Football Season 2018/19

[Fierce_LiNk]

1 minute ago, Happenstance said:

Speaking of Mourinho, what have you thought of his attitude this summer @Fierce_LiNk?

He's making it harder and harder for himself and everyone at the club. 

Basically, if he was a written character in a book or in a film, you'd say that he was inconsistent. He can't say whether he's happy with the squad or if we need to spend another £500 million to fix it. He can't say whether the younger players are playing well, or badly, because he says both. He's somehow committed to the club, yet still living in a hotel according to many reports, with his family still living in London. Even last season's league performance was inconsistent. We played very badly at times, or played boring football, yet finished second...including one of the greatest results in our recent history when we came back to beat City 3-2. There's fans on the RedCafe who are alternating between "we're going to win the league...he'll be sacked soon...we'll finish second....he'll leave soon....he'll commit his longterm future to the club..." He just isn't very good at (excuse the pun) uniting the fans in the same way that he did it for Chelsea.

The Summer transfer business has a lot of fans worried. We are so short defensively, especially in the left and right back areas which are just laughable. I know Young had a successful World Cup, but Young and Valencia as left and right backs has had its time and we need to be moving away from that and looking to the future. Luke Shaw is still on our books, and nobody knows why when he hasn't played (or apparently trained) well. We've signed Dalot at right back, who is very young and may not even feature in many games. Fred is our big signing and it's just been very underwhelming, tbh.

A lot of fans are also unsure about his man-management. The whole nonsense with Martial has annoyed a lot of fans and it's unlikely he'll stay for very long now. Martial and Pogba are two players in particular who would definitely benefit from a more positive coach who would make them feel more important. There's also the comments about the younger players whilst on tour. The more I consider how Jose is acting and the way that the team is playing, I just feel that his heart isn't really in it and the drive to be better than the other clubs in England isn't really there. He isn't making the right sort of noises to the fans that we're going to mount a title challenge and perform better than last season. In fact, it's moreso the opposite, that a title challenge is more unlikely than last season. Whether the team are performing well under him or not, the jury is out on that one. Imo, he's not as good at motivating the team as he used to be. Perhaps Louis Van Gaal and Mourinho arrived at the club too late in their careers and were/are both on the decline.

It's very frustrating because I feel that the fans want to back him and the fans want the team to succeed. He's just making it very difficult at times. I feel that it's a huge season for him personally. I'll back him as long as he is our manager, but there needs to be an improvement, especially with his attitude. 

[Julius]

2 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

Pogba hasn't really endeared himself to many United fans, but I think he's being given a lot of leeway because Mourinho is taking a lot of the criticism. E.g. that Mourinho is hampering Pogba's game. 

Imo, both are at fault. I think Pogba is a fantastic player, but it's not always shown on the pitch. Too often he can drift in and out of games and he can be such a liability defensively. The issue as well is that Mourinho's teams focus on being defensively solid, so we're instantly playing to Pogba's weakness and not his strength. I think under Sir Alex, we'd be seeing a completely different and better player at the club, probably happier, too. (I know that he was the one to let him go, but that's down to his first team opportunities being limited due to who we had at the time) Unfortunately, I think Pogba would be playing a lot better at City than he is at our club, which is a tough one to accept. Just down to the way that they play and the quality that they have in midfield and in attack, as well as a manager that allows them to play attacking football.

In short, play attacking football, and everyone is happy. There's a strong argument now that the reason we haven't bought many players this Summer is due to the club accepting that, either at some point this season or next Summer, Mourinho will be off. So, we'll no doubt be rebuilding again. 

To be fair, Pogba has been a mercurial, Zidane-esque player from the start, and drifting in and out of games is exactly what mercurial players do. He’s one of those midfielders that plays best when they can run all over the pitch and not be tied down to a specific role (i.e. a holding midfielder alongside Matic). 

I agree that Mourinho definitely doesn’t play to his strengths, and it doesn’t help that he’s made taking a dig at his own players his style of management. His man management and the feeling that he was a member of the team is exactly why he was so successful at Chelsea (the first time around) and at Inter, and I think that it’s because he’s attempted to take a step back from that happy figure and become a more controlling figure in the changing room that he’s developed a much more negative attitude (and, ergo, a much more negative style of play has been seen on the pitch since he left Inter). 

I’ve heard similar things, and that Mourinho’s negativity during pre-season is just a ploy to get out of the club. At the same time, this is the man that would love to get one over on Guardiola, so I could see him sticking around. I’m also just not that sure where he could go — maybe he’d return to Inter? 

Edited August 8, 2018 by Julius Caesar

[killthenet]

Didn't realise Keylor Navas was a poet "I say this with force, I have the same desire to leave as I have to die."

[Ramar]

Genuine question. If Mourinho was trying to leave Man Utd where would he go next?

[killthenet]

Back to Chelsea? PSG would be most likely though surely, especially if Tuchel has a bad first season. 

[joynhappiness]

I am hoping that Arsenal FC will be able to step up their game with the help of Unai Emery. 

[Julius]

13 hours ago, Ramar said:

Genuine question. If Mourinho was trying to leave Man Utd where would he go next?

Honestly, I’m at a bit of a loss. I feel like he returned to England to win the Champions League with an English club (this would make him the first person to win the Champions League with three different teams, and from three different leagues), but I can’t see him sticking around here just for the sake of pining for that record. He’s already damaged his reputation substantially in my eyes since his return to England four years ago. 

With Italian football on the rise again, I could see him returning to Inter. It’s the only club he’s previously managed that I still feel has an affinity for him, but he’s a serial winner that wants to win different trophies in different countries; would he really be happy with a return to Inter, after leaving on such a high note eight years ago? 

12 hours ago, killthenet said:

Back to Chelsea? PSG would be most likely though surely, especially if Tuchel has a bad first season. 

I wouldn’t want him back, to be honest. He went about selling (and then buying) some of our best first-team players, and ostracised a number of players who have then gone on to success elsewhere. Much more importantly for me, though, is that he left us for Manchester United, a team we have been rivals with time and again since Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea. That and, well, I don’t think that there can be much arguing about him having lost his spark to some degree — I think he’s best off taking a sabbatical to figure out his next move, because his last three appointments - Madrid, Chelsea, and United - are bleeding together because of the overlap in a more negative, counter-attacking style of play, and because of how he has fallen out with fans and owners alike a lot in the last eight years. 

I also expect Abramovich to give Sarri a minimum of two years to adjust, with the goal for the season ahead likely just being to secure Champions League football for next season. He’s one of the few managers in the world that has his team play in a Guardiola-esque way, and Abramovich has wanted beautiful football in that style at the Bridge for years, so I will be surprised if he leaves us at the end of the season, so long as we qualify for the Champions League. Then I would expect substantial investments ahead of what could be a trophy laden season for us next season if it all comes together if things do work out with Sarri. I just want Roman to be patient for once, and not pull the trigger early this time around. 

I think PSG is a possibility if Tuchel fails (though Neymar has been receptive to his extreme ideas already, so I’m not too sure), but I still think that Mourinho will need a substantial break before his next move. He needs to figure out his game plan if he’s going to take over as manager for the most heavy investors in Europe of the last few seasons, because nobody wants to see a team with such embarrassing riches and talented players playing back-to-the-wall football. 

I really do think that he needs a break to recapture his spark. It worked wonders for Guardiola when he had a sabbatical; sure, he didn’t win the Champions League with Bayern, but he broke a lot of records and brought through some youngsters with great potential. There’s just not much left to like about the attitude or playing style of the current Mourinho, and I feel like we’ve been seeing his ugly side more so than his happy side ever since he left Inter.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Julius Caesar

[Ramar]

Spurs finding out that new stadiums are hard work.

1. Delayed -rumours suggesting it won’t be ready until October.

2. Over budget (apparently £1bn!!)

3. Failed to secure naming rights (huge fuck up)

4. Clearly affecting funds for players.

If they have a poor season and don’t make the Champions League they could face an exodus next summer.

[Happenstance]

Liverpool playing well so far. Keita looks like he will be an amazing signing!

[Happenstance]

[Hero-of-Time]

Cracking result. What I'm loving is the options that we now have on the bench. We actually have players waiting to come on that can help change a game.

Chuffed that Sturridge netted one as soon as he came on. Klopps reaction to it was fantastic.  

[Fierce_LiNk]

I don't think that there's a single result this weekend that has surprised me or not gone the way that I expected. I thought that we'd get through Leicester, but won't be utterly convincing, which is what happened. We'll see what happens with this situation surrounding Pogba and Mourinho. It's a season for the players to justify their wages and price tags, including Alexis Sanchez. I missed all the games this weekend due to travelling to Belgium and spending time with @Eenuh's family, so BBC's Live Text and the RedCafe had to suffice. The genuine consensus is that we are very, very weak on the right side of the pitch, which is where both Darmian and Mata played. 

[Ramar]

On 10/08/2018 at 4:33 PM, Ramar said:

Spurs finding out that new stadiums are hard work.

1. Delayed -rumours suggesting it won’t be ready until October.

2. Over budget (apparently £1bn!!)

3. Failed to secure naming rights (huge fuck up)

4. Clearly affecting funds for players.

If they have a poor season and don’t make the Champions League they could face an exodus next summer.

Looks like point 1 has just been confirmed.

 

———

As for our result, some what expected. Man City are a different level to us, it’ll take a number of years for Emery to turn us into a £1bn force like Pep’s team.

I liked what I saw and I hope we can get something from our next game at stamford bridge.

 

[Fierce_LiNk]

I wonder how much of a factor all of the stadium struggles have contributed to the lack of signings at Spurs this season. It's...odd that nobody came in at the club.

[killthenet]

It's definitely the reason they haven't signed any players this summer, Arsenal weren't quite as frugal after they built the Emirates but they definitely didn't spend very much until recently because of the strength of their investment. 

It's sort of good in a way, it shows that they're not stretching themselves to breaking point and it gives the youth players a chance to break into the first team but obviously it's worrying for fans to not see any new investment in the squad. I don't think Spurs have paid for as large a portion of the new White Hart Lane as Arsenal did for the Emirates but you'd think even for one of the top Premier League clubs in this day and age even a small share of a £1bn+ stadium is a big outlay so it will take surely take them a few years to be able to reinvest. 

Edited August 13, 2018 by killthenet

[Fierce_LiNk]

11 minutes ago, killthenet said:

It's definitely the reason they haven't signed any players this summer, Arsenal weren't quite as frugal after they built the Emirates but they definitely didn't spend very much until recently because of the strength of their investment. 

It's sort of good in a way, it shows that they're not stretching themselves to breaking point and it gives the youth players a chance to break into the first team but obviously it's worrying for fans to not see any new investment in the squad. I don't think Spurs have paid for as large a portion of the new White Hart Lane as Arsenal did for the Emirates but you'd think even for one of the top Premier League clubs in this day and age even a small share of a £1bn+ stadium is a big outlay so it will take surely take them a few years to be able to reinvest. 

Man City walked the title last season, so there's a lot of work need to be done by their rivals to catch up.

Liverpool have invested heavily this Summer and look to be in the best position to challenge. United have brought in Fred and we also had Sanchez in January. There's a lot of underperforming players there who need to start performing, so I feel that it's really up to the manager in this case to determine how well we do this season and how much he can get out of the players. But, it's been a bad transfer window for us, imo. Arsenal have got players in and have a new manager. Chelsea have a new manager. Spurs are the exact same as last season. I think for them, the priority is on finishing top 4 again. I just feel that if they had been a little more adventurous in the transfer window, they could be pushing City for the title, especially as the timing is about right for them to challenge for honours. It's a step backwards for them, imo. What happens if they finish 5th or 6th next season? It just reeks of complacency.

[Ramar]

7 hours ago, killthenet said:

It's definitely the reason they haven't signed any players this summer, Arsenal weren't quite as frugal after they built the Emirates but they definitely didn't spend very much until recently because of the strength of their investment. 

It's sort of good in a way, it shows that they're not stretching themselves to breaking point and it gives the youth players a chance to break into the first team but obviously it's worrying for fans to not see any new investment in the squad. I don't think Spurs have paid for as large a portion of the new White Hart Lane as Arsenal did for the Emirates but you'd think even for one of the top Premier League clubs in this day and age even a small share of a £1bn+ stadium is a big outlay so it will take surely take them a few years to be able to reinvest. 

The Emirates cost us £330m and was built on time. We financed a large chunk of that up front with Fly Emirates and Nike signing new sponsorship deals and paying the whole term up front. Tottenham  don’t appear to have done the same. They’ll struggle for a few seasons I think.

[Mr-Paul]

I agree (and hope!) they will have some tricky years ahead due to the stadium. It is a massive outlay that will effect their ability to invest in their squad. However, while their stadium is more expensive than ours was, the amount of money in football has changed since we got the Emirates. Say they end up selling Kane/Alli. That's at least 70m/100m+ each in today's market sadly, which can help reinvest in the squad/pay off debt. We got £16m for Henry, a world class striker at the time (even if you could argue he was slightly past his prime, and Arsenal are shite at doing deals.)

I think it's key to their future how they fare this season. They need to stay in the Champions League spots. And how long Pochettino sticks around for while money is tight. I can see his head being turned by a big club sooner or later.  

[Happenstance]

Looking at the Premier League table now I think this might be a good point to stop and end the season. It seems like fair positioning all around.

[Ramar]

4 hours ago, Mr-Paul said:

I agree (and hope!) they will have some tricky years ahead due to the stadium. It is a massive outlay that will effect their ability to invest in their squad. However, while their stadium is more expensive than ours was, the amount of money in football has changed since we got the Emirates. Say they end up selling Kane/Alli. That's at least 70m/100m+ each in today's market sadly, which can help reinvest in the squad/pay off debt. We got £16m for Henry, a world class striker at the time (even if you could argue he was slightly past his prime, and Arsenal are shite at doing deals.)

I think it's key to their future how they fare this season. They need to stay in the Champions League spots. And how long Pochettino sticks around for while money is tight. I can see his head being turned by a big club sooner or later.  

The Henry deal was a proper stinker. The only saving grace is that it was £16M all up front. Barcelona are notorious for paying off in instalments. Pretty sure they were still paying us for Cesc when they sold him to Chelsea.

[Happenstance]

Everytime I load a football website and the top photo is of Emery for a split second I think its Robbie Fowler, especially if the entire photo isn't shown and I can just see his hair.

 

 

Important posts from me today

[Fierce_LiNk]

6 hours ago, Happenstance said:

Looking at the Premier League table now I think this might be a good point to stop and end the season. It seems like fair positioning all around.

Whilst I wouldn't mind at all Bournemouth finishing that high up the table, I'd not be too pleased if that's where Man Utd finished. 

[Julius]

L’Equipe is reporting that Zinedine Zidane now has his eyes set on a move to England, with Manchester United specifically being linked to him as a result of the current unrest in the dressing room at United, with many feeling that it will be the next major managerial hot seat to become vacant in the Premier League. 

I think that, if such a move materialised, the Premier League title race would be blown wide open (depending on when he would sign), and the Champions League would be too (again, depending on when he would sign). I have a fondness for Mourinho from his stunts at Chelsea (and I loathe because of his move to United, and how he tore apart our team), but, with his days feeling numbered at Old Trafford, I think that, if Zidane really is interested, United should be jumping at the chance to sign him. 

[Fierce_LiNk]

1 hour ago, Julius Caesar said:

L’Equipe is reporting that Zinedine Zidane now has his eyes set on a move to England, with Manchester United specifically being linked to him as a result of the current unrest in the dressing room at United, with many feeling that it will be the next major managerial hot seat to become vacant in the Premier League. 

I think that, if such a move materialised, the Premier League title race would be blown wide open (depending on when he would sign), and the Champions League would be too (again, depending on when he would sign). I have a fondness for Mourinho from his stunts at Chelsea (and I loathe because of his move to United, and how he tore apart our team), but, with his days feeling numbered at Old Trafford, I think that, if Zidane really is interested, United should be jumping at the chance to sign him. 

I love Zidane and he is one of my all-time favourite footballers. But, it's a country that he's not familiar with that much, and his only other managerial experience has been at Real Madrid. It's a huge job for him at Man Utd and before we just give him the job because he's Zidane, we have to look at the problem properly and identify whether he's the man to fix that problem. Let's say that the problem comprises of three parts:

1. Is he able to construct a team and coaching them to play attacking football or any other type of attractive style? - Will Zidane be able to do this? Moyes, Van Gaal AND Mourinho have all been criticised for this. What does Zidane bring to the table that can solve his problem? We have seen Moyes' football which focused on wing plays, Van Gaal's possession football and Mourinho's counter-attacking football based on a defensive first mindset. What style does Zidane bring? Will his way be a better way than what we've had before or have now?

2. Can he get the most out of our players, by motivating them and challenging them to become better? - There are so many players in our squad who are in need of this. In addition to that, there are lots of young players who have the potential to get better, but need coaching in order to do so. Could Luke Shaw and Darmian be better players with the right coaching? Martial? Rashford? Lingard, etc. Is he a coach or is he somebody who will bring players to the club, or will he be a master tactician? At United, you pretty much need to be all three, which may mean that the club needs to modernise their approach. I've often thought that there are issues with the club's hierarchy and there's a problem with how the players have been coached post-Ferguson, or even towards the end of his tenure. Do we need a Director of Football? This sounds like it's on the cards as we speak.

3. Can he get the results and be able to win games to challenge for the title? - We finished second but so far behind City, so I can't honestly say that we challenged for the title last season. In fairness, nobody else got close last season. We've seen that Zidane has been able to win Champions League trophies, but what about the league? Well, he finished one single point behind Barcelona in 2016 (but wasn't in charge for the full season), then won the league in 2017, then finished 17 points behind Barcelona in third place. Can he do it in England where there are other talented managers under pressure to win the league? City are expected to win every game, Liverpool are expecting big things of Klopp, as are Spurs of Pocchetino and Chelsea also brought Sarri in to win the league. There are 6 teams vying for it, which is a very different prospect to La Liga where it's mostly Barcelona and Real, with Atletico being an outside by highly competitive third option. 

So, in short, I don't know if he is the right man. I think many fans expected Mourinho to be the right person to come in and toughen up the team, as well as making them more competitive. It's highly arguable whether or not he has achieved that. If the answer to all three of those questions is yes, then maybe the next question should be "When?" Is it a bit unfair to sack Mourinho after one game, especially when he has won that game? Is it unfair to the current manager, the players, the fans and the new manager, baring in mind that the transfer window has closed? I've often thought that there should be a transfer window for managers, like there is one for players. Maybe the right thing to do would be to see the season out and think about a change then. My problem is if we are thinking of a change now, why didn't we do it earlier in the Summer? Zidane was available then and we already knew where we stood with Mourinho. So, I feel that we have to back him this season because he is the current manager and should be given the opportunity to do his job, if he still feels that he is the one to do it. 

[Eenuh]

So I've made a Fantasy Football team as well (I know nothing about football).

I've joined the N-E league, I'll be managing The Waffle Squad. Here is my team:

Goalkeepers: Ederson, Steele (cause I needed a cheap player, I have no clue who this is)
Defenders: Shaw, Alonso, van Dijk, van Aanholt, Maguire
Midfielders: Salah, Richarlison, Pereyra, Neves, Jorginho
Forwards: Lukaku, Vardy, Wilson

Let's wait and see how well I do. If I can beat @Fierce_LiNk then I will have achieved my goal haha.