win was a nice way to round off the season, and at least gave United fans something to cheer, but it was rightfully not enough to keep van Gaal in a job after he fell at the first hurdle in a relatively weak Champions League group, was once again knocked out of the League Cup by lower league opposition, and recording United's lowest goal scoring total in a league season since 1989-90 when they finished 13th.
LvG completely destroyed our soul. I find it hard to believe that some of our fans rate him. If I was Woody, I would have sacked him before the FA cup final, not after. We gave him a trophy he did not deserve.
The problem I have with lvg is that he thinks his football was attaching. It was not. It was just possession based. I understand his point of possession of the ball is good defence. I just wish we were more attacking under him. The shots on goal and the amount we scored prove that point. I think we passed more sideways and backwards than we did forwards.
I did enjoy his pressers though.
I did enjoy his pressers though.
Deluded beyond belief.
We'd keep the ball and record super high possession stats, but he absolutely killed any creative spirit, it was all safety first.
How many games was it 0-0 at half time, how few shots did we average each game?
Worst attacking season I can remember in 25 years. Even under Moyes we were a more entertaining watch.
The best thing was the record against the big teams, and the FA Cup was a good win.
But it wasn't worth the nonsense soundbites like saying we had to be "realistic" about expectations these days. As ....Leicester won the league!
We'd keep the ball and record super high possession stats, but he absolutely killed any creative spirit, it was all safety first.
How many games was it 0-0 at half time, how few shots did we average each game?
Worst attacking season I can remember in 25 years. Even under Moyes we were a more entertaining watch.
The best thing was the record against the big teams, and the FA Cup was a good win.
But it wasn't worth the nonsense soundbites like saying we had to be "realistic" about expectations these days. As ....Leicester won the league!
This is very true early on in your post.
He sort of "stumbled" across a line up that worked for that purple patch where we smashed a few rivals. When VP got injured if I remember? It stopped him trying to cram VP, Rooney and Falcao into one team.
Martial and Rooney out together and having to put Rashford in as there was no-one else was another big piece of luck too.
Thank goodness we moved on!
Unsure what is incorrect in these sentences.
Where are all those people now that told me LVG > Moyes because at least he had respect for the club. If Moyes had said the same thing, imagine the reaction.
Both were crap managers for us.
Both were crap managers for us.
LvG was pretty boring, however Mourinho's isn't pretty to look at either. Hopefully he gets 2nd place by the end of the season because frankly it's the only excuse his followers have to justify his United's football.
It was a mistake not signing Jose instead of you Louis he wouldn't at Least made a mess with those transfers windows. Boring?? Oh give me a break.
Love the way Louis started giving every kid in the academy game time -McNair, Love etc when things were going horribly wrong so he could try to make it look like it was going horribly wrong due to his incredible faith in youth that needed time and no other reason
It's been said before, but it bears repeating - the football we played under Van Gaal was the most mind-numbingly boring football I have seen from any United team in 20 years. It was utterly appalling.
Aye like his small squad he had from the start
And that's nothing to be proud of. Are we, are we actually worse than Real fans.
He came out with a load of shit at the end of the season that contributed to those boos and it's stuff I think people on here have forgotten.
Quotes about us having too high expectations, as if playing absolute dogshit football and finishing 5th was something we should be content with.
I wouldn't have booed him if I was there, but I wouldn't have been singing his name either.
We aren’t boring as often as we were under lvg
Thats about it though
Thats about it though
We may have had some disappointing performances, but the football we've played under Mourinho has been far more entertaining than under van Gaal. Even when we won under van Gaal we were generally very boring. Either you've forgotten quite how boring we were under van Gaal, or you've bought into the myth that Mourinho is boring, but it's simply not comparable.
If we score just 11 more goals in the remaining 21 league games left this season we'll have scored as many as van Gaal's United did in 2015/16.
We scored four or more goals in a game just four times in two seasons under van Gaal. We've done it 14 times so far under Mourinho in a season and a half. Even if you drop that to three goals, van Gaal had 24 games where we scored three or more, and Mourinho's already on 25 with the CL knockouts, the FA Cup, EFL Cup and 21 league games still to go this season.
Our top scorer in van Gaal's first season was Rooney with 14 goals in all competitions. Our top scorer in his second season was Martial with 17 goals in all competitions. Our top scorer last season was Ibrahimovic with 28 goals in all competitions, and Lukaku is our current top scorer this season, already on 14 goals.
Under van Gaal, we averaged 4.26 shots on target per game in the league. Under Mourinho, we're averaging 5.45 shots on target per game in the league. Additionally, van Gaal's United managed 324 shots on target in 76 league games. To match that under Mourinho, we'd have to go the remainder of the season managing just 24 more shots on target.
Only one team has scored more goals than us in the league this season, and that's the City side currently on their freakish run.
We're not playing the best football I've ever seen a United side play, by any means, but we're certainly far more entertaining than we were under van Gaal, and I'd probably put us in the ballpark of 2010-2013 United in terms of entertainment. People are just getting themselves wound up about is being boring because they're buying everything they're told about Mourinho and his bus.
Nonsense! There are moments I enjoy our football under Jose. Yes, there are bad games but we have scored 4 goals in more than 8 games and it was pretty.
Do you remember the bullshit about "philosophy"? This guy is full of himself.
Sometimes, I really wonder if many football managers are actually useless morons who are only capable of cultivating some backroom "old boys club" relationships. I cannot find any other reasonable explanation about how people like LVG and Moyes are getting hired again and again, despite messing up in the past and wasting millions. In most other jobs you do not get second and third chances like that.
Sometimes, I really wonder if many football managers are actually useless morons who are only capable of cultivating some backroom "old boys club" relationships. I cannot find any other reasonable explanation about how people like LVG and Moyes are getting hired again and again, despite messing up in the past and wasting millions. In most other jobs you do not get second and third chances like that.
I shall explain as a fan of him -
1) LVG is usually hired by bigger clubs to fast track a club progression in terms of team play & understanding (not titles) alongside a focus on a group of youngsters basically a small slice of something close to his ajax team was able to do.
2)LVG is a manager who gets rid of a lot of players especially ones who struggle to play in a team either for being selfish (Rivaldo), Lack basic technical ability (welbeck), lacks intelligence of basic movement in relation to a team (like Rafael)
3) alters players positions like schweinsteriger alaba abidal Valencia young
4) replaces indivualistic players with players who are more able to play in a team ie xavi iniesta muller Lingard Rashford
5) Focuses on the basics because he is a very out dated manager such as a a team that can pass & position themselves takes a major priority rather than individualistic play (ie herreras demise)
6)the Philosophy simply is another word of him saying a club understanding of its basic ability & its basic formation; a philosophy is basically a teaching or understanding of a subject after all & all he is trying to achieve is a group of players understanding their role within a system. Barcelona 433, Bayern 451 & United I'm pretty sure this is 352.
7) he gets too imposing on the basics that his clubs end up playing a basic brand of football like a kid not allowing to race on his bicycle but has to peddle slowly; this is both done purposely but combines with his inability to utilise the benefits of having certain players in the job doing more individual roles such as Lingard marauding around applying pressure. This tends to be why youngsters particularly have an easy time with him because he is basically holding their hand & giving them the most basics of instruction dependant on the team formation; but usually well experienced players find it much more difficult to deal with him
Ps: I've had this conversation before with too many people & had my fair share of criticism on this subject about how what I was saying is wrong. So I do understand your opinion on it too
Well Jose got a second chance after nearly ruining Chelsea.
It’s like when the toxic fat ex girlfriend criticizes your new girlfriend
... for being too skinny.
Have you ever watched Welbeck play? His technical ability isn't the issue with him. His issue has always been his end-product and finishing. He's great at build-up etc.
Guardian said:
To be fair, we've played some really boring games this season.