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One of the criticisms often made against Mourinho is that he is a "destroyer" coach who basically looks to prevent other teams from playing rather than imposing his team's will against their opponents. Using Pepe as a DM last week brought about some criticism however Pepe was the difference maker last week and unfortunately the goat yesterday. Once again Mourinho provided material for his detractors yesterday as he used 3 DMs in the middle of the park, 3 of which were dropped back deep in hopes of suffocating Barca's attack. While it was a pretty effective strategy in terms of preventing Barca from creating much for 75 minutes, it also hurt Real as well since Real's attackers got very little service. I understand that Barca are a very strong team, the last time Real tried to outplay Barca they lost 5-0 and that this competition puts a premium on away goals so strategically speaking it makes sense to defend at home, however for 4 matches now we've seen Real score a grand total of just 2 goals. This is a team full of world class players. This is a $500m team. Although its been rare, we've seen other teams exploit Barca's defence and score goals against them. We all know that Barca love to open up and as a result they concede several chances almost every match however we've rarely seen Real willing to take risks and go forward when the opportunities have prevented themselves. You can say that Mourinho's tactics have been somewhat effective in limiting Barca to just 3 goals in their last 3 match-ups but at the same time Real have only won one of those matches and havent scored a normal goal in regular time in that same span. Real obviously have to do something differently not only next week but also next season vs. Barca.Originally Posted by Jking0821
Some great points there carlos tevez and i agree with them all really. But it is easier said then done. Messi and barca are one of the best teams ever put together. To real's defense NO one has been able to "figure out" barca. They are an amazing group of players, and what messi did yesterday was outstanding. That second goal was ridiculous.Originally Posted by khoshabasfinest23
So true, it worked for him well at Inter so hes sticking with it. I agree though he needs to switch it up
Like you said, too many world class players on that squad and they arent opening it up. atleast try a different game plan against barca once. hes got nothing to lose at the camp, already down 0-2 on aways. Their CL run is over. Might as well try something new for the 2nd leg
If i were Mourinho i would be afraid that if i opened it up i would get crushed and embarrassed. I really thought putting Pepe at Defensive midfield was a great idea. He was disruptive and an enforcer each game he was there. I thought his game plan was excellent really, stale mate and go for counter attack in the second half. Ive seen CR7 turn the ball over on stupid back heel passes and flicks, di maria dribbling at 3-4 defenders at a time, marcelo thinking he is arjen robben, seen it all way too much to think that they can hang in the possession game with barca. But for entertainments sake i hope they play more attacking in the second leg. As stated before you really have nothing to lose.
The thing that kills me is that Mourinho has allowed his boys to go all out attack and destroy opponents all season long but the last 3 matches vs Barca they've been way too respectful of their opponents IMO. As good as Real are, I think they are Mourinho should've realized that its almost impossible to keep Barca off the score sheet over 2 matches and that Real were going to have to score more than 1-goal over 180 minutes to advance to the finals.
