OT: Official: "The Special One" signs contract to become next Man UTD Manager
After getting it wrong in the previous two manager selections I finally think Man U has got it right in hiring Jose Mourinho. One of the best managers in the world (not a has been or an up and comer) who has won everywhere he has gone.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes him to turn things around and whether he is given the time to do so if if doesn't happen over night. With Pep moving in next door it should add a lot to the derby over the next several years if either of them can stand to stay in one spot for more than a couple of years.
With the multitude of top notch managers moving in and the underdog puling off the impossible this year I'm very excited with what's going on in the EPL.
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Hate the guy, but he's a phenomenal manager. I actually don't mind their style of play. Organization is underrated in soccer IMO (or I don't think most fans praise it as much as they should). And Mou can organize his team and get them to play a certain way. I think he's the best manager in soccer. Pep is a contender for that, but he's coached two absolute juggernauts in Barca and Bayern. Mou worked his way up and has won everywhere he's been. I think his struggles against Pep are overstated. He's career 6-7-8 (W-D-L) against him. That's not terrible. And one of those losses was when he was at Inter and they had a two goal lead going into the second leg of a UCL tie. They lost 1-0 but that was all they needed.
I think people get caught up in the name of Jose. But tactically this could be very good move for United. Jose's very structured system of defense could prove very benefitial for some of the young defenders currently on United, and those rumored to be joinging the club.
Assuming the addition of Zlatan, Pogba, Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla) and either Jon Stones (Everton) or Raphael Varane (Real Madrid). You then have a great crop of both defensive-minded and highly skilled young players, to compliment what could also be a great attacking club going forward.
Ideal Starting XI for Jose next season would be:
GK- DeGea
LB- Shaw CB- Smalling CB- Varane RB- Stones/Darmian
DM- Krychowiak/Scheiderlin CM- Rooney CM- Pogba RW- Rashford
LW- Martial ST- Zlatan
It's so hard to gauge any real validity on transfer rumors, but I have a hard time believing Pogba would choose United over City, especially considering the lack of Champion's league this season. I could see a Luca Modric maybe, or a Griesman from Atletico to compliment Rashford and Zlatan. That would be a viscious strikeforce. Varane would be a good pickup and I think Stones is overrated. I don't really want City to go after him, but they seem high on Stones too.
Very true regarding world football transfer rumors. The player I think that could have the most impact is Varane, and also Krychowiak. He would be that DM who can hold the ball, and also fill in behind a Shaw/Darmian who like to get forward.
I am also not high on Jon Stones but it seems like everyone who knows football is, so I guess I'm in the same boat as you in regards to him. As to Pogba, he was at United prior to Juve and they obviously sold him too soon. Hopefully, United put in a request that can win him.
Yeah, I don't see Pogba in the EPL at all next year. I see him in Spain in 2017.
I think Stones got caught up in the general ennui that was the second half of Everton's season. See also, Rom Lukaku. Martinez had clearly lost that club. It is hard to say if the players regressed in development, or just couldn't give a crap since no one else did.
Will be interesting to see who Everton hires.
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JV????
While I am a Spurs fan, and follow the EPL far more closely than I do La Liga, it is the superior league of the two. Sevilla won Europa against a Liverpool side that absolutely prioritized Europa over the EPL this year. Champions League final is all Spanish as well. While I wouldn't go so far as calling EPL a JV league, it is certainly behind La Liga in quality.
Doesn't Chelsea still own the rights to his name?
They did but I believe that has been worked out since United officially announced the agreement (it was holding it up).
Imagine realizing your old employer owns your name and likeness. He apparently was "cross" at learning this. I bet he was.
I disagree with people calling EPL JV. I think the top 1/4 of La liga is the by far the best in the world. The rest of the league is worse than the rest of EPL. Sevilla was 7th in La liga and Liverpool were 8th in EPL, so that matchup is pretty level, and it was the final of the Europa league. The bottom half of la liga is atrocious, and every game in the EPL is tightly contested. In my opinion, yes, I would give the edge to La Liga as being the best league in the world, but I wouldn't put EPL that far behind, and next year the league will be even that much better. Calling EPL a JV league though is a joke. Just look at the leading scorers in La Liga, and look at a guy like Ronaldo. His best year in United he scored a total of 42 goals, his best year at Madrid he scored 60. Suarez best year in Liverpool he had 31 goals, and he was the outright top dog. At Barca, his best year was this year where he has scored 40 goals, and he has to split top billing three ways with Messi and Neymar. That tells me, that it is harder for the best players to score in the EPL than it is for the best to score in La Liga. I would rank the leagues in this order, La Liga, EPL, Bundas, Seria A, and French
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Almost every other league in world football has 3-4 teams that can compete at a very high level and is then littered with teams that couldn't compete in the Championship division of english football. There isn't near the pairty in other leagues as there is in England and if you filled the bottom 2/3's of the EPL with the bottom 2/3's of other leagues you would see just how terrible they are.
"If you filled the bottom 2/3's of the EPL with the bottom 2/3's of other leagues you would see just how terrible they are."
Truer words have not been spoken...the other average teams would get eaten alive in the EPL.
in the semifinal. That said, that was the only thing that prevented the finals in both the CL and EL from being all-Spanish.
but Mourinho's philosophy on how to win clashes with ManU's philosphy doesn't it?
ManU is a great gig, but right now the talent level and depth there is probably the lowest its been in the 16 or 17 years I've been following along.
Be ready for the ManU roster to revolt in year 3 after they win the EPL.
I have a bad feeling that De Gea will go to Real now that Mourinho is the boss, not sure why. I guess Daley Blind is gone too, and it's weird, because he turned out to be not bad. Presumably Shaw will be ready for next season no problem.
I can't see a better set of young wingers than Rashford and Martial, and a clinical finisher like Ibra may prove deadly (especially with a transformed box-to-box Rooney).
is the equivalent of Brits liking the Yankees ar the Montreal Canadiens. . . . they like them because they have the most titles.
I started supporting MUFC 20 years ago, and I don't feel an iota of guilt. Up the Red Devils!!!!
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OK - I still listen to vinyl records, grow my own herbs, have an ironic beard, and plain don't give a fuck what you think.
who?