Jose Mourinho

[JKendall13]

Winks a number 8?

I agree about the squad building being all over the place but come on man...Winks isn't a number 8.

Okay, well enlighten me on what he is then? Doesn’t seem to me he’s a 6 and he’s definitely not a 10.

 

[Primativ]

Okay, well enlighten me on what he is then? Doesn’t seem to me he’s a 6 and he’s definitely not a 10.

You've answered your own question. Just because he's not a 6 or a 10, it doesn't make him an 8 either. He's nothing. Number 8's score more than 2 goals every 150 appearances. He's a very poor shooter, a very poor creator, if he was to play as a number 8 he'd be a terrible one.

 

[rossdapep]

Matic is well past it mate.

I do wonder that if he's given the responsibility to just sit back and use his tactical nous to make us more resolute defensively, it may not be a bad shout.

I watched United earlier in the season and the midfield was not only a mess but it didnt really have any outstanding qualities. Pogba was just strolling doing what he does, Fred was awful, which led to Matic trying to do too much work and being overloaded.

If he's told to sit and let Ndombele be the metronome it could work. In the meantime we could bring in some one like Soumare and have him learn from Matic overtime.

 

[$hoguN]

We have to back him. We are at very least a CB leader, a RB and a DM short of being where wnatbto be so we need to make it happen

 

[JKendall13]

You've answered your own question. Just because he's not a 6 or a 10, it doesn't make him an 8 either. He's nothing. Number 8's score more than 2 goals every 150 appearances. He's a very poor shooter, a very poor creator, if he was to play as a number 8 he'd be a terrible one.

Don’t really have the energy to argue about it but Winks has put in some wonderful performances for us, most notably against Madrid and Dortmund, when paired with healthy Dier and Wanyama. Like all of our midfielders I think he’s a victim of imbalance in the midfield, pair him with the right player and he’s very useful to have around.

 

[Primativ]

Don’t really have the energy to argue about it but Winks has put in some wonderful performances for us, most notably against Madrid and Dortmund, when paired with healthy Dier and Wanyama. Like all of our midfielders I think he’s a victim of imbalance in the midfield, pair him with the right player and he’s very useful to have around.

Agree to disagree. He’s nowhere near good enough and he’s never going to be paired with the right player because we are going to build our midfield around NDombele and that player alongside him needs to be a DM.

 

[rossdapep]

Agree to disagree. He’s nowhere near good enough and he’s never going to be paired with the right player because we are going to build our midfield around NDombele and that player alongside him needs to be a DM.

I'd keep him though because if Ndombele is injured I think he'd be ok in that role alongside a destroyer/DM.

He's struggled this last year because he's been put in the most vulnerable midfield position.

 

[yankspurs]

Don’t really have the energy to argue about it but Winks has put in some wonderful performances for us, most notably against Madrid and Dortmund, when paired with healthy Dier and Wanyama. Like all of our midfielders I think he’s a victim of imbalance in the midfield, pair him with the right player and he’s very useful to have around.

Eh. It’s been long enough. He’s just not good enough, sadly.

 

[Finchyid]

Loved Jose's post match press conference. Asked about if he's unsure about his first choice defence and cites Kane and Alli as examples of if he has doubts in the 9 and 10 positions.

The one thing I trust Mourinho to do is to rebuild this back 4.

As it stands, Toby is the only one that doesn't fill me with dread. Sanchez is very hot and cold and can't pass wind.

did u see him defend today??

 

[Finchyid]

Eh. It’s been long enough. He’s just not good enough, sadly.

dont agree winks is quality, if he played for Liverpool u wouldnt have this discussion. His passion, ability on the ball and composure is just brilliant, the problem he has the others,we lack movement

 

[rossdapep]

Eh. It’s been long enough. He’s just not good enough, sadly.

He's right in that Winks simply hasn't had that base beside him since, therefore it's slightly harsh to judge him in this mess.

Yes he's been poor, yes he's not great in the role but he's certainly proven he's a decent player when he's had the right player alongside him.

That Madrid performance was against Modric and he didn't look out of place. Modric has always had a defensive player alongside him so he can focus on moving for the ball and dictating play, Winks has not had that benefit

I am no way comparing the two, cause hes certainly not in Modric' s class but he's a handy player in a badly balanced midfield.

 

[JCRD]

It seems liek we are a second half team, it isnt necessarily just under Jose but also under Poch but it is more prominent under Jose. Why? We cant continue to start games 1-0 down.

 

[glacierSpurs]

I do like the fact he’s honest and straight forward in interviews without the usual riddles and double speak we often got from Poch.

I think he’s overplaying our performance with the ball though. We did dominate the ball and got in some promising positions, but I didn’t think we created that much by way of clear cut opportunities. Krul wasn’t called into action much at all.

Agree. We were very Poch to have so many passes outside their penalty area hoping to walk the ball into the net without much effect and testing Krul. It's exactly such lack of creativity that I'm totally not against pinging long balls from deep. It's not anti-football at all to play with such strategies because the way teams set up to play today in this age calls for such tactics. Norwich and these lesser teams at home will always leave gaps behind as they try to attack. And we know such teams are very capable of defending deep in blocks also due to their superior fitness built up over the years. Playing the 'proper' build up through the midfield despite us having Ndombele, Eriksen and GLC showed the preferred way may not be the ideal way.

 

[BigAl]

Jose has always been very clear at every club he’s been at. 2 players for every position and 3 keepers. 23 players.

4 CM out of our bunch at the moment? Winks is in.

Dier isn't

 

[SpursSince1980]

We will find out if JM is a ‘yes man’ when it comes to transfers.

I truly have no idea what that means. Not in the slightest.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

I truly have no idea what that means. Not in the slightest.

I think it means that if we don’t strengthen our areas of weakness significantly in the next two windows, then we can call him a ‘yes’ man. I’ve never seen Mourinho as a ‘yes’ man, he tends to either get what he needs or flings shit if he doesn’t

 

[buckley]

My only observation from yesterdays game is that Ndombele is a talent but loses the ball in the final third too often and for that reason I would never play him in a defensive mid field position as playing there he would be a liability but if played just behind the front two he would be a dangerous player as he seems to always play his passes forward as opposed to sideways or backwards.

 

[jolsnogross]

Ndombele relishes close contact with opponents and isn't a safety first kinda guy. If Mourinho pairs him with someone instructed to almost never get ahead of the ball it could work out well.

Contrast his 2nd half yesterday with Sessegnon's complete safety first approach. Maybe Sess is more of a left back than has been credited lately. He was pretty mindful of defence in the Brighton game too. I wonder if Mourinho will give him a run of games there.

 

[allatsea]

Ndombele relishes close contact with opponents and isn't a safety first kinda guy. If Mourinho pairs him with someone instructed to almost never get ahead of the ball it could work out well.

Contrast his 2nd half yesterday with Sessegnon's complete safety first approach. Maybe Sess is more of a left back than has been credited lately. He was pretty mindful of defence in the Brighton game too. I wonder if Mourinho will give him a run of games there.

Matic fits that description if he is given that instruction by Mourinho.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

We have to back him. We are at very least a CB leader, a RB and a DM short of being where wnatbto be so we need to make it happen

Totally agree. I wasn’t a fan of appointing him and I have big questions about him.

But you don’t hire a CL winning manager and not give him some time and resources.

In hindsight, Poch’s biggest failing was the transfer market. While others have bought well fairly inexpensively, we’ve bought very badly and there are massive gaps in the squad now, most notably in defensive positions - the part of the team Jose has historically built his teams around.

Give him the chance (ie resources) to create a solid base and see if he can build a team around it.

My concern though is the number of other good sides now. The Prem is brutal now