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***OMT Tottenham vs Man U***

Man of the match

  • Total voters
    48
  • Poll closed .
Rashford, James, Martial and Linguard are all quick and direct, if they get running at our back line we could be in trouble.

While Im confident we can get a result, Im not complacent
 
https://www.cityam.com/jose-mourinh...turn-to-old-trafford-as-tottenham-head-coach/

Jose Mourinho ready to silence critics once more on return to Old Trafford
Michael Searles

It was this very fixture little more than two years ago that saw Jose Mourinho turn to the TV cameras and raise a silencing finger to his lips.

Manchester United had just beaten Tottenham 1-0 to maintain their 100 per cent home record and keep the pressure on table-toppers Emirates Marketing Project – a scenario that now feels like a distant memory.

Mourinho had been criticised for a defensive 0-0 display at Anfield and subsequent defeat at Huddersfield, but it was not the first time he has silenced his critics and nor is it likely to be the last.

He returns to Old Trafford tonight, almost a year after being dismissed, in charge of Tottenham and with a point to prove.

It is the kind of occasion that Mourinho typically rises to: an opportunity to show he was not to blame for United’s failings, that he is not the managerial dinosaur some would label him as.

Mourinho’s record
In many ways, his point has already been proven. The club’s struggles under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have ensured Mourinho’s record as United boss is still the best of any manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013.

Mourinho’s win percentage of 58.3 per cent is higher than David Moyes’ 52.9 per cent, Louis Van Gaal’s 52.4 per cent and significantly better than Solskjaer’s 35.5 per cent since he became permanent manager; even adding the Norwegian’s 14 wins in 19 games as caretaker only brings his percentage up to 50.0.

Mourinho also delivered silverware in the form of the EFL Cup and Europa League and finished second in the Premier League in the 2017-18 campaign, an achievement he hailed as his best in management.

It was a questionable statement at the time, perhaps borne out of frustration of the criticism his team and tactics received, but that has only grown more apparent as United continue to stutter.

The bounce the club received from Solskjaer’s temporary appointment has long since evaporated and United have won just six of 22 league games since he was named permanent manager.

Solskjaer under fire

With the team ninth in the table and two points closer to the relegation zone than the top four, the pressure is beginning to mount on Solskjaer, whose 18 points from 14 games this campaign is on course to be worse than the 26 from 17 games that led to Mourinho’s sacking last season – and with a derby against Emirates Marketing Project to come this weekend, too.

In fact his run of 26 points from 22 league games since becoming permanent boss is worse than the 35 points Mourinho took from his final 22 league matches, Van Gaal’s 37 and even Moyes’s 36.

For comparison, the recently sacked Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino had 28 and 25 points respectively from the 22 league games that led to their dismissal at Arsenal and Tottenham.

Mourinho may not have ultimately been the heir to Ferguson’s throne, but his tenure produced the best spell United have had since he retired. A win over his replacement tonight could be one of the final nails in Solskjaer’s coffin.

The Humble One
Speaking to media yesterday, he said he was expecting a “nice reaction” from the United fans and insisted he was not the “enemy”. It is often what Mourinho is not saying that can be heard most loudly, with the insinuation that perhaps the blame for the club’s troubles lies higher up the hierarchy.

The Portuguese has led Tottenham to three straight wins, including back-to-back 3-2 Premier League victories over West Ham and Bournemouth, since replacing Mauricio Pochettino.
There are still defensive issues to work on, but it is a side that looks reinvigorated in attack. Dele Alli in particular has improved, scoring three of the 10 goals since Mourinho took over. He had only scored two in the 10 games previous and seven in the whole of last season.

But more than just maintaining his winning start to life at Tottenham, a victory tonight is an opportunity for Mourinho to hit back at those who have questioned his ability to adapt to the modern game, to rub his return to the top in the faces of Ed Woodward and the United directors who held him responsible for their shortcomings, and to ultimately revitalise his career in the stadium where he announced himself on the world stage 15 years ago.

It was at Old Trafford that Mourinho earned himself global acclaim by engineering Porto’s Champions League round of 16 victory against the English champions. He would have course take them all the way that season.

This time he returns to Old Trafford as the away manager once more, armed with players he wanted to sign for United and a squad that reached last year’s Champions League final.

It is early days in his Tottenham career and there will be questions regarding how long he can remain the self-proclaimed “humble” one, particularly if Spurs endure another trying period.

For now, though, his sole focus will be on beating United, and with that, the possibility of ending the stay of the man who replaced him.
 
milo said:
I'm expecting Moura to come in for Sissoko
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Definitely could see that. Would be the more attacking option, but less protection for Aurier and the central midfield.

I think this would be a decent game for Sissoko, his confidence should be high, United will try to play football and we could get some end to end stuff that suits his athleticism.

At the same time I think left back is a potential weak spot for them? Getting Moura out there running at their left back could certainly be exciting.

I'm guessing Sissoko as I'm guessing Mourinho will take a slightly more cautious approach, look to be solid first of all. Could obviously be wrong about that as always. Looking forward to seeing what Mourinho does and how it works out.
 
braineclipse said:
Definitely could see that. Would be the more attacking option, but less protection for Aurier and the central midfield.

I think this would be a decent game for Sissoko, his confidence should be high, United will try to play football and we could get some end to end stuff that suits his athleticism.

At the same time I think left back is a potential weak spot for them? Getting Moura out there running at their left back could certainly be exciting.

I'm guessing Sissoko as I'm guessing Mourinho will take a slightly more cautious approach, look to be solid first of all. Could obviously be wrong about that as always. Looking forward to seeing what Mourinho does and how it works out.
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I think Moura because of the threat on the counter attack. We'll be 4-5-1 in defence but he gives us more of a threat breaking.
 
milo said:
I think Moura because of the threat on the counter attack. We'll be 4-5-1 in defence but he gives us more of a threat breaking.
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And significantly less protection for Aurier up against very good very quick attacking players. Like I said, depends on how Mourinho wants us to play, how much he trusts Aurier, Sanchez, Dier and Moura to do their share.

Will definitely be very interesting to see the line-up. I will have no arguments with it either way, as long as we don't play Rose in midfield, Son as a wing back, a diamond for 90 minutes or something else that I will wine about in hindsight if it doesn't work out [emoji6]

Just to be clear. Mourinho will know more about this United team and their players than most managers do about their opposition the vast majority of the time. If he tries something surprising I think he should be given the benefit if the doubt even if it doesn't work out.
 
braineclipse said:
And significantly less protection for Aurier up against very good very quick attacking players. Like I said, depends on how Mourinho wants us to play, how much he trusts Aurier, Sanchez, Dier and Moura to do their share.

Will definitely be very interesting to see the line-up. I will have no arguments with it either way, as long as we don't play Rose in midfield, Son as a wing back, a diamond for 90 minutes or something else that I will wine about in hindsight if it doesn't work out [emoji6]

Just to be clear. Mourinho will know more about this United team and their players than most managers do about their opposition the vast majority of the time. If he tries something surprising I think he should be given the benefit if the doubt even if it doesn't work out.
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I get the case you're making and you're unlikely to lose money betting on Mourinho playing defensively in a big game
 
No kissing or cuddling in the tunnel please lads, faces set, your going to war, and will need to be at the top of your game to leave with all three points.

It’s a big game and we have the talent to win.

win or die trying please...

coys!
 
I'm hoping Mourinho has thought of setting us up a bit different from our last games. That LB/CB, RB/RW thing is well known now, and should be easy enough to counter. Should come up with something different now, to confuse the opposition.
 
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