After having time to reflect.
I'm still angry at Ange, he looked bemused, he wasnt barking instructions and was not motivating players from the touchline.
Secondly, we have no ruthless leader who can lift players when times are difficult.
Its going to be a roller coaster season and we're gonna have to get used to it.
Onwards and Upwards
COYS
Your point about us needing a ruthless leader is spot on, our team is full of nice guys who don't have the spark in them to really stand up and give everyone in the team a good kick up the ass when it's duly needed.
Sonny is wayyyy too much of a soft touch and should never of been chosen as captain - I am willing to die on this hill.
Levy and Lange want a group of players that will gel and have minimal disharmony within the group. That's reasonable on paper, but what you're missing is having feisty but intelligent personality types who are willing to cause disharmony in the short term, for the sake of the long term. Players who are willing to stand up and speak up when the team need a good talking to about their attitude, whether that's on the training pitch or during the heat of a game when you're failing to adapt and overcome the change in momentum.
We need ruthless leaders but also some high energy terrier types in midfield like Gallagher, someone who once dispossessed will be hot on your heels immediately frothing at the bit trying to get the ball back, harassing you
constantly.
One thing that Mourinho is right about, is we need to be more nasty all over the pitch, dirty tactics (within reason) to reach our objective - which is to win the fuggin game, every game, even if it means breaking a few nails in the process!
One thing I would do if I was manager, would be to tell the players to cut out the theatrics when being challenged, and keep on your feet. It sends a message to other teams that you're a bunch of hard bastards! I would only tell them to perform this south american inspired theatrics in the penalty box.
Your other point largely nullifies my argument in support of Ange, whereby I was saying he's not subbing off certain low performing players, because he wants to see how they respond to shock and adversity without him needing to spoon feed them stuff if he's already told them a thousand times in training.
But clearly these players need a good head wobble and reminder to play with heart and grit. But here's where Ange has gone wrong - when the momentum has clearly shifted significantly against them, give them 5, maybe ten MAX to sort things out, but if they are still under the cosh and haven't got their shit together....that's when you start spouting orders.....but christ if they're additionally letting in goals for fun, then that's when you start acting like a raging banshee if necessary, as the players have clearly completely lost control of the game and are at a loss at how to adapt - THIS is when you need leadership from you manager and captain the most.
The fact that the barking orders part was completely absent with Ange throughout the entirety of the period we started letting in goals for fun....that to me is odd by its own admission and sad!