Mails on Herrera, Pogba, Klopp, Mourinho and…

Mails on Herrera, Pogba, Klopp, Mourinho and…

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Don’t be mean, Daniel…
I was happy that Mr Storey won an award for this writing and F365 got some recognition for it brilliant website.

However I feel that since his award Mr Storey seems to think that he needs to change his writing style to get to the next level.

He now reminds me of Homer Simpson in that episode where he become a food critic, he liked everything to start with but when he gains recognition he has to become a bit mean.

Daniel – cheer up.
Ian ‘LFC’ H

Herrera: What a c***
Herrera should have been sent off for the incident yesterday.

He should have been booked for disgracefully cynical anti football shirt tug and then booked for a second time for holding his face after being pushed away.

Not only did he cheat to stop Liverpool playing football, he then cheated again to try and get the player that he had wronged sent off.

I don’t follow Man U so don’t know much about Herrera but this has certainly opened my eyes to the sort of cowardly man that he is.
Joel

…Good God I despise Herrera, F365 might praise him as a delightful b**tard but I for one am not afraid to call him what he is, a cheat. That foul on Firmino late on to stop the Liverpool break was bad, but his reaction to getting shoved was despicable.

Also, Granit Xhaka was sent off against Swansea for deliberately tripping an opponent to stop an attack, can someone explain how Herrera’s actions were in any way different?
Andrew

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Thoughts of Man United fans…
Well that was a disappointment. I was really expecting us to step up and take control of the game and start to crank some pressure on the teams above, who will start to falter soon enough however an afternoon of nervous tension and individual mistakes sorted that out.

I think we were the better team with the scousers happy to feed off the mistakes we kept coughing up so generously for them alongside a few decent individual performances. I have a personnel dislike for Mignolet going back to his Sunderland days following an episode of “don’t you know who I am?” in a London hotel. The answer from my wife was “no, and wait your turn like everybody else”. Very funny, however I was not quite so amused by his antics yesterday as he made some good saves but nothing outstanding.

For balance, what is it with Milner? He has played for Leeds, City, the scousers and scored yesterday but I still can’t bring myself to dislike the guy. The epitome of a proper professional who gets on with the job given him and never seems to operate below 8/10 for performance. It was a bad challenge from Rooney that could easily have been a red, however I think it was a genuine error on Rooney’s part.

Herrera was probably our best player again yesterday with some outstanding passing and an appetite for the game missing from some of his colleagues. Apart from City at the end of Feb we have a run of games that you would hope are three-pointers all the way to the beginning of April. Still a long way to go for all involved.
Plato, MUFC

…So Pogba decided after nine really good performances to put in probably his worst performance in not just a United shirt probably any shirt, fair play to him for not hiding and trying to make something happen, the penalty was just the icing on the performance cake.

Herrera is wonderful, baby-faced innocence coupled with Souness type bastardry what’s not to love?

Please Wayne Rooney score your goal then bugger off to China, you are holding the team back now.

Mignolet made a couple of outstanding saves, one from Mickey T and the other from the Zlatan free-kick, he stepped up and played rather well (the git).

If Jose had reacted on the sidelines like Klopp what would the reaction be today? Klopp gets away with acting like a complete tw*t because you know it’s Klopp.

1-1 was a fair result if not ideal for either side, nice to see United not give up and carry on trying for the win.

Onwards and upwards, I think top four is definitely still on.
Paul Murphy, Manchester

…1. A few things irked me about the post-match comments of Klopp. First of which is the suggestion that they ‘bettered’ United; I’m not sure that either side could claim to be better in that game, with neither team really deserving to win. Liverpool may have had more shots on goal but not a single one truly troubled De Gea. Lovren may have escaped Pogba at every set-piece but never actually caused any real problems because of it. Liverpool may have run a lot further but it didn’t do them any good. This was about as even a game as you’ll see, with no team clearly better than the other.

2. Why is ‘long-ball’ by default a derisory term? It might not be the most cultured style of football, granted, but since when was taking advantage of an opponent’s clear deficiencies something at which to turn your nose up? Liverpool were looking very vulnerable to an aerial threat, so Mourinho made changes to exploit that weakness – that’s good tactics in my book. And if that sort of football is so primitive and basic, why weren’t the supposedly better team able to deal with it at all? I get the criticism if that’s all you ever do regardless of opponent (a la Sam Allardyce), but managers are expected to read the game and adapt to the circumstances, which Mourinho did to positive effect.

3. And how was Liverpool’s plan better? If they hadn’t got the penalty, would they have scored? We’ll never know for sure, but they had another hour to increase their league, playing their ‘better’ plan of counter-attacking, but couldn’t manage it even when United were exposed at the back. I’m not sure how you can plan to get a penalty and try to defend that lead, but if that was their plan then it didn’t even work!

4. All that is not to say that United were much better, mind you. The defence looked nervous as hell, with Jones and Valencia making a number of mistakes early on. This is why I have been hoping that Lindelof joins in January. That defence might be ok against seventh and below, but it has been found out against the top five and will continue to do so without improvement. And where the hell is Luke Shaw?!

5. The midfield wasn’t much better, with even Paul Scholes’ favourite, Michael Carrick, having a shocker. Again, this is why we should be looking to replace him at the earliest opportunity; that we are still relying on a 35-year old to run our midfield is a problem, especially against opponents who can outrun you by 12km.

6. But by far the worst culprit was Pogba. That has to be one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a supposedly elite player, and Mourinho should actually get a big dose of criticism for allowing him to see out the game, if not the first half. I don’t know what his issue was, but he was woeful from the first minute, and could easily have gotten himself sent off for his assault on Henderson in their box; there was real anger in his face and he violently threw him to the floor and was lucky the referee didn’t spot it.

7. I’m also sick of the Rooney narrative now, I just hope he can get that one sodding goal and then everyone in the media will shut up about it. An awful performance from him again, and I would rather Rashford have been afforded the opportunity to have a go at the young right-back (who, by the way, handled himself extremely well).

8. I personally would have given the MotM to Mignolet. He made a number of excellent stops to keep it 0-0 and 1-0, and while under extra scrutiny given the goalkeeping situation at Liverpool. Herrera was decent but Mignolet’s contribution was more crucial.

9. It’s no secret that I’m no fan of Fellaini but Mourinho is certainly getting the best out of him. Mercifully, it’s only in 15-minute doses because he is a very limited footballer, but he is proving effective, so fair play to him for sticking with it.

10. I went to the Hull game in midweek and was gutted that Zlatan wasn’t featuring. I have gone from great sceptic to total fanboy in half a season. His goals have been a revelation and he once again proved his great worth. I also loved his attempts to gee up the crowd. He, like Herrera, seems to have completely bought into the club ethos since his arrival. Whenever he leaves, it will likely be as a club hero.

I said before the game began that I would be happy with a draw and I am, especially given some elements of our performance. A win would have been an enormous boost, getting us three points closer to City, but it was not to be; it was the wrong game at the wrong time. That said, our run from now to the end of the season isn’t too bad, so hopefully we can keep this unbeaten run going, stay in a position to take advantage of any other slip-ups and, you know, actually take advantage of said slip-ups.
Ted, Manchester

… Before the mudslinging begins, I’d just like to say that, as a Utd fan, I thought Liverpool were fantastic today. They deserved to win. They ran out of steam at the end, but the team has all the makings of champions. They just need a player or two of a higher calibre, and, given the man in the dugout, they’ll be there.

As for Utd, we should be disappointed for missing a great opportunity to move up the table. Nevertheless we can take solace in two things. Firstly, we fought back in the second half. We seem mentally tougher than at any time since Fergie. Secondly, Mourinho was instrumental in preventing a defeat today. He was proactive in making ballsy substitutions. He thought Rashford might struggle to use his pace, so he did what he could to try and get a goal at least. And it worked.

Finally, I have to say, there was a lovely amount of noise in the stadium today. Not the best ever atmosphere. But very boisterous.
Monty (Only the usual amount of distasteful chants too. Well done everyone…), MUFC

And the Liverpool fans…
Some quick conclusions on yesterday’s game. Apologies for the brevity, I’m still very annoyed.

– Yet another offside goal for United and the linesman has to take responsibility for that one. Five yards ahead of the play and a clear offside.

– Rooney should have seen red, you know it’s bad when a) Milner stays down and b) Rooney apologises.

– Ander Herrera is a Grade A shithouse. I don’t know where he gets this ‘lovable scamp’ moniker from. The blatant shirt-pulling followed by the theatrics was disgusting to watch. As Klopp said: “Only one player wanted to play football.”

– Pogba must surely see some retrospective action for the wrestling move on Henderson. His general play was hilarious to watch, often caught in possession by the much-maligned Can. Maybe realise your potential before having hashtags shaved into your head.

– I’m struggling to see how Liverpool ended up with three yellow cards and Man Utd ended up with just the one. Lovren got one for a clean tackle and Rooney got nothing for a late stamp on Milner’s ankle.

– Mignolet and TAA looked really really good yesterday. Alexander-Arnold may well be the future, but I’m pretty sure I’ve said that about Wisdom and Kelly at some point in the past. Liverpool fans know better than to get excited about academy full backs…

– All that money, all those wages and STILL humping the ball up to Fellaini hoping for the best.

– Jurgen Klopp has succeeded in transforming our form against the top six, something Rodgers never managed.

– In summary, with some better finishing and some competent officiating we should have won that game. We were the better side.
Paul M, LFC

…An incompetent assistant referee (or should I call him a linesman because he didn’t assist anything) robbed Liverpool crucial points which could mean a world when the final table calculated. How can a Premier League official miss an offside with an awful positioning, I thought that was an elementary thing to position himself level with the last defender. As a Liverpool fan I would accept a draw before the match but after the way the game went im gutted but even if we weren’t at our scintillating best we were the better side in terms of everything except possession. More shots, shots on target and more corners. BTW the 89 million worth clown was at his best and the Portuguese Pulis is making the old Stoke look like tiki taka kings.
Bruk Terefe (Trent Alexander is the next Cafu) LFC

…Following the dreadful Southampton game, and then seeing the line-ups right before today’s match, I would have immediately taken a draw against Man Utd. However, seeing as how the game played out, Liverpool really could (and perhaps should) have won that. A few thoughts:

– Wijnaldium needs to spend the next month practicing his finishing on a daily basis. He had two excellent chances, one near the end of the game, and both were absolutely woeful. Could have won it.

– Credit where credit is due. Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t set the world alight, but he had a solid performance. He might actually be good enough to start at RB in a few years (fingers crossed after what happened to poor Flannagan).

– What the hell is that? How did Pogba get away with that? And then not got a yellow for his blatant handball? Probably should have been sent off. Also, the United goal was blatantly offside. The referee was far too lenient on the home side I thought. United have been awfully lucky with refereeing decisions lately.

– Mignolet was probably motm for me. I don’t think he’s good enough to be a starting keeper for a club with Champions League aspirations, but he had some excellent saves and kept the team in the game. Mind you, he almost undid it all with an unnecessary ball roll right into pressure that nearly gave me a heart attack.

– Both managers won’t be too thrilled with the result, but on the balance of things, you’d have to think that Klopp is the happier of the two. No Mane, Clyne, or Matip, Henderson still rusty, 18-year-old at RB, and the players are visibly tired from a pretty hectic January schedule. Liverpool were there for the taking, missed opportunity for United.

– Hoping Liverpool completely smash Swansea next weekend (sorry Swans fans). You’re a likable bunch, but the team really needs to to put the fear back into their opponents that was there earlier in the season. With Coutihno, Matip and Henderson all back, I think it’s doable.

Overall though, a loss against United would have been devastating for the table and morale. Very glad it was avoided. Big cup games coming up. Onward and upward.
CB, Washington DC

…Disappointed not to hang on for all three points and frustrating for their goal to come when Valencia was clearly offside but on balance it’s probably a fair result and hardly the worst point we will pick up on the road all season. Liverpool had more efforts on goal than United and might also have scored more than they did so no idea who was playing defensively. I thought it was a decent performance given recent games. That high vis kit is awful though isn’t it? Looks like a bunch of builders have downed tools for a kick about.
Jon Cardy

…Well if ever there was going to be an advert for what the Premier League stands for, this was it. Not especially high on quality, but very high on intensity and the possibility of the game going either way right until the final whistle. Congratulations to both teams for an absorbing contest, even if it wasn’t high on technical brilliance.

Jose is back. Whether he was ever really gone is a question for another day, but this is the Jose of old. Touchline spat with the opposing manager in trying to get a player sent off. Check. Throwing on Fellaini up top and resorting to long balls while chasing a result. Double Check. Doing random things during the game hoping it would somehow influence the outcome (like leaving for the dressing room four minutes before the half-time whistle?). Triple Check. As always, it is hard to attribute the comeback to something specific Mourinho did. Yes, Fellaini did win the initial header and yes, ManU were better after the break. But would they have been even better had he left earlier to go to the dressing room? We will never know.

This match also showed the biggest difference between the two managers – when all is said and done, Jose is about the tactical tweaks (although throwing Rooney on was arguably poor tactics) and Klopp is all about getting his trusted players to give their very last drop of sweat. And this is why I love Klopp. Lallana and Wijnaldum were visibly tired by the end of the game, and yet continued to press and harry the Man United players. A masterclass in man management.

It was a very even midfield battle. Herrera was man-marking Henderson and the entire Liverpool midfield took turns marking Carrick. Carrick and Pogba were clearly marked out of the game, while Henderson never got time on the ball to be influential. Honours even then.

Where would Man United be without Zlatan? And what to make of the player himself? Clearly, we are lucky to have him in the Premier League and clearly Jose has been vindicated in his decision to play him 90 minutes week in and week out. Zlatan is definitely a one-of-a-kind striker, a true talent and a phenomenal athlete. Why wasn’t there more competition for the free agent this past summer again?

No player captures the art of Klopp’s pressing style more so than Roberto Firmino. Brilliantly pressed from the front, whether centrally or coming in from the flanks, but it was his determination to compete for headers against taller and bigger opponents that truly captured his essence. What a competitor. Coutinho is the greater talent, but Firmino is the cult favourite.

And finally, to my man of the match. There wasn’t any stand out player and there were some candidates who played well – Herrera and Zlatan for Man United and Can, Wijnaldum and Firmino for Liverpool. But there is nothing to quite match making a full competitive Premier League debut at 18 years of age and going directly against Martial first and Mkhitaryan later and not losing out to either of them. Take a bow Trent Alexander-Arnold. Three successful tackles, two interceptions, and eight clearances to keep Martial and Mkhitaryan quiet. Shackled.
Rohit Vankipuram, India

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Amused of Arsenal writes…
I see that celebrating an equaliser in the dying minutes of a game instead of grabbing the ball from the back of the net and running to the kick off so that you can potentially win the match is not something only limited to players like Olivier Giroud. But I guess it is an ego thing since Ibrahimovic is known to have a massive one.

Or, it could be, I don’t know? Footballers are human and react to emotion like everyone else?
Malcolm, (never celebrated a Man United goal before. Felt weird) AFC

Thoughts on the top six from a Chelsea fan
Chelsea: The Diego Costa situation is embarrassing. But what I like is we have a manager who does not take into player power and showing who is the boss even if the said player is the most valuable player of the season. Abramovich, take note, Antonio is the man, Diego is next. That said, there is something going at Cobham, but not to the extent reported by media. Won’t be surprised if Conte and Costa kiss each other in the next conference. On our win at Leicester, to me that was the most important game this month as it came after a loss. It helped that Leicester are in holiday mode, like Chelsea were last season. If we beat Hull, we’ll be perfectly placed going to Anfield. Law of averages tells me we’re due to beat Pool and I hope it is this time.

Tottenham: Here’s the thing, I like Spurs. Liked them even when ‘arry was managing them (despite him). But the way I see it, playing disruptive football (more on that later) has its toll. More often than not, the team can just fall that bit short because creativity gets compromised. All looks good at Spurs and I also grudgingly agree that they have potentially the league’s best 11, but it comes because IMHO they have the best back 4 (or 5). The difference between Chelsea and Spurs is the back line. Should Chelsea (and I hope we do) upgrade the Cahill and Alonso positions, we might be closer to a footballing Utopia.

Liverpool: A side with a similar if not same style to Tottenham. It helps that they like us have one game a week. Yesterday showed us precisely why many people have doubts about their credentials. When you play a system that is foremost designed to stop your opponent (like Spurs), than breed your creativity in a long season, it will effectively bite you. You fall a little short. I take Fergie’s Man United as the best example. Forget what the fans brag, in my eyes they were the epitome of a marathon winner. They created more than opponent, scored more, at times conceded a goal here or there but their play was always designed to create and score goals from everywhere. Stopping an opponent was a by product than their main philosophy. This is the reason I feel Spurs/Pool will fall short. Over a 38-game-long season the fatigue of their style will play spoil sport.

Arsenal: Nothing much. Best in the world when there’s no pressure. Can make you wet with their play and all but will more often than not show lack of balls when it matters.And we’re at the stage of the season when its just around the corner. Look out for a disastrous month when they lose the title/annual CL participation certificate and subsequently win 10 games in a row to finish top four.

Manchester City: How on earth does Claudio Bravo even get picked for a team like City? If I was a Sunday league manager also I wont pick him. How Pep trusts him each game is beyond me. He has a peculiar knack of showing an attacker the goal and in the process making himself very small. Pep said Chelsea needed 10 new players when contacted about the job. Are you sure City have enough Pep? Le’ts take count. The defense – take young Stones out and everyone is a joker. Kompany’s career is almost coming to an end. His form even when fit is not as it used to be and now his fitness is the question. Kolarov and Clichy make Gary Cahill look good. Sagna is enjoying his payday at the bench and Zabaleta is following the Ivanovic route (for God’s sake playing him in midfield Pep?).

My question a few weeks back about how Stones is not improving, rather regressing bares more thought here. One you have a manager not known for defensive drills and then you have clowns all around you. Not an ideal situation for a potentially good defender to grow and week after week it is showing with the number of mistakes Stones makes. hat about City’s midfield? Fernandinho is good but most of the times picks up red cards these days and sits on the bench. Yaya is good one week and poor another (age?). Who is Fernando? And poor Gundagon got injured again The only shining light for City is their forward line which is in my opinion the best in the division. De Bruyne, Silva and Sane are superb. And Aguero. But when your engine is missing what good is it to paint the tank gold?

Manchester United: Which brings me to United. Tipped for the title. Tipped for a legacy. Based on last night’s evidence they’re at best a top-six team. Their defense is good. The goalie is one of the best in the world. But there are real problems in central midfield. I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but though Pogba-Carrick-Herrera is their best bet now, it shouldn’t have come down to that. For all their business they missed out on Kante. They need a Kante. And I’m baffled Jose didnt go for Mikel (an under rated player). Mikel would’ve solved all United’s problems. Their first summer purchase must be in central midfield. Everywhere else they have the talent and the lack of proper central midfield squad depth is the reason they’re sixth this season.
Aravind, Chelsea fan

Some thoughts on Pep
Man City’s second-half capitulation at the hands of a Davies-inspired Everton side has once again resurrected the admittedly never-dead debate on whether the bald-headed bloke from Catalunya is indeed a great coach.

Pep. Is he a good coach? I think Pep Guardiola and someone like David Moyes are essentially two sides of the same coin. Pep is a coach with a narrow niche. His methods are designed for great, great players, and succeed when (and only when) applied by them. When the parts are not so great, Everton 4-0 City happens. That’s what I think based on the evidence of his coaching career so far. And that’s why I believe he’ll never do a Benitez and coach a middling club.

At the other end of the spectrum we have people like Allardyce and Moyes. A1 at Everton, F9 at Man U. He is excellent for a mid-table club. But not for great teams because his system underutilizes the capabilities of great players.

So, here’s a question for F365 readers: from a tactical standpoint, who is a great coach? Someone who excels with his one system given the right players? Someone who can shape players to excel in his system or someone who can successfully change systems as the situation calls for it?

For me, Pochettino is the best tactician out of the top six coaches. The worst is, needless to say, Wenger (and I’m a gunner): he is rarely proactive and almost never adapts systematically:

Come rain, 4-2-3-1
Come shine o, 4-2-3-1
Come harmattan, 4-2-3-1
Come hell or high water, 4-2-3-1
EOD (I think City will have to be content with Thursday Night Football next season), Lagos

Some weekend questions
What is a Wijnaldum?

Are Man Yoo the new Wimbledon?

Why is KDB regressing under Pep?

Would City be better off with Juliet Bravo in goal rather than Claudio?

What would be the bigger fall from grace – Rafa starting last season as Real Madrid Manager and ending it in the Championship or Big Sam following the same path from his dream job?
Banjo, Prague (In Pep we trust – but he’s making it bl**dy difficult!)

Peter G’s weekend thoughts
* Individual highlight of the weekend was Andy Carroll’s volley. Second place was Andy Carroll’s starting the buildu-p for the winning goal with a defensive header well inside his own half off a goal-kick. Not sure I’ve ever seen that before.

* Last Monday’s Sunderland Echo bore a headline: ‘Is Jack Rodwell the man to inspire Sunderland?’ Yeah, your answer was the same as mine. Stoke had the same answer too. Charlie Adam (of course) scythed Rodwell down in the very first minute, and in unrelated news the Potters tore Sunderland apart in the first half hour. Adam scythed him down again in the 55th minute, so it’d be cruel to point out that shortly afterwards he missed an Opta-certified Big Chance that would have brought his team within one goal.

* Hull defeated Bournemouth in the Defenders Playing Out Of Position Derby. Harry Maguire, playing right-back instead of centre-half, took down Ryan Fraser in the area for Bournemouth’s penalty. Tyrone Mings, playing centre-half instead of left-back, was beaten on Hull’s first two goals and deflected the third into the net.

* Best camera shot of the weekend was Walter Mazzarri burying his face in his hands, which is what the spectators had been doing for most of the previous 80 minutes. Nice individual duel on the wing between George Friend and Christian Kabasele, but that was about it for entertainment. Boro have now picked up six away draws, four of them 0-0. That’s why they’ll stay up.

* It’s fair to say Manchester City have been disappointing lately, but if you have to play Yaya Touré and Pablo Zabaleta in central midfield, you know your squad has to be replenished. Next season under Grumpy Cat will be very interesting indeed.
Peter G, Pennsylvania, USA

Should England try a back three?
Having watched Chelsea but primarily Tottenham switch to a back three with great success, it left me wondering should England do the same. This may come across as reactionary, however it was only after seeing Tottenham do it successfully (admittedly with a small sample size) that it occurred to me, basically because they have a number of England players in the positions important to the success of a back three.

This obviously begins with the full-backs, Rose and Walker who seem very adept in this system as the extra insurance of the third centre-back and a defensive midfielder in Wanyama allows them to bomb on, and both are athletic enough to be able to recover on defence. Eric Dier has looked more assured in defence as part of a three, and whilst they are not Vertonghen and Alderwield, both Gary Cahill and John Stones have experience playing as part of a back three (in theory this should shore up a suspect England defence) although I’ll admit that is not the strongest of backlines.

In Jordan Henderson England have a player now seems comfortable in his role as the deepest midfielder whose primary responsibility is to recycle the ball to players in front of him and whilst he may not be as good defensively as Wanyama he is by no means inept (thanks again Jurgen). A partner for Henderson (the Dembele role, to continue the Tottenham comparison) is where the weakness may be. Someone like Wilshere, who is enjoying a nice rebirth with Bourneouth, could be interesting (although this may/will have to be revisited once he returns to Arsenal and inevitably gets injured again), or perhaps Drinkwater although his stock appears to be plummeting with Leicester’s poor season.

The attack is where I think this formation would be most beneficial, not just because Alli and Kane are developing and dovetailing so nicely together, but because England would not only have (reasonable) strength in depth, they can also change and vary this part of the formation depending on fitness and form or opposition strengths/weaknesses. You could play the ‘Tottenham version’ with Alli and Lallana (in the Eriksen role). Or you could look at implementing the ‘Chelsea version’ which focuses more on wingers where you could look at having Sterling/Rashford/Zaha playing wide as inside forwards, allowing space for the fullbacks to overlap and perhaps Alli can drop back into midfield with Henderson (although I accept that his best position is as an more advanced, attacking midfielder). Importantly though, regardless of which style is chosen, England would have some good depth on the bench AND would be able to change their tactics during the game if need be.

I’d be interested to see what mailbox thinks, obviously the personnel could change (in particular in midfield and at centre back) but the concept of structuring your national team around what suits their best and most effective players seems like a good idea. The flexibility that this formation offers as well as, in theory, reinforcing a major weakness for England means I think it would be successful and may be worth trying.
Ben, Oz (Most importantly to the England brass, they could still shoehorn Rooney into this formation against Malta)

Is Zidane any good?
Just finished watching the Real Madrid game and I still have no idea what to make of Zidane.

On the one hand, he has just gone 40 games unbeaten and has won as many trophies as he has lost games. This is one of those stats that seem like a joke but it’s true.

But just as with Luis Enrique and his ‘abracadabra’ tactics, I get the feeling that all he has to do is pick a good side and motivate them to get a result.

Real Madrid have built one hell of a squad and only Bayern have one on a similar level. The way he has managed to rotate his squad to give everyone chances while still winning is commendable and everyone except Coentrao has managed to score a goal this season.

Besides that though, I haven’t really seen anything that makes me thing he will be a great manager. Another important thing to note is how much freedom and respect his status as a legend gives him. The same reason Benitez was fired is the same reading Zidane isn’t losing (playing Casemiro).

I also wanted to mention how incredible a club Sevilla are. Southampton are rightly lauded for their ability to rebuild every summer but Sevilla are a class above. Last summer they lost their best striker Kevin Garneiro, their best midfielder Krychowiak and Banega but now find themselves a point behind Madrid in 2nd and in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Yeabsra A Ali, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia