Huh? I just said we don't have any excuses, not there are any lol… and all I'm saying is there is no need to play Atletico like they're the second coming of the 1970 Brazil team like we did today come the 2nd leg.
Did you see our bench? Who would you have started? Oscar? ...who is in terrible form. Van Ginkel? Ba? We played for the draw against a red hot Atletico. Sure it is boring to watch but we do have some injury concerns. The second leg will be pretty similar. Hope to God Hazard plays a role. I guess Sunday is a wash as far as Jose is concerned. Hope he plays a B side.
Which.. we did.. and I have no problem with it.. it is what it is. I was only referring to the second leg tho initially.
So in summary (a Ron Manager Poem/stream of un-consciousness): 0-0 we got a result win at home draw away we got a result the ideal result would have been a 1-1 - the away goal but we got the away draw like you are supposed to do in BIG European games 0-0 BUT we're really boring though we play boring football How is that happening with the players we have? at the end of the day (the sun goes down) Ramieres is a liability Most booked player in the league Terry out for the season Now Luiz has more pace so Terry out doesnt worry me as much as before as much as it should do? Luiz will be fine Plus Terry will still turn up for games in a kit even if he aint playing Worried about Cech being out But Schwarzer has had his clanger already and I don't see another coming We have a great defence around the Schwarz anyways Could we score in a brothel? We need to be able to score this - as always - is the biggest problem we have Oscar Hazard Willian FINISH STRONG
The drop off from JT to Luiz in defense is huge. There's a reason Mourinho has kept Cahill and Jt together when healthy for virtually every game. And then the drop off from losing Luiz in midfield in front of that defense(with Matic cup tied and Lampard and Obi suspended) is even bigger. I'd almost say play Ivan at Centerback and keep Luiz in front of the back 4 with Ramires and Oscar.
This is where I'm at at this point. It isn't at all ideal, but the two cards to Mikel and Lamps created a bigger mess than losing JT. Right now we need Luiz in midfield.
Can't say I'm very excited by what I saw from our 50mil man Diego Costa yesterday. I'm honestly cringing at the thought that we're going to break the bank for this guy. He's a twat, with high failure potential in England imo. I really hope its all a media smoke screen and the club has different plans.
i think what concerns me (from my extremely limited viewing) is a lot of the goals he has scored in the league this year have been on the break, running at defenders, and some from crosses. so in other words, he's basically what we know Lukaku is good at, and what Jose from his own description, isn't really looking for. we still would need a forward that can link well enough and play in tight spaces enough to help us break down bunkering teams. and from what i've seen (again, limited it is), Costa doesn't really seem to be that guy? and yea, he bully's spanish league defenders which lets not get carried away and say they are bad or overly weak defenders, but you DO get bigger and stronger defenders in england. who know's how he'll react. the guy looks like a really good two footed finisher. you can't deny him that. but right now, how he's been getting there, i'm just not sure he's a fit for what we need. then again, if he's good enough he'll adapt. but i'm not a paid professional that could tell you these things. please correct me if i'm wrong on him. he's big and fast and we've missed that recently, so maybe he'd be good? then again, he's a good finisher. and we've been sorely lacking in that department.
Scouring the top scoring charts across Europe is fascinating. Here are some interesting bits. Luca Toni has 18 goals for Hellas Verona. Falcao only has 9 for Monaco. Fredy Montero (ex-Sounders) has 13 goals for Lisobon. Zlatan has 25 goals (next closest in Ligue 1 is 16). Our old pal Kalou has 12 goals. Up to me, Lewandowski would've been perfect, but I'd rather spend less than 50m on Balotelli. Jose seems to love Willian, but I'd ship him out for Reus.
I don't know about Costa either. For me, perhaps dealing with another headcase like Ballotelli is worth the risk as he's proven in the league.
You are probably right, he may well be the best option, and perhaps the only viable option on the market. I guess its probably a discussion best had in the transfer thread, but I'll admit this is just my gut feeling on Costa based on very little actual information or observation. My opinion may reflect personal bias against Spanish teams. I don't pretend to be able to judge talent based on what I see from my couch, nor do I fully understand what Mourinho wants to build. I do have faith in the manager and the club and will support any player they bring in, but would love to see Lukaku, Bamford, Piazon leading the attack some day, rather than just going out and buying the hottest most expensive player at the peak of his market once again.
Hm.. you mean to say you'd rather use a premier league proven entity that would come to us for free as opposed to spending obscene amounts of money on unproven, flavor of the month foreign imports? Sounds crazy… but it just might work.
I can't say that I have watched a lot of Costa but he seems to be a stronger version of Suarez (including the antics) minus the dribbling skills. He is excellent at running behind defenders which will be heartening to see after enduring Torres for so long. Also, he is generally the player who scores the first goal to open the game which suits us fine. He is also a player who constantly harries the defenders. The back four will be constantly occupied leaving the likes of Hazard, Oscar, etc to exploit the openings. With our current pressing team, adding Costa and a CM who can transition quickly (Van Ginkel maybe), we will be formidable against big teams. I agree I would have preferred Lewa because he links up better but to me he is the next best thing. Again, this does not address our problems against sides that bunker and I really have no idea what the plan is for them. I would like the Reus for Willian exchange as Brock mentioned but that will not happen. Kroos maybe?
Small boys? In the park? Jumpers for goalposts? Rush goalie. Two at the back, three in the middle, four up front, one's gone home for his tea. Beans on toast? Possibly, don't quote me on that. Marvellous. Giggsy Wiggsy? Marvellous, isn't it.
I quite like Costa, he plays not with just confidence but a fire. He went up against the best CB partnership in England and didn't back down from the challenge. Not only does he score goals on the break, he's great running off the shoulder of the last defender, he's def not afraid to score tough goals in the box(Torres' worst nightmare), but he's also confident with the ball being played into his feet and uses his strength and balance to hold off defenders. He doesn't remind me of Lukaku at all, more of a bigger Aguero type? I don't know how much money he is worth, but if we go into next season with Costa and Lukaku, I am not crying about the transfer fee.