Manchester United need to stick with Jose Mourinho to avoid further trouble

Sooraj Kamath - Writer 11:41 01/11/2018
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  • Mourinho's exit doesn't solve all the issues at Manchester United.

    Jose Mourinho was rumoured to be given the sack heading into the Newcastle fixture last month. The Portuguese has held on to his job and the team’s performances in the following games have made a statement in support of their manager.

    After going down by two goals, Manchester United completed a remarkable comeback, inspired by an impressive performance by Anthony Martial. United were then unlucky at Stamford Bridge, conceding a leveller at the death after a dominating second-half performance.

    The Red Devils were never the favourites against Italian giants Juventus in their Champions League clash, but they did well to limit the damage to just a single goal and were close to equalising through Pogba’s ambitious effort which grazed the woodwork.

    The concerns from the United fans and the pressure from the media is justified, given that Mourinho was handed a highly coveted portfolio which comes with enormous expectations. However, to oust the 55-year-old at this or any point of the ongoing season would not be a great idea for United. We look at some of the reasons why…

    BORING FOOTBALL? 

    Manchester United's French midfielder Paul Pogba

    Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba

    The current United is said to lack identity under Mourinho and the football has been termed “boring”.

    United are certainly not on par with their rivals when the brand of football is considered. They have definitely under-performed to their high standards but to accuse Mourinho of playing a brand of football without an identity is baseless.

    United play in a 4-3-3 formation which shifts to a 4-1-4-1 in defence. The defensive midfielder drops to create a numerical superiority and the defence looks to soak up the pressure. This isn’t particularly disparate from Fernandinho dropping deep to protect the defence for Manchester city.

    Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku indulge in man-oriented pressing higher up the pitch, preventing build-up play and forcing the opponent to play cross-field balls. Although this is not identical to Jurgen Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’, it can be thought of as an effective variation of the same.

    United have not perfectly executed a textbook system or brand of football but accusing them of playing without an identity is uncalled for.

    INDIVIDUAL MISTAKES 

    Romelu Lukaku

    Romelu Lukaku

    Lukaku has scored four goals this season in 10 games and has an xG (expected goals) of 4.40. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored seven goals in 10 games but the Gabon international has achieved this at an xG of just 3.95. This highlights how dismal the Belgian has been in front of goal.

    It’s also interesting to note that United have accumulated an xG of 16.57 which is greater than Arsenal (14.14) and almost equal with Tottenham (17.68). Simply put, United have created clear-cut chances just like their counterparts higher up the table but the impotency of the players in the final third has failed to convert most of their goals.

    Similarly, it’s the individual mistakes at the back, rather than the failure of the system that has let in most goals. Chris Smalling has been inconsistent, Victor Lindelof has been short on confidence and Eric Bailly has just been error-prone.

    Sacking Mourinho would seem tempting at first but there’s no assurance of Lukaku converting into Cristiano Ronaldo on a Tuesday night under his successor.

    THE PROBLEM LIES ELSEWHERE

    Ed Woodward, executive vice-chairman of Manchester United

    Ed Woodward, executive vice-chairman of Manchester United

    The United board turned down Mourinho’s request of signing a central defender on the pretense that there’s no upgrade over United’s current defence.

    The 55-year-old must shoulder part of the blame, given Bailly and Lindelof were his signings and the pair failed to impress. However, Harry McGuire and Toby Alderweireld are established players unlike the former two who were mere prospects at that time and the board refusing to approach these players should have less to do with Mourinho’s judgment.

    Former United defender Gary Neville has criticised the board of being incompetent. The hierarchy does not include a position for a sporting director and the entire system faces complications at the root.

    Unless those issues are attended to, there is no assurance of Mourinho’s successor doing any better. A managerial change before the end of the season can also give rise to other transition-related problems.

    The panic button must be activated only in the wake of a crisis and Manchester United are far from it.

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