Yes I think that's it. If Dortmund had stayed in UCL, then PEA wouldn't be cup tied for us in UEL. The whole cup-tied thing is really stupid IMHO. I think it should just. go. away.
@7amkickoff --Yo, Paul, you wanna join us over here?— Jonathan Blaustein (@jblauphoto) February 21, 2018
£500m spent and their best purchase was a 2nd hand fax machine.— Kick Arse (@kickarseHD) February 21, 2018
It's flat-out painful to watch Man U play. Although I admit it's liberating to now watch Alexis's antics of dropping deep to pick up the ball and then trying to dribble through 3 players, only to be dispossessed. I just chuckle now instead of wincing. Lukaku, Rashford, Martial, etc. All these guys are completely wasted under Mourinho there. They'd be a mid-table side without DeGea in goal.
It's not really Mourinho, IMO - it's that their player recruitment has been flat out bad. They've got one good midfielder (Pogba) and one good defender (Bailly). De Gea has probably saved 15 goals this season over a worse keeper..
Mourinho expects too much of his wide players If they just played a 4 3 3 and gave pogba a free role it would be fine
IIRC, he makes the final decisions on player acquisitions. That, and he really cannot organize an attack and hasnt been able to do so for any of his clubs the last few years. Mourinho is washed.
The rule protects selling clubs from being ripped off their stars midseason, which I understand. Can you imagine teams raiding Monaco last year in January and using their players to elimate them. Though these days selling clubs have smartened up and put ridiculous buyout clauses on their stars so don't know who's the exploited anymore haha. anyway the rules were clear before when we bought Auba. So don't know why Wenger and fans are crying foul.
That was the unluckiest team ever. Was, at worst, the second best team in Europe that year when everyone was healthy. Major injuries to Eduardo, Van Persie, and Rosicky (two from awful tackles), combined with some abominable refereeing, cost us the title and probably more.
All with Almunia in goal. I watched that same team later in the year lose 2-1 to Hull City in my only visit to Ashburton Grove. Only goal we scored was an own goal. SMH.
That stretch in March, don't even want to think about it. Lost 3 matches and finished third that year! Too many draws, and two of those losses were at the business end of the season (Chelsea & United) with a lead.
It's interesting how the overall quality and balance of the team was far better than now. Sure there were some crappy fringe players but all squads have them. Look at those midfielders! RvP on the bench. Almunia, Clichy Senderos Gallas Sagna Diaby Fabregas Flamini Eboue (Walcott 71), Hleb (Silva 89), Adebayor. Subs Not Used: Lehmann, Van Persie, Denilson, Bendtner, Justin Hoyte.
OK but I think your glasses might be a little rose tinted. Check out the first three guys who walk out for us in that clip: Gallas as captain, Almunia and Senderos. Are you really pining for that kind of defensive core?
Gallas was elite. Sendo as I said it that kind of crummy squaddie, but no worse than what we have now. Alumunia I agree was not up to it
Well obviously he looked better playing with the likes of Terry and Cech, or the french NT Remember the team only conceded 31 goals that season and lost only 3 games It was a pretty decent outfit
Sorry I thought we were talking about Arsenal in 2008. BTW, wasn't that the year that Gallas sat down in the center circle and pouted after they broke Eduardo's leg, and then we basically collapsed in the run in?
Multiple things can be true 1. The Arsenal team of that era was actually really good 2. They would have won stuff if they didn't get stiffed by the ref at Brum - shocking performance IMO Who was the ref? Well Mike Dean? I am stunned ... 3. Gallas was a very very good player - which is how come he was a key player for Chelsea and a very good french outfit 4. Gallas probably was not a very good captain because he let emotions take over My main point is how much better that squad was e.g. 4 or 5 really good midfielders, 2 elite 9s, serviceable if not amazing fullbacks and one decent centre half