You do understand that this was EXACTLY the idea as far as Mourinho is concerned?
Otherwise I agree.
I like the way team is shaping up. Away game against soon to be champions and we recorded 70% possession and double the shots on goal.
Smalling is brilliant, such composure. I wouldn't swamp him for any CB in the league. Also easy to see why we paid so much for Shaw. Brilliant LB. McNair hardly played in last few months and he played like a midfielder.
Chelsea goal was unlucky, looked like a foul on Falcao but apart from that we controlled the game and played the game in their half.
You do understand that this was EXACTLY the idea as far as Mourinho is concerned?
Otherwise I agree.
Herrera was playing as a DM, Fabregas was hardly in the game.
So what if he was playing as DM? And I thought Fabregas was a constant annoyance to us in his hybrid False 9 position ...
Also this performance was without 3 first choice players. Carrick, Blind, Rojo/Jones. We also lost second and third choice CB too, along with that had to play out main striker in midfield.
Deserved at least a draw. With full preseason, next season we should be back.
No. They play defensively and counter attack but never so defensive. It was not Jose' plan, it was out set up that starved them off possession.
Yeh but we still need some good signings this summer, it will be harder next season and the workload will be higher. Asumming we get top 4 of course.
Personally I'd like an established CB, box to box CM, RB, Winger and Striker for backup, then we should be good.
Read what I write please. I highlighted POSSESSION not defensive(ness). Ive been following Mourinho since forever and countless times he said that to get a result you dont need a lot off POSSESSION and in fact in some matches (more notably the famous Inter Barca match) he actually instructs his players to give it up ...
Change half of the team and we would end up with same situation. Players needing time to adapt to Van Gaal methods.
True, but the target was top 4 this season, I don't think our squad is good enough as it is to compete on all fronts next season. Think we still lack a CM, you don't want Rooney playing there in any game because he's missed up front.
So what were they doing giving up possession? Attacking?
Well thats the Mourinho tactics. Letting us have the ball but its really Chelsea who are "controlling" the match. Chelski tactics working well: Fellaini negated and making it difficult for us to wing it by forcing us go through the middle.
Keeping their shape and countering (but not very often within some matches admittedly) ? Disrupting the flow of the other team by tactrical fouls?
Absolute exceptional and mature comment mate. On Utd themselves there is no doubt they are heading in the right direction, i still would have found any way possible to play Rooney upfront personally. Shaw really impressed me today and made me jealous we never bought him.
That's what I said. They were pushed back and could hardly get out of the half. United's pressing in numbers was brilliant and it even negated the physical size difference.
At least do you acknowledge that the best (especially tactically) player on the pitch was actually Kurt Zouma?
Now Zouma was the best player on the pitch? He was not even the best Chelsea player.
And FYI, I said Chelsea dropping so deep has nothing to do with Jose' plan, it was ManUtd pushing higher up the pitch just like they did against Spurs, Liverpool and City.
Zouma was put to in to do one thing and one thing only and thats to nullify Fellaini and i cannot even remember seeing the lad so job done.
And Fellaini created 2 great chances. One for Rooney after cross from Shaw to Fellaini, which was deflected and went for a corner. Another chance was to Falcao and the shot was blocked by Cahill.