Thoughts on Guardiola/Mourinho

Originally Posted by TheFatGoth

7 years as a manager in two different countries

6 League titles
2 European cups
3 Club World Cups
4 Domestic cups

Looking likely he'll add to that in the next 12 months

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Come back to me when he beats Real Madrid in a European final with Aberdeen.

he could do that. provided he took over immediately after someone else had done it.

jose could do it if he were just given £500mio to spend.

pair of @#%&!s.

Originally Posted by Zorg

In September 2012 I stood next to Guardiola in the immigration queue at JFK.

I've never stood next to Mourinho in a queue of any kind.

I was once in the same shop as Ray Stubbs at Cheshire Oaks.

Originally Posted by Cream

Right next to him, or a few bodies apart?

iirc there were about three people in between us, one of whom was his little lookalike slapheaded brother.

Originally Posted by Zorg

iirc there were about three people in between us, one of whom was his little lookalike slapheaded brother.

Right, not stood next to him then. Just checking.

I was once in a tube carriage with robin cook.

no one else in the carriage.

he died shortly after.

Originally Posted by Zorg

In September 2012 I stood next to Guardiola in the immigration queue at JFK.

I've never stood next to Mourinho in a queue of any kind.

I think it's called a line in America. Call yourself a translator

Guardiola's strengths are Mourinho's weaknesses and vice versa.

Guardiola is an outstanding coach. He gets his principles across, stands by them and pays extreme attention to detail to make them habitual among his players. That's why at it's best (Barcelona 2011) it was like clockwork. But that team was a little too perfect. Felt scripted in a way.

The Barca 2009 side with Etoo, Henry, Toure combined wonderful skill with some punch to it. It had it's flaws and shouldn't have made it to the final. But it was more like the football I like whereas the 2011 side was a efficient machine. The final itself was in the balance until Messi scored a header

But in Guardiola's eyes he needed to push on some people to perfect his vision of football. When he walked through the door he straight away binned big players like Ronaldinho and Deco, after winning the treble he got rid of Etoo and Toure. He dispensed of Zlatan quickly. All great players and big personalities who he felt wouldn't line up in his way so he didn't waste time trying. He'd rather find another solution and prefers younger players who are reciprocal to new ideas and can be moulded into new positions and roles.

Mourinho is not someone whose achievements I admired. His track record is great but his teams played the underdog tag too often when the money behind them and the quality they had were worthy of "playing like champions" if you will. People say he is not the same manager since the Real Madrid stint and perhaps that may be true because at that club he had to approach every game on the front foot and politics at the club interfered with his work. But even then the big games he went into a shell.

But he can galvanise a group of players and manage the big personalities. He does have a very good big game record even if his manner of getting them is unimpressive.

If he combines the front foot style of play and implements his own tactical variations we could be a dynamite force to be reckoned with. But I don't want us to fall in line what he typically has been about which is conservative football by design. Positive performances will yield results in the long run. He no longer has to just look at the short term since he's where he always wanted to be, and the club have bent over backwards to appoint him.

Originally Posted by Venceremos

I believe that...

Guardiola is a manager who is best suited to managing players of weak individual character who thrive on organised instruction.

Mourinho on the other hand is a manager who works best with strong minded players who thrive on emotional intensity.

Now the problem for our Manchester United is that the squad is obviously made up of the former profile of player with only a few of the latter. The same was true to a large extent at Chelsea last season and a bit at Madrid too while Mourinho was there. Inter was his last club where you could look up and down the team and see all proper players.

Does this make him the wrong man? Absolutely not. We will only experience the true highs and peaks of football with a Mourinho style manager managing Mourinho style players.

City look like they will win the league by 20 points. Well done. But it's also very predictable that they will cut to ribbons by one of the big 3 in the CL, probably the first one they meet. Because they are weak.

Do you think when/if Mourinho makes United the Champions in England they won't be a monster of Europe also? It is a certainty.

This season Mourinho will work to mold Bailley, Shaw, Pogba, Martial, Rashford into worthy components of the next great United side (DDG is already there) Next summer we will sign more and be ready to fight for everything.

Truly encourage all reds to back him and get out of the short term narrow view of things...

That's all very well. But the @#%&!ing berties cut US to ribbons because WE were weak.

Sounds like we should have got the good manager of the weak. Seeing we're weak.

I wouldn't have been heartbroken if the roles were reversed but I knew that was never going to happen, with their stacking the marketing department with ex Barcelona suits.

Maybe Mourinho can drag Guardiola's lot down to our level and stop them getting out of hand, which he did eventually, temporarily, at Madrid after an even more inauspicious start to the rivalry. It'll be ugly and hard to be proud of, but needs must. Hardly buzzing about it though.

Originally Posted by Sizlack

Eat shit and die.

Originally Posted by TheFatGoth

My thoughts

Mourinho - starting to look past his sell by date - had his time at the top but his powers are on the wane - should have had him 3 years ago but Moyes

Guardiola - probably the best manager of all time, city playing some incredible stuff - should have had him 3 years ago but Moyes.

You see, this is your problem. You let yourself down by trying too hard.

Take lessons from the old master wums here (like jem)

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

You see, this is your problem. You let yourself down by trying too hard.

Take lessons from the old master wums here (like jem)

I have never wummed in my life.

Very disappointed with Mourinho so far doesn't seem to have either the balls to make big decisions nor the tactical nous. His analysis of the squad at the outset seems a bit limited.

He has a chance this weekend to show both - let's hope he doesn't flunk his lines.