Jose Mourinho has jibed at the recent injury miracle which saw Alexandre Lacazette feature for Arsenal against Manchester United last weekend.
The French striker was ruled out of the match with a hamstring injury, with Wenger claiming the forward could be out for ‘some time’, before somehow managing to be fit to start the big match at the Emirates last weekend, and even managed to play the entire 90 minutes.
Wenger mentioned on a number of occasions that the striker would definitely and ‘certainly’ not play, and now Jose Mourinho is unbelieving Pep Guardiola’s comments about David Silva.
The Spanish midfielder is said to have ‘felt uncomfortable’ following the weekend’s win over West Ham, and is labelled a doubt for the big game, but Jose is taking the ‘news’ with a pinch of salt, and took a jibe at both managers when naming his injury absences.
“The truth is Eric Bailly no chance for the weekend,” he said.
“Phil Jones, a chance. Fellaini, a chance. Zlatan, a big chance. Matic is injured but will play for sure. I’m telling the truth. He is injured but he will play for sure. Carrick no chance.
“It’s the truth. No stories of Lacazette, David Silva. All the truth.”
Do we think that Arsene Wenger always knew that Alexandre would be fit to feature? Can you remember any other times when the French boss has played such games or told similar lies in the build up to the match? Will this only build to the mind games that Jose employs in future encounters?
Pat J
Wenger is the only coach who will play such a good mind game and still find a way to lose.
mourinho also said matic was out.its normal.
david silva will also play am sure.
i dont know why but i can take a city win over man utd.
if utd win we won’t hear the end of it from mourinho and the stupid man utd fans.
I want City to thrash them!!!
Wenger should not listen to Mourinho, you can’t take anything he says for granted. This was better from Wenger, any slight edge can make a difference, even if it is just mentally like giving you’re lads a boost or the talking about it in media getting into our opponents heads more than it would’ve done otherwise. Because they aren’t sure which type of player they’ll be facing for sure, surely this has to stump their practice to some extent. I believe Wenger and our players need to get better at the little things, deceiving, taking players down at the right time, knowing when a yellow card is the safer of two bets, or even at times red. We showed v Chelsea we have that in us, but then we face Watford, and because we are the bigger team we act like it is beneath us. I don’t get that. When we are in a decent position and the momentum turns, we should jump straight into that Chelsea mode ..at least until we quell the danger and grab some momentum back. Somebody in our team needs to know this, it should be discussed. Wenger, you really need to start surprising us more, because we know our limits only too well without any. Either that or walk away now.
I think the word you’re looking for is “Nous” and the Italians are the Kings of “Nous”, closely followed by the Argentinians, they pick players up after they’ve fouled them, they shake hands with the referee after a yellow card so they don’t get another. I remember years ago when Italy played Argentina in a World cup match and remember thinking this is the world cup of ” Nous”, within minutes the Italians had Maradonna off the pitch. Bottom of World football of “Nous” is definitely the England football team, they’re clueless, scream at players after they’ve fouled them, “GET UP” so they get double punishment, shout at referees, “YOU’RE A CHEAT” so they get no favours, they just haven’t got a clue, they don’t even know the meaning of “Nous”, probably the reason we’ve won nothing for fifty years.
Some people may think it’s cheating but it’s not, just very clever mind games
Well said and completely true. Mind you” nous” is given to very few people , not just few English footballers. You only have to look at some comments posted on here to see the truth of that. So many are totally incapable of letting their head make decisions , rather than their heart with it’s “pie in the sky hopes”, which we all share but which certain of us – the ones with “nous” – know will never happen, merely by wishing.
No, Mourinho isnt correct in complaining about wenger, any manager can say whatever player is not available if he thinks it might tinker with opposition preparations.
Whatever the Greater Portugese Gob says should go in one ear and out the other.
Weegor has been telling lies for the last 9 years so what’s new?
look I’m going to be blunt here, ever since wenger adopt this tiki taka style of football we’ve become a laughing stock. Henry, overmars, Lauren and bergkamp did not play tiki taka rather fast counter excellent interchange between the attack and defence that cumulated in their success. I wish for once wenger we admit he was wrong and change his way but no that man reproach.
Couldn’t agree more. Apparently he changed it around because he couldn’t get Cesc into a two man midfield. I haven’t got a problem with a manager trying something new, but when it didn’t work, as you say, he should have gone back to what brought him so much success in that first decade. Tika taka has NEVER worked for us! We should go back to counter attacking football, and start using big, powerful players again.
Incredibly , there arew some idiots who disliked your sensible comment who do not want big, powerful players. Denilson obviously has a lot of relatives posting on here!
Coming from the king of mind games!!! Sod off Maureen!!
I think these type of games are typically overrated. The players still have to get on the pitch and do the job.
Perhaps a Messi type player might deflate the opponents if he was thought to be injured but a Silva (if you look at City’s options) or a Laca will hardly throw a team like Man U into a losing performance by their mere presence if you ask me.
This is a total non -story with no relevance to results at all. All the football world, including Man Utd fans, knows that Mourinho needs a good moan in order to exist and if nothing is there to moan about , he will create a story out of nothing. We should deny him oxygen by refusing to comment on a nothing matter. I actually believe Wenger on this one, (incredibly for me). Lacazette is clearly our top striker and he was fit, albeit unexpectedly, so he played. As Wenger correctly asked” Should I have left him at home?”. Of course not, so he didn’t. End of NON -STORY.