Beautiful man, beautiful footballer. His sheer character will lift the side IMO.. if he stays fit, whatever the formation I reckon top 4 is guaranteed.Those cheekbonesHe's also a decent footballer.
Mourinho's Press Conference, Huddersfield (a): Sat, 6:30 pm, CET
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If we were playing 433 someone forgot to tell Lingard - problem was they couldn't find him as he's returned to being invisible during matches.
Or the manager has changed his position and hes struggling.
Like feck we were
CET??
I can already see the headlines tomorrow...
"Mourinho Meltdown!"
"Jose in foul-mouthed tirade."
"Mourinho Meltdown!"
"Jose in foul-mouthed tirade."
Central European Time or 5.30pm in the UK - 6.30pm here
Have you been playing Football Manager then?
...of which there were rumours during the warm-up.
Agree. Banged the desk in joy when I saw he was fit.
Unfortunately after thinking it through, you have to realize coming back from a lay off like this he will be rusty for a while. And on top of that even before the lay off his performances weren't upto his standard. Perhaps his injury was bothering him.
Anyway he will need time to get match fit and all, shouldn't put everything on him.
I'm sure we were, it's just that Pogba and Lingard were anonymous and the game was stretched.
This just shows how fluid formations really are. Sir Alex had a period like this when he was pointed out they were playing the formation that fans / pundits thought we should play and nobody noticed.
My hope is that considering how long he was out - we have been very careful this time in making sure he's 100%.
Bailly is back.
I want my Bailly back.
Glad Jose had a go at those reports regarding Pogba leaving. Also, really glad Bailey is back in training, we've missed him dearly in recent matches. I fear for the future of Smalling after this season. It's obvious where we're going to strengthen.
Try re reading any of the several threads on the subject. Or even just some of the other posts in this thread.
I wouldn't have spent several pages of my own thread arguing with people about this exact thing if nobody was saying it.
Tough presser but I'm relieved it wasn't more explosive.
I didn't buy that Lingard played #8 stuff though. If he was playing #8 he'd be back there supporting Valencia, helping to get the ball out from the back, recycling the ball and what not. Plus, the idea that Lingard is a #8 is laughable.
I also didn't like that he's put more attention on our performances being correlated to Pogba's form ('when Paul plays bad, we play bad'). It could be a compliment but it could also put more pressure on the player in matches, who by his own admission is nursing an issue and could have had surgery a couple of months back. Other players really need to step up.
I didn't buy that Lingard played #8 stuff though. If he was playing #8 he'd be back there supporting Valencia, helping to get the ball out from the back, recycling the ball and what not. Plus, the idea that Lingard is a #8 is laughable.
I also didn't like that he's put more attention on our performances being correlated to Pogba's form ('when Paul plays bad, we play bad'). It could be a compliment but it could also put more pressure on the player in matches, who by his own admission is nursing an issue and could have had surgery a couple of months back. Other players really need to step up.
I explained it in another thread, but Spurs played with 2 CM’s and Lingard dropped in as well. Pogba not doing his job positionally and defending is part of the reason why he was subbed off. Like Jose said, Pogba is a little out of form. I think we still could havr played with 3 traditional CM’s instead of Lingard but it’s just one way to look at it. Lingard offers things a CM doesn’t from an attacking perspective.
The point is it was Newcastle, it should be enough. We created the chances and blew them anyway. Pogba’s performance was poor period.
I think it was more Pogba not helping Lingard and Matic enough in midfield, resulting in the two away losses in a row against Spurs and Newcastle. I've also definitely seen Lingard come deep to offer passing options and to drive forward with the ball, he's also been pressing players and doing a lot of watter-carrier work, considering it's something totally new to him having to play as a number 8 in a 4-3-3.
Pogba has the experience and should be providing better outlet for the rest of the team in such situations. Some sacrifice is needed in order for the team to progress properly, I think both Jose and Pogba need to realise that very quickly.
I find such statements about the Newcastle game to not being true at all. From my memory, we had 2 big chances in Martial and Sanchez, and one from a corner, where Martial had to somehow shoot through about 5 or 6 Huddersfield players and to me it doesn't constitute to a big chance.
It was pointed out, repeatedly, by the commentators during the game.
I don't really like the ranting anyway. I do quite like him calling up the press when they spout bollocks...I didn't even mind it when LVG threw personal insults at them for no real reason. They spend enough time spouting bollocks about every manager and player going to take some of it back. Just like we all do.
He shouldn't be concerning himself so much with what other people are saying about formations and who's playing where tough. He has no duty to justify or explain every tactical decision he makes. He comes across like he sits there reading or listening this stuff and almost frothing at the mouth when it translates to a criticism of him. Just ignore it...don't come out in a press conference actually sounding like someone responding to a post they don't like on redcafe.
The only way to win that kind of battle is if the team wins 20 games in a row...and even then, people will pretend it's because the formation has changed, or it'll be because the formation has changed, or we'll lose the 21st game and straight away the same people will be saying the same things. It's just a road to ensuring you are constantly annoyed by not being able to control people's opinions. People will snipe at you for not doing well, and people will snipe at you for doing well. Often with the exact same criticism either way.
He shouldn't be concerning himself so much with what other people are saying about formations and who's playing where tough. He has no duty to justify or explain every tactical decision he makes. He comes across like he sits there reading or listening this stuff and almost frothing at the mouth when it translates to a criticism of him. Just ignore it...don't come out in a press conference actually sounding like someone responding to a post they don't like on redcafe.
The only way to win that kind of battle is if the team wins 20 games in a row...and even then, people will pretend it's because the formation has changed, or it'll be because the formation has changed, or we'll lose the 21st game and straight away the same people will be saying the same things. It's just a road to ensuring you are constantly annoyed by not being able to control people's opinions. People will snipe at you for not doing well, and people will snipe at you for doing well. Often with the exact same criticism either way.
We really didn't blow them away. We struggled with their press and looked disjointed in possession. You can say we should have scored from the 2 or 3 clear chances we had but saying we blew them away is simply not true.
So creating two chances the entire match is blowing them away?
Journo: Jose, can I ask you about Paul Pogba? Because, again, there has been a lot of speculation this week. I just wonder, how happy do you feel –
Jose (Interrupting): I think you are (being) nice with your words. Because when you say “a lot of speculation” you should say, “a lot of lies”. Because I accept – and I can speak on Paul’s behalf without any kind of problem – Paul accepts that he has not been playing well in the last few matches, but that’s all. And if you want to speak about that, then that’s one thing; and then your word ‘speculation’ maybe makes a little bit of sense. But (regarding) the majority of the things that you can read and you can listen to, don’t be nice. Be objective and say “lies”.
Journo: Obviously I don’t know what goes on in and around the dressing room, so what have your conversations been like with Paul, and is there still any kind of convincing still needs to be done on his role?
Jose: I don’t have to speak with you on my conversations with any players. I don’t have to tell you anything about it. It’s my problem, it’s the players problem. A big lie is that our relationship is not good. A big lie (is) that (Pogba and I) don’t communicate. A big lie (is) that we don’t agree on his positions and with his involvement in the dynamics of the team; so be objective, be objective and say what we all know. In the last couple of matches he didn’t play well. Period. End of story.
Now its my problem and Paul’s problem to deal with it, to try and to improve his performance level. So - to go round it, you don’t need to be a liar.
Journo: Jose, how confident are you then that you can get the best out of Paul and in which position that might be?
Jose: The position? It's quite ridiculous to speak about it. I don’t want to be … nasty with another countries’ pundit industry. Because obviously there are very good pundits in other countries. But I think we have here, at least in number, the biggest pundit industry. Because there are hundreds of them. And the majority of them with a great background in football and a great knowledge of football. And I would like somebody to tell me, in which position you think Pogba played against Newcastle? I would like people to tell me, in which position you think Pogba played against Newcastle? Any one of you want to tell me?
Journo: Can you tell us?
Jose: No, no. Can you tell me?
Journo: Midfield?
Jose: Sorry?
Journo: Midfield?
Jose: Ok, midfield. But we played with one number six and two number eights? Or two eights and one ten? Or two six and one ten? We played with one six and two eights. We played with Matic as a six, Lingard on the right side of Matic, and Pogba on the left side. You know which is Pogba’s preferred system? 4-3-3. Do you know which is Pogba’s favourite position in the 4-3-3? Eight on the left. So it's easy and honest and objective to say Paul didn’t play well against Newcastle. But some of the guys they are paid millions. Don’t let people read things that are not true. You are paid to read the game and to explain to people the game. Don’t say bullshit.
Journo: Has there been anything behind it…? You said yourself his displays have not been as high as they were since the start of the season. Has there been anything behind it in injury in illness?
Jose: Look he had a big injury. He had a big injury, in the season. He almost went to surgery like Dembele in Barcelona went with a very similar injury. The decision was not to do it, and go to a conservatory treatment, the results went really well. Everybody was really happy with the way things went. He was playing phenomenal before that. He played phenomenal after that. He had a red card against Arsenal probably in his best match of the season and in his best moment and probably the teams best moment. He was out for a long, long time and in this moment he is not playing well. Period. Period. He is not playing well, period. And the team needs him at a good level. And when he is not at a good level the team is not as good as the team is when he plays phenomenal. I think it happens with every team when the best players, the most crucial players for some reason are not performing. Period. You don't need to come with histories, you don’t need to come with ‘we are going to sell him’ ‘we want to sell him’. ‘he wants to leave’. ‘We fight every day’ ‘We don’t see each other’.
You don’t need that. You don’t need that. And some people go in that direction. Some of them, I know them for many, many years. I know the profile. I know that their surname is Liar. Now. There are people in your world their surname is Liar. You know. And that’s not nice. But that's enough of Paul. You want to know if he plays tomorrow? Yeah.
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Maybe not a massive difference to Pogba but surely to Matic and the back 4. I genuinely thought Lingard was a forward watching the game and not a central midfielder.
They are though. They sit in the pub making up malicious lies.
I think if Jose started saying Lukaku played as a left back, we'd get everyone saying he played left back and who are you to argue he played as a striker.
I think Mourinho is an awful moany bollox and I don't like the way he seems to feel a need to constantly pick fights but can understand why he's in a huff here.
It must have been fecking infuriating to see so many pundits in the media crapping on about how Pogba would be so much better if idiot Mourinho would only pick him in a 433 after he's just stunk the place out... playing in a 433. The inability of people paid to write about football to understand the formations they're watching is ridiculous. Gary Neville was even pointing it out, repeatedly, in his commentary.
The rest of his gripe is fair too. The way players aren't allowed to have a bad couple of games without this being spun into narratives about fall outs behind the scenes or them getting sold in the summer.
Maybe he should ignore the press completely but he's working as a football manager, he's hardly going to skip the sports pages of his daily newspapers (presumably left in a nice wee pile outside his hotel room door every morning, with a coffees and a croissant). I don't work in the industry but I'm well aware of what's written about our team. So of course he'll be aware too. So when the people who's been writing bollox all week sit in front of him, I think it's fair enough he has a bit of a go at them.
I don't know where you watched the game but on the UK tv coverage Gary Neville was co-commentator and he was saying - from the very first few minutes - that Lingard was playing on the right side of a midfield three. So this isn't anybody being wise after the fact. It actually happened.
I meant we blew our chances.
Right, but both Lingard and Pogba both have duties and both will have trained with those duties in mind. The idea that Pogba and his performance was down to Lingard and not McTominay playing is just reaching for excuses.
Lingard didn't play as a 8 against Spurs or Newcastle. I couldn't careless what Mourinho said, that's utter bollox...
Sure what would Gary Neville know, right?
No one is questioning the intent of trying to play Lingard there, I too saw him drop deeper in that game than say against Spurs.
Doesn't make it a balanced midfield three by the orthodox definition of the word, it was anything but. It was still pretty much a 4-2-3-1 as I have explained, you compare say Rakitic to say Lingard and it is a world of difference.. Lingard played that role as a number 10 would.
Further to the point, having such an attacking player as the supposed fellow midfielder to Pogba clearly isn't the best way of providing the right platform for Pogba to play as a free roaming attacking midfielder down the left. It is bullshit to claim that.
I stopped taking notice of him when he used to contantly talk shite during Moyes's reign when his brother was on the coaching staff.
I am pretty sure Valencia fans would argue he doesn't know anything at all, but that is besides the point. Comments such as that are just futile and serve no purpose.
You could say, sure what does LVG know? and you'd argue he knew feck all during his time here, as you disagreed with him despite him being far more tactically knowledgeable than a Neville.
You're better than resorting to that.
With all due respect, I reckon Jose (and Neville) have a better idea what formation our midfield was in than you do.
Of course, Pogba was awful. But what i'm getting at is our midfield (Matic) and back 4 are getting exposed. The balance in midfield is all wrong.
Get the balance right and it helps everyone, including Paul