Of Mourinho, Failure, Brendan Rodgers & Recency Bias

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Of Mourinho, Failure, Brendan Rodgers & Recency Bias

Thank you, all Mourinho supporters, for your 'labour of love' when it comes to defending Mourinho. You are all true Mourihistas!

It takes one to know one

It's amazing how a Mourinho loss elicits a boat-load of comments. You have to be important for this to occur. Nobody cares about a nobody. ( Manchester United 2013-14, I see you! )

The mistake his critics make all the time is that they fail to separate his personality from his achievements. There are Ninjas, on most forums I participate in, who tap dance on my last nerves by what they say (or not say when they should! ) but I still like reading them sometimes. ( I'd like to think that they feel the same way about me too )

See- you can separate the persona from the achievement, if you try!

Mourinho loses matches and suddenly everyone starts screaming: he has failed! He didn't say he won't lose games, he just said he'll win more than all others ( something he's been doing well for more than a decade -under different circumstances)

Yeah, he has got a few key decisions wrong this season, and that may mean he doesn't win any Trophy. If you compare it to his first stint then that is failure

( key- you are comparing Mourinho to Mourinho here)

Crucial- Nobody stays exceptional forever, not even Jose

Having said that, you must bear in mind his most famous saying: "Judge me in my second season"

What I find even more preposterous is the comparison to Managers who are just 'cutting their teeth' on achievements. In this instance - Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers.

I'm not going to bother about Martinez ( who is a very likeable character)

He led Wigan to relegation last season!!

I'm going to talk about this Jizzfest ( deserved, but a Jizzfest is still a Jizzfest ) surrounding Rodgers & Liverpool recently.

This Liverpool side is not better than Chelsea's on paper but Rodgers may win the league with them. Kudos to Brendan Rodgers if he pulls it off.

This unlikely triumph is what happens when the Galaxies align in your favour ( you'll not have any European distractions at the start of the season, you'll concede 2 or more goals in many matches and still outscore the opposition, your main rivals will lose matches they should have won, you'll be eliminated early from all domestic cup competitions)

It was how the Galaxies aligned for Roberto DiMateo ( RDM) & Chelsea in 2011-12 Champions League. I think it'll be uncharitable to simply call it luck ( 'cos there's a lot of hard work involved in both cases) Let us just say that this game has a way of turning everything you believe about it on its head sometimes

Just like RDM, Rodgers will have no hiding place again from next season ( IF he pulls this EPL thingy off) He will enjoy a reputation for incredible technical acumen among his peers after this season, it will be interesting to see how he uses such newfound authority.

Compare him to people like Mourinho then- if he translates that to more success!

In other words: don't fall into the trap of allowing what is good now make you forget what has been great previously ( Recency bias)

 

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Chelsea 1 vs Sunderland 2-Bitter blow for Blues

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Chelsea 1 vs Sunderland 2-Bitter blow for Blues

On paper this was the easiest of the remaining 4 features
However 2 things were required to prevent Sunderland doing a Man City on us :
Focus & Swashbuckling lethality in front of goal
(We didn't do either as it turned out! )
Petr Cech was a notable Chelsea absentee- he had picked up a virus earlier in the week. In stepped the experience Mark Schwarzer ( in the process he became the oldest ever Chelsea player to get a game )
Chelsea Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
Mark Schwarzer; Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry (c), Cesar Azpilicueta; Ramires, Nemanja Matic; Willian, Oscar, Mohamed Salah; Samuel Eto'o.
CFC bench: Hilario, David Luiz, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Andre Schurrle, Demba Ba.
Sunderland Starting XI (4-4-2)
Mannone, Vergini, Alonso, Brown, O'Shea (c), Cattermole, Colback, Larsson, Johnson, Borini, Wickham.
SAFC bench: Celustka, Altidore, Ba, Giaccherini, Scocco, Mavrias, Ustari.
For minute by minute account of the match, check out this link:
The match highlights:
12' - Samuel Eto'o wins corner and volleys home the set-piece. Life in the old dog yet.goal
18'- Connor Wickham equalises for Sunderland. A corner was played out deep to Alonso ( he was unmarked at the edge of the box) , who shoots from long distance. Schwarzer saves but spills the rebound into the path of Wickham, who pokes in to equalise.
Game on!
36'- Mannone saves from an Ivanovic header. The ball hits the crossbar and the Keeper gratefully cradles the rebounding ball
42' - Mannone made a double save - initially from a long range effort from Matic, then from the follow up by Salah.
Moments later, Chelsea players appeal for a handball in Sunderland's box, but referee Mike Dean waves play on ( rightly so as it would have been cruel on the Sunderland defender if that was given. His arms were by his side in trying to block the effort)
44' -Ramires misses an open goal with a header from a cross- 'cos he was smacked in the back by Larsson. The player made no attempt to get the ball. One has seen penalties given for such challenges before
45' -Ramires swings a forearm at Larsson's face. and connects. Larsson hits the deck. Apparently he was upset that the Sunderland player clipped his legs. But it appeared that the Ref didn't see it. That should have been a straight red card!
Second Half:
48' - Chelsea counter at pace. Willian leads the break down the middle and lays off for Eto'o on the left. Eto'o curls his shot toward the back post, where Mannone appears beaten, but the ball rolls inches wide! Agonisingly close!
As a Chelsea fan, you start to worry. It's that Déjà Vu feeling against weaker oppositions again!
59'- Oscar, who had a disappointing game, was replaced by Ba as Mou changed the formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 in search of (possibly) the winning goal
65'—Chelsea should have been ahead: Ba holds up play well and lays off for Willian, who powers to the byline and pulls back to the striker. However, rather than control the ball-as he was completely unmarked in the 6- yard box- he mis-hits his shot well off target. You just had this ominous feeling that it was going to be a bad day for Chelsea after that terrible miss!!
66'- Schurrle replaces Salah. Johnson and Wickham came off, Altidore and Giaccherini replaced the duo for Sunderland
74'- Torres came on for Eto'o ( it was Chelsea's final change.) Torres as saviour....hmmm...not looking good at all
81' -Azpilicueta slips, loses possession then fells Altidore in the box. Penalty!!
This was what it looked like until you watch the replay. The striker made a meal of it ( rightly) as Azpi didn't touch his leg. Indeed he caught Azpi's calf with his trailing leg. Perhaps Azpi should have stayed on his feet though, 'cos once a defender goes down in the box like that it's difficult for him to get the right call most times.
Borini takes a stutter in his run-up and slots the ball down the middle. Goal!!
Sunderland leads 2-1 at the Bridge
Disaster!!!!
That was the first penalty Chelsea will concede in the Premier League penalty since January 12, 2013 (against Stoke City).
A member of Chelsea's coaching staff was sent off. He was really livid at the award of the penalty to Sunderland
86'- Torres' cross is handled in the box by Cattermole. Ref waves play on as he felt it was unintentional. That's debatable though as a goal-scoring opportunity was prevented
Chelsea couldn't just fashion out an equaliser despite 5 mins ( +1) of added time.
José Mourinho's 77-game unbeaten league sequence in this arena had been curtailed by the division's bottom club, a team without a win in the elite since early February, with the decisive goal converted by a former Chelsea player-Fabio Borini
His goal help eliminate us in the COCup too. The ex-Chelsea guy must be really upset with the club
Thoughts
-Chelsea faced an inferior opponent playing a deep and narrow defence. The home side dominated possession and created several decent chances, but failed to take any, bar the Eto'o goal
All in all, this was a pretty typical Chelsea game during the post-Didier Drogba era. This was the story of Mourinho's first season- which is looking like a Trophy-less one now ( Everton, Newcastle, Stoke, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are nodding their heads in agreement )
-Strikers let Mourinho down this season.
Torres still has 4 goals in the EPL -in week 35!! But the Gaffer should take the majority of the blame. He had a pre-season with this Team. To think that he let Lukaku go on loan & kept the Spaniard!
I'll be able to stomach this season (trophy-less? ) if TORRES LEAVES!! at the end of it.
Sell Ba too. I won't mind keeping Eto'o for one more season though ( as 3rd choice behind a new striker & Lukaku)
-Mark Schwarzer was at fault for the equaliser, he needed to push that Alonso shot wide. Match Rustiness?
-Ramires should have been sent off- QED. I foresee the FA taking retrospective action. I won't be shedding a tear. Ramires has been poor all season
Still on Ramires, Chelsea should have got a penalty for the shove on his back in the box. This plus Sunderland's penalty were two of the contentious decisions today which didn't go our way. Baffling, if you consider that we're playing at home too. Is Mike Dean a Liverpool supporter in disguise?
-what's up with the slippery pitch today? Schwarzer was falling all over each time he kicked the ball and it ultimately cost us too- with the Azpi slip.
-What happened to Oscar? He has been putting in a lot of poor performances since Mata was sold
This team has a lot of midfielders but no true No 10- that special player who can open a defence with a great quick pass. Mata? Irony?
-That Mourinho unbeaten home record had to go at some point. I'm happy it was to Gus Poyet & not one of Mou's main Rivals
I hope Sunderland stays up now after their plucky performance this week
-Surely, Liverpool can't lose this now. They have been the most consistent and it would be difficult to begrudge them
-Having said that we'll still be supporting Norwich tomorrow 'cos that's what true fans do. Pix 4 too!
It ain't over till the fat lady sings!

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Love in the time of Cholera

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Love in the time of Cholera

(El Amor en los tiempo del colera)

One of the bestselling novels by Nobel laureate, the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez, who died yesterday at 87. His death & the book were trending on Twitter

The main characters of the novel are Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza. Both Florentino and Fermina fell in love with each other in their youth.

However Fermina's father disapproved, he gave his blessing to her subsequent marriage to an eminent man in society, a doctor, Urbino- who is also a cholera specialist

Ariza never stopped loving her ( though he had so many trysts an affairs on his own)

They had an opportunity to be together again in their old age when Dr Urbino died following an accident

Several themes were addressed in the Novel:

-Love sickness is literally an illness, a disease comparable to cholera.

The term cholera as it is used in Spanish, cólera, can also denote human rage and ire. (The English adjective choleric has the same meaning.) It is this second meaning to the title that manifests itself in Ariza's hatred for Urbino's marriage to Fermina,

-Love is imperfect and humans are complicated- Ariza's dalliances while still holding a torch for his one true love, Fermina.

- Love is endless. The question how long can you wait for love may not have an answer

-There are physical difficulties of love as one gets older. So one could be tempted to view love as a young person's prerogative

Two great quotes from the novel:

"He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”

― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

"He was still too young to know that the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past.”

― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

There's a 2007 flick, starring Javier Bardem ( No Country For Old Men) based on the book. ( it got mixed to negative reviews by the Critics-basically showing the enormously daunting task of adapting such a brilliant book to the big Screen)

 

Shakira wrote 2 songs for the flick:

i. Despedida ( which means farewell, goodbye)

was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Song.

ii. Hay Amores ( Hey a Lovers) is another beautiful song.

 

 

 

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The Artists Formerly Known As Barça, who will henceforth be known as Plain Old Barcelona...and their Talisman Lionel 'Missing' Messi

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The Artists Formerly Known As Barça, who will henceforth be known as Plain Old Barcelona...and their Talisman Lionel 'Missing' Messi

Why the change of name?

In five games against Atlético, Barcelona won none. They scored just twice. They have scored only six goals in their last six games, against Granada, Betis, Espanyol, in the two games against Atlético and against Real. Three came from penalties (one on the rebound) and another was an own goal. Yesterday's goal was very unBarca-like: a header from a defender, Marc Batra!!

The case against Messi (some Barca fans' perspective):

Argentine coach ( Tata( clysm ) Martino )was brought in for Messi. Ibrahimovic ( Ibra) 'kicked out' because of Messi. Pep left because the team (likely Messi) wasn’t responding like it used to. Messi gets a new contract every year. Messi has become too powerful and instead of doing the right thing for Barca they do the right thing for Messi.

Everybody is so damn scared of Messi because they think he was the only reason Barca won all the cups forgetting about two of the great midfielders to ever play ( Iniesta/Xavi) and the coach that created it all ( Pep Guardiola) Bring in a real striker and get Messi to be challenged/step up his game or let him cry all he wants.

Compare to Madrid: No way will they do all this for Ronaldo. Ozil was kicked out- it doesn’t matter how much Ronaldo complained. Bale brought in and many thought he will make Ronaldo less important. Doesn’t matter. Team over player

Ibra's 'damning' evidence:

"It was a childhood dream and I was walking on air,’ said Ibrahimovic. ’It started well but then Messi started to talk.

‘He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed’

So I asked for a meeting with Guardiola – for a discussion, not an argument. I said I was being used in the wrong way and that they shouldn’t have bought me if they wanted another type of player.

’I told him what a friend had said to me – “you bought a Ferrari but drive it like a Fiat”. The chat seemed to go well but then Guardiola started to freeze me out"

Frankly speaking: a lot of this is half-baked tosh ( & we all know how Narcissistic Ibra can be)

However there are a few truths in it. These inevitably come under scrutiny when things go south ( 'cos football fans are fickle. We forget easily)

A typical example is this criticism by a fan:

"When you are sh*t hot and scoring goals for fun and the team is winning, walk around the pitch all you want. When you are not, don't. You look like a tit! Shocking level of desire, commitment and lack of professionalism!!

Some of us didn't think that we'd live to see this day!!

Lionel Messi vilified! Sacrilege!

Lionel Messi one of the greatest to play this game

( Had to put this here: He's not GOAT, y'all know where I stand on that ish. PELE!!

I don't think Messi will ever be now. )

Moral of the story- No one stays exceptional for ever. Not Iniesta, not Xavi, not Messi, not even the greatest clubside to play the game (Barca 2011 on my mind)

(Now, that Tiki Taka is just as dry as a Popcorn fart! )

Never mind, things will get better when they fortify the squad in the transfer window- particularly that leaky defence

Meh!

There may not be a transfer window if the lawyers don't successfully overturn the ban!!

Lest I forget: Pinto makes Victor Valdez look like Sepp Maier.

He is a joke of a keeper. The sooner he gets back on his horse to lead The Dothraki on their next raid, the better . Khal Drogo on my mind!

Wait! Don't tell me you don't watch GoT!! Shame on you!

You can actually spend quality time elsewhere, you know!

Let's say the Transfer ban is upheld:

Here's a suggestion for next Season-

Neymar, Messi, Gerard Deulofeu

Iniesta, Rafinha

Busquets

Alba Pique Bartra Montoya

Masip

Bench: Xavi, Alexis, Edgar Le, Adama, Jean Marie Dongou, Pedro, Mascherano.

Tata Martino is a 'dead man walking' in Managerial terms

His main criticism:

-the persistence with Cesc and Neymar in big games, when their presence clearly constricts the spaces Iniesta and Messi play into, is monumentally stupid. Tata does it again and again even though both Alexis and Pedro have been better when called upon this season.

In his defence- people say he didn't really call the shots at the club

Possible Replacements:

Manager: Jurgen Klopp or Roberto Martinez

My view: Sell Fabregas and Alves. ( there's a certain Manager who loves a bargain purchase in the Premiership who might be interested! )

What sayeth thou?

 

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Joke of the Day

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Joke of the Day

Overheard: Pulis for EPL Manager of the year, unless Brendan wins the League, or Jose does the 'big Double'

Why is everybody discounting David Moyes? He has made a lot of people very happy!! Lol

 

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