Mourinho's Press Conference, Huddersfield (a): Sat, 6:30 pm, CET

[GM K]

That is a joke. Lingard isn't a midfielder. We were NOT playing 4-3-3. A 4-3-3 is supposed to help you dominate the midfield yet we've done anything but that in the last few games. Lingard plays a lot further forward that you can't really call him a midfielder.

I keep saying it here, our formation was not the problem in the Newcastle and Spurs games. It was personnel. We had many players off form and not on top of their games at all, especially our midfield players.

We did set up to play 4-3-3 against Newcastle. Pogba was unfortunately all over the place and had a very poor game.

 

[R'hllor]

@Raees dont waste your time.

 

[noodlehair]

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.

Yeah I think he has a right to his opinion and to defend himself, as anyone does. It's more just whether there''s any point or whether it's particularly useful/healthy to do so. Calling people up on making up bollocks you know isn't true is easy enough to do and close off. Going additionally down the route of having a go back at people who criticise tactics or formations or such is a bit different.

The problem you have there is evident just from this thread. You start going into questioning criticisms or opinions, and you're into a never ending battle. You say "but it was a three man midfield" and people come back at you with "but it was the wrong kind of three man midfield", "Yeah but Lingard isn't a midfielder so it doesn't count", "Pogba was in the wrong bit of the three man midfield", "no it wasn't", etc. When you're arguing as the manager i.e. person being criticised, you're basically trying to hit a ball into a hole, when the other person can just move the hole out of the path of the ball. You're never, ever going to win.

The best you can do is make the criticisms irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, or do well enough that the criticisms even if they are valid look stupid and petty...and you do that by getting results on the pitch, not by doing what me and you and anyone else can do (i.e. bickering with people about it).

 

[Raees]

@Raees dont waste your time.

Don't worry have said enough. Evidence is staring them in the face, had enough of the if Gary Neville or Jose says my mum is my father despite all the physical evidence to the contrary, I'll call her Daddy from now on brigade.

 

[GM K]

It's all well and good saying Pogba played on the left with Lingard on the right but Lingard isn't a central midfielder. That's like getting a drive in a Ferrari with 3 wheels. Great, it's a Ferrari but you're gonna have a shit time cos it's only got 3 wheels.

In a 4-3-3, one of the three plays as a defensive midfielder. That's what a Busquet does for Barcelona many times and that's what Matic did for us in that game. The other two players flanking the DM both defend and attack. They are like box-to-box guys who get into the opposing penalty area regularly to finish off chances or create them. They also have the job of collecting the ball from the back 5 and construct attacking chances. Playing Lingard in that role is not a bad idea really considering his form, his energy, his off the ball runnings etc. the role still allows him to run from deep and attack the opposition's box.

In a 4-3-3, if I am going to play Lingard at all, with Martial, Sanchez, Lukaku and even Rashford available, the only place I will play him is in the middle with instructions to do what he does best: run in from deep and attack the box while using his energy to play the box-to-box role more than Pogba whom I will ask to roam more closer to the opposition box.

I do get what you mean when you say Jesse is not a central midfielder. To play that role in the 4-3-3, even though you don't need to be a pure central midfielder, you need to be able to play as one during periods in the game. Think of a Jack Wilshere or a Xavi Hernandez.

Bottom-line is this: we have a problem in our midfield and we need to fix it.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

Don't worry have said enough. Evidence is staring them in the face, had enough of the if Gary Neville or Jose says my mum is my father despite all the physical evidence to the contrary, I'll call her Daddy from now on brigade.

Mate you are talking absolute shite from top to bottom. It’s thoroughly astonishing you continue to insist you’re right.

Enjoy your funny wee maps but the rest of us will go by what we watched, what the commentators said, and what the manager confirmed.

You clearly have an agenda and it’s totally pointless reading what you say.

 

[haram]

Mourinho is using Jesse as a number 8, just that he has a freedom to go forward and link play and roam a bit more. When we defend he drops in.

 

[haram]

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.

Mourinho didn't claim he had Pogba as a free roaming attacking midfielder on the left. Just that he played as an 8 on the left.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

Mourinho is using Jesse as a number 8, just that he has a freedom to go forward and link play and roam a bit more. When we defend he drops in.

Yeah, it’s really not that hard to work out. Some weird people seem to think comparing it to other teams who do it better means it didn’t happen.

Utter madness.

 

[Raees]

Mate you are talking absolute shite from top to bottom. It’s thoroughly astonishing you continue to insist you’re right.

Enjoy your funny wee maps but the rest of us will go by what we watched, what the commentators said, and what the manager confirmed.

You clearly have an agenda and it’s totally pointless reading what you say.

So I'm the agenda poster now that the stats clearly prove otherwise and don't support your argument. Wee maps. Embarrassing.

 

[haram]

So I'm the agenda poster now that the stats clearly prove otherwise and don't support your argument. Wee maps. Embarrassing.

Just because Lingard is not playing the role the way you want it played, or think it should be played, does not mean he did not play it. He is not a CM so Mourinho is using him in a different way.

 

[Ole90+3]

If you actually watched us play, you would know how high up the pitch our defence plays. It does not surprise me at all to see them that high up.

I think that problem more is Lukaku/Martial/Sanchez playing so close together

Woah you are sassy.

That accuracy of that image has proven to be muck anyway.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

So I'm the agenda poster now that the stats clearly prove otherwise and don't support your argument. Wee maps. Embarrassing.

What stats? There are no stats. Just watch the game for feck sake.

And nice deflection from Pogba’s role to Lingard’s by the way. Very convenient.

 

[PieCrust]

Give it up man. The man is telling you how the team was set up and yet you say otherwise.

Maybe people should just accept the fact that Pogba needs to step up his game, eh? Nothing wrong with that. Jose himself admitted the kid is having a bit of a rough patch.
This whole scenario just shows us that we need serious midfield re-enforcement. As incredibly talented as Pogba is, I doubt if he is the kind of player that can single handedly drag a team along as many of the greats have done. But I hope I am wrong. I am a big fan of his.

Cool. If you think Pogba/Matic/Lingard are playing a midfield 3, more power to you. It's simply not the case.

 

[Raees]

Just because Lingard is not playing the role the way you want it played, or think it should be played, does not mean he did not play it. He is not a CM so Mourinho is using him in a different way.

It's not about how I want it played. The maps quite clearly indicate as many have also state by watching the game that he was not being used as a right sided midfielder in a 433. If that was the intention then he clearly didn't execute properly and in any case even taking into account Pogbas lack of effort.. that clearly wasn't going to be the right platform to somehow unleash Pogba in a 433.

 

[Paxi]

its entirely plausible for Pogba to pick the ball up deeper than Lingard, as he's more natural in that 8 position. But then again, that could be one of issues why he hasn't been playing well.

Either Lingard or Pogba could well have been told to play the number 8 role but have executed the instructions incorrectly. Looking at avearge passes and heat maps will tell you nothing. Trust your eyes.

For me Pogba's best game was at Goodison and he almost played in a left attacking midfield positon.

 

[Raees]

What stats? There are no stats. Just watch the game for feck sake.

And nice deflection from Pogba’s role to Lingard’s by the way. Very convenient.

There are stats which I posted which also validate the way I watched the game.

Stats are not always the be all and end all, but in this case they're clear as night and day.

Seeing as you're blind to the clear point those stats clearly make, one also has to question how blind you were during the actual watching of the game too and whether one should trust your interpretation of what you were watched as if anyone seems very biased it is you.

 

[haram]

It's not about how I want it played. The maps quite clearly indicate as many have also state by watching the game that he was not being used as a right sided midfielder in a 433. If that was the intention then he clearly didn't execute properly and in any case even taking into account Pogbas lack of effort.. that clearly wasn't going to be the right platform to somehow unleash Pogba in a 433.

He was on the right of Matic. He was allowed freedom to roam and link and wasn't meant to play the 8 in a traditional way, because he is not actually a CM. Pogba played on the left and was poor. We just have to accept it.

 

[redIndianDevil]

Quite something that Jose states that Pogba's favourite formation is 433 and that his favourite role is as an 8 on the left. When he asks the journos which position they think he played against Newcastle he is inviting continued analysis and debate.

Disappointed he didn't mention anything about needing a strong ref tomorrow, given how they play.

He can't really do that now can he? Not after telling the press that how different he is from managers like Guardiola who ask protection for players.

 

[redIndianDevil]

Don't worry have said enough. Evidence is staring them in the face, had enough of the if Gary Neville or Jose says my mum is my father despite all the physical evidence to the contrary, I'll call her Daddy from now on brigade.

Before the Newcastle match he was telling the media that their interpretation of box-to-box midfield is wrong and he was right in playing Pogba in a midfield two, now he is telling that it was actually a 4-3-3.

 

[Bastian]

He can't really do that now can he? Not after telling the press that how different he is from managers like Guardiola who ask protection for players.

I forgot about that not very politically savvy coming out with those comments when he did...

 

[whatwha]

Lingard is not a midfielder. Matic-Pogba-Lingard was not a proper 3 in a 433 no matter what Jose claims now. Maybe it's convenient for him to say Pogba has been played in his best position now.

 

[redIndianDevil]

In a 4-3-3, one of the three plays as a defensive midfielder. That's what a Busquet does for Barcelona many times and that's what Matic did for us in that game. The other two players flanking the DM both defend and attack. They are like box-to-box guys who get into the opposing penalty area regularly to finish off chances or create them. They also have the job of collecting the ball from the back 5 and construct attacking chances. Playing Lingard in that role is not a bad idea really considering his form, his energy, his off the ball runnings etc. the role still allows him to run from deep and attack the opposition's box.

Yeah he has all that except for the important bit that is passing which kinda is very important if you are played as a midfielder, if running and movement was all that's needed you could any half decent winger in the middle of the pitch.

 

[RedSky]

LINGARD'S PASSING MAP V NEWCASTLE

Looking at the average position and the passing maps, which show you from where he made his passes.. it does not look like he was a right sided CM to me.

If you look at the below, you'll see that that Sanchez, Pogba and Lingard were all over the place. Sanchez had way more touches in our final third than Pogba for example. Lingard played left and right midfield. Pogba seemed to have the license to go where he liked.

Whats strange about the above though is when you look at Martial, Valencia, Young and Lukaku, very little width came down the left channel. Yet most of our touches in Newcastles box came on the left side (mainly due to Sanchez). On the right side of Newcastles box we barely had a sniff.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

If you look at the below, you'll see that that Sanchez, Pogba and Lingard were all over the place. Sanchez had way more touches in our final third than Pogba for example. Lingard played left and right midfield. Pogba seemed to have the license to go where he liked.

Whats strange about the above though is when you look at Martial, Valencia, Young and Lukaku, very little width came down the left channel. Yet most of our touches in Newcastles box came on the left side (mainly due to Sanchez). On the right side of Newcastles box we barely had a sniff.

It’s almost as if a ball moves around in a game of football, isn’t it.

 

[royboy16]

Feeling the pressure a tad I'd say.

 

[RedSky]

It’s almost as if a ball moves around in a game of football, isn’t it.

No shit. But you can see patterns in our attacking play when you actually analysis it.

The question is was the team instructed to focus our attacking play on the left side of Newcastles box. Or is it simply our lack of attacking threat down the right that caused all the focus on that area instead? Did Jose instruct Sanchez to push that far back into our area and if so, why wasn't Pogba/Lingard told to go deeper. If they were indeed a 3 man midfield then the defensive side of Lingards and Pogbas play needs to be highlighted as being simply inadequate.

I don't mind our players being fluid and moving around in the attacking third so long as our attacking play isn't predictable. The left channel is empty, Young wasn't pushing forward and Lingard/Sanchez wasn't going wide. While Martial/Valencia wasn't attacking the right side of Newcastles box. Hopefully a tactic we were trying as it seems like we focused the attack on Lascelles/Yedlin rather than Dummett and Lejeune.

 

[Raees]

If you look at the below, you'll see that that Sanchez, Pogba and Lingard were all over the place. Sanchez had way more touches in our final third than Pogba for example. Lingard played left and right midfield. Pogba seemed to have the license to go where he liked.

Whats strange about the above though is when you look at Martial, Valencia, Young and Lukaku, very little width came down the left channel. Yet most of our touches in Newcastles box came on the left side (mainly due to Sanchez). On the right side of Newcastles box we barely had a sniff.

Yep seen those and they confirm that Pogba whether his fault or otherwise certainly was not playing as a left sided 8 like he would at Juve. Secondly Jesse roaming just as if not more freely than Pogba does not make that a balanced three man midfield that you would normally associate with a 433 - compare their position vs say a Barca passing map. It was so unstructured and instead of it making us look like super attacking outfit we looked all over the place instead.

Also the fact Jose was pissed with Pogba suggests that Pogba was abandoning his role and just going forwards against instructions otherwise why would Jose pull him off the pitch. If he was given this licence to roam and he was executing managers instructions why such a heated tactical discussion on the side of the pitch?

Look at amount of Lingard touches in his own half v Pogba. How does that validate the argument that this is exactly the same sort of three man midfield people are talking about when they talk of Juventus. How does it support the notion Pogba is the most free player in the midfield?

 

[cyberman]

Why is Jose being treated like a poster with an opinion that can be debated with graphs etc?
Its morphed from 4-3-3 to Lingard roaming to thats not how he played at Juve.
Thats just fluff. Jose was answering the question of 4-4-2 or Pobga not being happy being played in a 2.
All of this is posters twisting logic and moving goalposts to fit their narrative.
If anything, Juve weren't happy with his overall displays and pushed him as a 10 but that is ignored with this BUT AT JUVE nonsense.
Pogba wasn't playing in a 2 v Newcastle. Thats all there is to it really.

 

[R'hllor]

If Ty was a United fan, after reading this thread, he would probably think how he needs to step up his game.

 

[GM K]

Let me get this right. Jose said the team was set up to ply 4-3-3 against Newcastle and people here are actually saying he lied or that was not the case?

Sigh.....

 

[GM K]

Why is Jose being treated like a poster with an opinion that can be debated with graphs etc?
Its morphed from 4-3-3 to Lingard roaming to thats not how he played at Juve.
Thats just fluff. Jose was answering the question of 4-4-2 or Pobga not being happy being played in a 2.
All of this is posters twisting logic and moving goalposts to fit their narrative.
If anything, Juve weren't happy with his overall displays and pushed him as a 10 but that is ignored with this BUT AT JUVE nonsense.
Pogba wasn't playing in a 2 v Newcastle. Thats all there is to it really.

Someone says it as it is.

Thumbs up.

 

[Z1L3]

The Pogba part of the news conference was entirely too defensive. What's the benefit in a point by point rebuttal of tabloid news. He actually publicly admitted what system and position Paul prefers. Why? Is he going to do the same for Martial and Sanchez? Totally unnecessary. Those answers needed an edit.

The problem with Jose is he never publicly takes responsibility for any of the teams performances. Even "We, can do better, the coaches and players both" would at least direct things things in a more constructive direction. The tactics, the lineups have been bad, especially in the Spurs game. I'm heavily critical of Mourinho's midfield construction. Matic is just a plug. With this slow attacking tempo and as the team is currently constituted, he needs another world class MF just to have a chance against City, Spurs, Liverpool. You could fudge it in a higher pressing system and a front 3 that clicks (this is not happening w/ Lukaku).

That's exactly what he said. He said that Pogba didn't play well in the last few games and that it's both his and Pogba's problem to resolve.

 

[eat_grass]

Okay then Jose ....

Can we rename this thread "Raees courageously defends his football takes against Mourinho's slander"?

"Proper/orthodox/real/true 4-3-3." Is that anything like "Real Communism," or "Real Capitalism"?

We've all had poor takes on here. Many fans thought United weren't playing in a 4-3-3, and were proved wrong. No big deal.

 

[GM K]

Yep seen those and they confirm that Pogba whether his fault or otherwise certainly was not playing as a left sided 8 like he would at Juve. Secondly Jesse roaming just as if not more freely than Pogba does not make that a balanced three man midfield that you would normally associate with a 433 - compare their position vs say a Barca passing map. It was so unstructured and instead of it making us look like super attacking outfit we looked all over the place instead.

Also the fact Jose was pissed with Pogba suggests that Pogba was abandoning his role and just going forwards against instructions otherwise why would Jose pull him off the pitch. If he was given this licence to roam and he was executing managers instructions why such a heated tactical discussion on the side of the pitch?

Look at amount of Lingard touches in his own half v Pogba. How does that validate the argument that this is exactly the same sort of three man midfield people are talking about when they talk of Juventus. How does it support the notion Pogba is the most free player in the midfield?

Sorry mate, no offence but your post reads like you are stretching it.

1. Pogba played poorly in that game and it was not about formation. Jose did say that even Pogba has admitted he is having a bad patch. It#s as normal as air in football. Ronaldo just had a horrible period until more recently.

2. Is it not entirely possible that a team can be set up to play 4-3-3 yet the players who are supposed to execute it, mess up? Will that change the fact that they were set up to play 4-3-3?

3. Why in the world would Jose lie about how the team was set up when every player, his assistants and every other member of the team are listening? Would that not kill his credibility in the dressing room?

4. Could Jose have been pissed off with Pogba because he was not sticking to the game plan and executing the agreed formation?

 

[NFM]

I would like to make the profound observation that its what you do with your touches that counts rather than where you make them.
Lingard was asked to play an 'Iniesta' role ( albeit on the right), Matic was Busquets and Pogba is Rakitic ( albeit on the left). None of the United 3 are as good as the Barca 3, but for different reasons.
No-one has been as good as Iniesta for the last decade, so Lingard is on a loser in comparison. However he has the same basic skill sets and will improve. This is his best position.
Matic is a not quite as good as Busquets at his best, but the difference is marginal.
Rakitic drives forward from deep, but he knows how and when to pass, importantly he knoes how to keep it simple when necessary, which is often to get the best out of the attackers. Pogba can drive from deep but continually makes it 'complicated' by trying too much. When it doesn't pay off he becomes disheartened. He has to learn to keep it simple and give good penetrative passes which most of the time will be short passes designed for the attacking player to run onto. He is at least as talented as Rakitic, but does not perform regularly to the same standard because of his lack of maturity.
United have McTominay coming on nicely as a no 6, but lack competition for the two no8 positions. I would be very surprised if 2 no8s are not bought in the summer.
For sometime I thought United's attackers always stood still and waited for the ball to feet, which made attacks very static. But on anaysis , they give up making runs into space quite quickly every match, because the midfield just doesn't release the ball fast enough and in positions that allow players to run onto the pass. This is where the 'old' Fergie United teams excelled.
Both our no8s have to improve immensly in this area otherwise they will be both replaced.

 

[eat_grass]

Jose: 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.

Great job on your transcription. You got the punctuation right on his questions which some think were statements of facts.

But that "some are paid millions" part still doesn't make sense to me. Is he saying some pundits are paid millions (because of their football background), yet they tell lies instead of providing insight into the games?

Can't imagine he was saying "some players are paid millions, so the media needs to stop telling lies about them."

 

[Adisa]

I can't see anything good coming out of Lingard in midfield.

 

[Z1L3]

With Herrera and Fellaini injured, the only 3rd option in CM next to Matic and Pogba is McTominay or a player that's not a natural CM like Lingard. And if Pogba is also injured, that's actually a really crippled midfield.

 

[Tincanalley]

Great job on your transcription. You got the punctuation right on his questions which some think were statements of facts.

But that "some are paid millions" part still doesn't make sense to me. Is he saying some pundits are paid millions (because of their football background), yet they tell lies instead of providing insight into the games?

Can't imagine he was saying "some players are paid millions, so the media needs to stop telling lies about them."

Yea. I discovered lots of weird gaps in the versions posted on YouTube which made nonsense of his words. Ah, that millions is an odd one. When you think of players wages, Jose’s wages compared to the average hack or even the pundits. But I took it he was saying pundits are not giving value for money (so don’t slag off Pogba). Hey, look; none of you can even tell me what system was being used. Still odd, though. Oh yeah, cheers.