AVB: "I refuse to build a team like City...

[Bellyeye]

 

[cibaman]

I quite like the phrase "attacking efficiency above all". We should make a banner.

 

[r.soleofsalford]

I'm a Chelsea supporter. I come in peace.

What you have to remember is that Andre Villas-Boas was with Mourinho at Inter Milan for a while. He has seen Italian football up close & he is now seeing City up close & I completely agree with him.

One thing I do hate is the notion that playing like an Italian team is a negative or it somehow means you don't play good football. That is complete & utter bullshit & I don't believe he meant it that way at all.

Av-B also refuses to deviate from building a team with English style philosophy, the way Tottenham are playing. The same with Brendan Rodgers at Swansea & Guardiola. They are all dogmatic about this one style of play.

I love that Mourinho comes to England & embraces the English style. Initially he came wanting to play a diamond that he employed at Porto, built more for central passing possesion game. He learns the game here more, uses Drogba as the traditional number 9, 2 pacey wingers in Duff & Robben.. Box-to-Box midfielders.

He goes to Italy with Inter, tries to take the 4-3-3 with this, it doesn't work, he adapts to create the Italian way of playing.

Now any one that knows about Italian football knows about the thought put into building their sides. Prima Punta's trequartista's, seconda punta's, regista's, Tuttofare's.

We JUST played Napoli & they were so efficient in attack, they punished us.
What happened when Ac Milan played against Arsenal? Did Milan play boring? No.
Italian football is more about tactical intelligence, demonstrated in this Manchester City side. You have all the different roles you need in a successful side covered.

& when you have the ingredients & you set it out well, then you can achieve tactical efficiency. Boas says that WE need that. We're not functioning in attack well at the moment.

You can see with Napoli they have Hamsik, Cavani & Lavezzi as a front three.
Is it a coincidence? One is a playmaker one is a goalscorer & the other is a 2nd striker?
Kaka, Crespo, Shevchenko.. Totti, Batistuta, Montella, Messi, Eto'o, Ronaldinho..

That's the idea behind having the likes of Silva, Dzeko & Balotelli
Nasri was bought as cover to Silva as an attacking playmaker.. Aguero has become a prima for you etc. etc..

Chelsea have Mata, Torres, Sturridge to try & achieve the same attacking efficiency, but there are some tuning problems.

The big differences Boas is talking of are the principles, for instance Mancini loves a Defensive midfielder, that much is clear from his time at Inter & City, but, it's only to loose the shackles to allow more freedom for his attacking players.

The Italian philosophy is more departmental. Boas likes that Luiz attacks, he plays Bosingwa over the more defensively sound Ivanovic.

Whereas the Italian way is to think intelligently, cut & slice teams & punish them.
He wants to create a team more flamboyant, less cautious.

You look sooo Italian & when you wear that away kit of yours it's incredible, but, I personally much prefer the Italian style to Spanish teams.

just the papers doing paper stuff

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Out of his depth, and now out of his fucking mind.

Clown

 

[SingBlue]

What he said:

<<“There’s an exact formula to be successful in the Premier League - and that’s what City is doing right now.

“It is attacking efficiency above all. City is a very organised, efficient, well-balanced team. All they want right now is to be champions.

“But I refuse to build a team like City. I don’t like the standards of their football. If I saw City playing in Italy, I would say that’s where they actually belong. They are an Italian team, they follow the Italian standards.”>>

You have to admire a man who sticks to his principles, he claims he doesn't want to build a team that is "organised, efficient, well-balanced" and he certainly hasn't allowed organization, balance or efficiency to affect his work at Chelsea.

But of course that may be unfair, maybe we should judge him on his much lauded achievements at Porto.

If only there was some way to measure City against a great team like Porto. Then we could see how far we are behind his vision of how a team should be built. If only we could play them one day in some sort of inter country tournament of some kind. Maybe over 2 legs, home and away, so it's fair. I wonder what the aggregate score would be if such a thing were possible.

Then we'd know if he was right or not.

 

[john@staustell]

As each week goes by it confirms my initial theory that this guy was all about 'The Emperor's New Clothes', and in reality he is a totally incompetent idiot.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Less than a week ago, Boas was also having a dig saying we would be exposed by Porto because we can't defend and leave ourselves wide open on the counter-attack

Now he says we are too Italian, forgive me, but which part doesn't add up.

He's taken little digs all season at us and I for one can't wait for us to serve him up his P45 when they get tanked at our place.

 

[bluemonkey71]

Less than a week ago, Boas was also having a dig saying we would be exposed by Porto because we can't defend and leave ourselves wide open on the counter-aatck

Now he says we are too Italian, forgive me, but which part doesn't add up.

He's taken little digs all season at us and I for one can't wait for us to serve him up his P45 when they get tanked at our place.

Amen

 

[Hamann Pineapple]

I laugh at his at his touchline antics, doesn't look like a football manager, more of a cross between David Brent and Clouseau. I cringe at his interviews, he talks in riddles, the ultimate sign of someone trying to bullshit his way through something.

 

[baldybouncer]

Anybody who wears a mac like that needs deporting!