Again, deliberately ignoring the point.
You know full well there is a difference between sending out your team to try and win a game rather than just trying not to lose it.
No manager, even those who put a high premiem on entertaining and winning ever wants to lose any game. That is just stating the bleeding obvious.

Only used by people who forget what sport is actual about and continue to live in some fantasy world when at this level everything is about winning competitions and not about random likes and dislikes

Which he hasn't done once, at United.

I'm sadly not surprised by the amount of people taking the ultra-simplistic, and incorrect, view that Mourinho decided to 'park the bus', at Liverpool.

Anyone who listened to what he said, watched the game, and knows anything about football, would have seen the tactics deployed for what they were.

When Liverpool had the ball, United were positionally disciplined but were on the front foot, trying to win the ball. There were various references in commentary to the amount of times United were winning 'second balls'. They weren't winning the ball, and then just hoofing it upfield.

When United had the ball, they attacked. Not 'all out', not with complete abandonment, but they probed, and put together some decent moves. It didn't come to much, because Liverpool were also fairly cautious, and defended well.

At the point where Lallana replaced Sturridge, Liverpool's play was more fluid and dangerous. At that point, with the pacey Rashford having to be withdrawn due to cramp, Mourinho took the pragmatic decision to settle for a point. It wasn't his original plan, but circumstances dictated that it was the sensible decision.

Of course, it's much easier to just trot out the 'parked the bus' clichés, but it's also wrong.

Maybe so, but still I think it is slightly more than a coincidence.

Don't forget about the chance that Ibra had, he puts that y, and we come away happy as Larry (whomever he was), and 1-0 victors.
It was that close to the perfect gameplan.

If Pep can still get praise from getting thrashed 4-0, then it is amazing to think José got stick for achieving a far better scoreline, and coming away with something.

Sometimes I guess people just wish to see something, that even when it is not there, they still say that it is.
We played very well at Anfield, and if anything were the better team outfit, we tried to be on the front foot, but injuries, and the situation of the match dictated that retreat was the better part of valour, so to speak.

Instead of criticism, we should be getting praise for that sort of performance, but alas some people can only see in black or white.

He didn't park the bus at Liverpool! He created a game plan to control Liverpool's recent brilliant attacking form and to keep their fans quiet. In midfield more than the penalty area. He expected us to get a few chances too and with one of them, to win the game. But for Zlatan's unusual (for him) missed header and Rashford's cramp late on, he might well have achieved that.

I love to see football when it's played a bit like a chess game and that's what happened on Monday. Either side could have nicked it but as we have the better goalkeeper... and the game showed me that Jose has still 'got it'.

As for tonight's game, I enjoyed that even better because it had goals! Our second team played well!

United were relatively adventurous in the first 30 munutes at Anfield. However, there was a definite risk-free approach as the game progressed with very few players being committed forward or making positive runs in favour of retaining a defensive shape. The fabled bus went for an early joy-ride, drove around looking for a parking space and carefully reversed into it. United weren't wholly negative but could have been a bit more positive - zero risk when perhaps 25% risk was a sensible balance.

Tbf you lot weren't exactly peppering our goal either. 3 shots wasn't it?

Exactly, they were the home side, so surely the emphasis was on them to attack, and to have shots, which they didn't really do, yet they have seemingly got off scot free in terms of criticism.

Whatever happened to that fabled attacking that people were getting so excited by pre-match? Oh yes, we snuffed it out quote easily, and but for an unfortunate, and unlike Ibra header, we would have come away with the three points.
So if anyone deserves criticism from that match, it is way more Liverpool, then it is ourselves.

This is exactly the type of thing that I've been moaning about with regards Rooney of late. Rojo isn't the greatest left back and he may not be a world class central defender, but he does his job there. However, your just adding two and two together and making 5 for the sake of it being Rojo. If he had a bad game say it, if not don't try suggesting something that hasn't happened to keep up the scapegoat crowd on the players back.

Fair enough, I may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick here then, I don't mind admitting when I might have got something wrong.

If a (capable) team is well organised and adopts a zero-risk strategy, it shouldn't be a surprise that their opponents struggle to pepper the goal surely - especially given Jose's track record of success in that regard.

We had 9 shots apparently (3 on target, 3 off and 3 blocked) which although not great was not a great surprise given the way the match went - if we'd managed somehow to score at some stage, that would have forced you to adopt a more positive approach and we'd have been afforded more space as a result. We were poor on the night, partly down to ourselves and partly due to United doing a decent job of nullifying our style.

Of course we deserve SOME criticism for not being able to create more under those circumstances but part of that was down to not risking Lallana and thereby straying from the personnel and formation that has worked best for us.

However, for batdude_uk1 to deflect all criticism to us and expect United to be lauded for their approach is a bit skewed to say the least! United will be criticised for percieved negativity and have to accept that just as we have to accept we haven't got much of a Plan B.

Part of that criticism stems from the fact the expectations of a Jose-led United and some stellar signings at the start of the season was a title challenge - and going to a team most thought not good enough to get top 4 and settling for a point does not match that kind of aspiration. Would City come to Anfield and mostly defend? No. Sometimes taking the game to rivals will lose you a game but over a season the best teams will benefit from such an approach.

Fair-minded United fans will surely accept a certain level of criticism over the tactics on Monday night - I totally agree some of it has been way OTT and United also deserve credit for an excellent gameplan that ultimately succeeded (apart from the cherry on the cake that was nicking goal had the likes of Rashford not run themselves to a standstill late on).

I suspect if United do the same at City the level of criticism would be lower due to the reasons stated. But to object to any criticism at all is a bit mystifying. I get the siege mentality as the press and others have taken the opportunity to generate negative headlines about Mourinho and United but there's a middle ground here that few seem prepared to tread.

Sloth my old friend, the middle ground would be to say that Liverpool didn't attack very well, and we defended very well, you had s couple of decent chances, and we had one or maybe two ourselves.

The way the press had gone on, you would think we were camped on our own goal line for the full ninety minutes, when that was blatantly not the case at all.

We clearly came there with a set gameplan, and one that almost worked to perfection, I don't see why we should have been more open, or cavalier, thus allowing your better players time and space on the ball to hurt us.
We did what we needed to do, in order to set us up to get a goal and win the match.

The fact that we didn't get that goal, was unfortunate, and really is the main key difference between us being lauded for a great away performance, and the fact that from quite a lot of quaters, we are getting stick for that gameplan.

As for what City might or might not do, that is surely totally irrelevant, as they are finding out, being more open is causing them a lot more problems,getting.g beaten by Spurs and soundly by a Barcelona team not even really in first gear, shows that their style is not one that all and sundry should follow blindly.

I would far rather get something out of a match, playing as we did at Anfield, then to get plaudits and to get nothing out of a match, so it is just a case of finding that very tricky balance between the two.

whats the next goal bats? 40pts?

Our minimum target should be a top four place, not just forty points, but slightly more than that hopefully.

If anyone wants a read, Giggs' column in The Telegraph is here:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/...ited-but-decl/

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Even more reason to get the win tomorrow now, with Spurs dropping two points today.

Spurs and Arsenal drawing, Everton getting beat, come on, we really need to take advantage of these slip ups, a draw or a defeat tomorrow, really isn't a good result, only a win will be good enough.

3 points are a must tomorrow and I think we will get them

Finally someone on my wavelength!

Rooney doesn't start PL games now but it's still breaking news on SSN that he isn't in the squad because he picked up an injury in training!

United last won there 4 years ago, (almost exactly 4 years, in fact. It was Oct 28!) and that was the first win for 10 years, apparently!

United were lucky that day. RVP made the OG and scored the second. Chelsea had two players sent off (the Torres one was a bit harsh) and the winner was off side!

I'd take the same luck tomorrow. We might need it with a win record like that!

Wonder how Jose plays it.

How are we all feeling going into this match today?

I am nervous, but confident that we can get the full three points.

I'm a neutral for this one, but I think Chelsea will beat United by one or two goals. I'd probably guess 2-1 or 3-1 final score. Good luck tho.