Football in the digital age has become a worldwide phenomenon, but as technology advances we begin to wonder... Has it gone too far?
We've got bullshit twitter agents fabricating stories and mangled quotes from foreign publications feeding those who crave transfer news daily, but never before have I seen a video of a manager walking out of his office paused to get a look at his tactics board.
That appears to have happened this evening, and if it's true, it mean Jose Mourinho is already planning his team with Paul Pogba in it.
Earlier today Jose Mourinho uploaded a video clip of him leaving his office ready to head off to China, here it is:
But before he left, Matilde Mourinho, Jose's wife, uploaded a blurry photo of her man leaving for China with a whiteboard blurrily visible in the background:
Ready to Beijing.?? pic.twitter.com/agucCzvtGY
— Matilde Mourinho (@MourinhoMatilde) July 19, 2016
After one fan jokingly mentioned that he could read half of the board, another fan decided to have a go at decoding what was on it, and if he is correct it means that Luke Shaw is starting at left back, Daley Blind will be a sub behind Smalling, and Marouane Fellaini is the second option for the left central midfield spot... Behind Paul Pogba:
@MourinhoMatilde i can just about read half of the tactics board
— -_- (@UnitedFan247) July 19, 2016
ENHANCE!!
@MourinhoMatilde pic.twitter.com/XVHgEj08tC
— Iwan (@IwanJonesMUFC) July 19, 2016
That is some CSI level investigating right there.
For comparison, a user on r/reddevils uploaded the zoomed in image without the red scribbles:
If you look hard, and we did so purely for science and not for the transfer muppet inside of us, it's actually not that difficult to believe. Although it could be Mata, it's unlikely one play would have two spots on the pitch at once and... It's Juan Mata in central midfield of a Mourinho team.
The board clearly has Shaw above Rojo, and Martial above Memphis... But who is in midfield!?
Does this confirm Paul Pogba to Manchester United? Absolutely not, but it does sum up the tedious wait for the new season to start and perfectly fit what it measn to support a football team in the current internet age.
It's much more hard evidence than a celebrity chef, anyway.
