Mourinho far from sack and baffling Shaw criticism lead Man United talking points

Matt Jones - Editor 22:10 26/11/2018
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  • Mourinho's exit doesn't solve all the issues at Manchester United.

    Manchester United’s rollercoaster season lurches on and into the Champions League on Tuesday as they welcome Young Boys to Old Trafford.

    After a miserable result and performance against Crystal Palace at the weekend, there is not much cheer swirling around Sir Matt Busby Way as Red Devils fans become increasingly disillusioned with life under Jose Mourinho.

    However, a win against the Swiss side would go some way to booking their spot in the knockout phase of the competition.

    Ahead of a game which Mourinho and United enter under yet more strain and pressure, we analyse the talking points.

    IS THE AXE REALLY BEING SHARPENED?

    1005 United Talking Points

    As increasingly closer as he seems to be to getting the boot, it’s just as likely in reality that Mourinho might not really be that close at all to the Old Trafford exit door.

    Yes, there is clearly not a lot of trust in the manager, whether you’re talking about the majority of players or higher up, for example when it comes to investment – Ed Woodward made that very clear when he failed to back his man in the summer transfer market. But Woodward is a marketing man and unlikely to pull the trigger while money-making United remain in the money-spinning Champions League.

    Of course, if United were to drop out in the group stage, then there would honestly be no logical reason to keep the Portuguese in power.

    But they play host to Group H whipping boys Young Boys on Tuesday – and the reverse leg in Switzerland to kick-off the tournament was arguably United’s most ruthless performance of this season.

    They do face a daunting trip to Valencia on the final matchday but Los Che go to Turin on Tuesday and defeat there, coupled with a Red Devils’ win in Manchester, means United will be in the knockout stages and that makes it devilishly difficult to sack the manager.

    THEATRE OF NIGHTMARES

    Harry Wilson scored a superb free-kick as Derby prevailed in the League Cup.

    Harry Wilson scored a superb free-kick as Derby prevailed in the League Cup at Old Trafford.

    Speaking of formalities, just because they beat Young Boys black and blue in Bern on matchday one, is no indication of how this encounter is going to go.

    This is United’s worst start to a Premier League season in 28 years and what was previously a fortress in Old Trafford, has become a fallacy in recent times.

    United’s record at home in all competitions this season reads: won three, drawn three, lost three. When you consider the visitors to the Theatre of Dreams have been Leicester, Tottenham, Wolves, Championship Derby, Valencia, Newcastle, Juventus, Everton and Crystal Palace, it’s readily apparent how much of a nightmare the fans are living.

    OK, so Juve and Spurs are top-class sides, who absolutely strolled to their respective 1-0 and 3-0 victories. Meanwhile, Newcastle arrived with confidence rock bottom following a failure to win any of their opening eight games to start the 2018/19 season, yet the home side needed a stirring and, sadly these days, alien fightback to earn a 90th-minute win.

    They almost rescued themselves from embarrassment against Frank Lampard’s visiting Rams in the League Cup third round. But after Marouane Fellaini’s 95th minute equaliser extended the game to extra time, Derby deservedly prevailed on penalties.

    So, while they might think they’re coming up against the masters on Tuesday, there is much to cheer and little to lose for Young Boys.

    NOT SO SHAW

    Luke Shaw has come on leaps and bounds this season.

    Luke Shaw has come on leaps and bounds this season.

    Young players and their development (or lack, thereof) has always been a stick used to beat Mourinho with.

    And before the Palace game, some bizarre comments made by the manager surfaced.

    “Luke Shaw. When I got here two years ago, the boy didn’t even know how to compete. Great potential, yes, but he doesn’t know how to compete.

    “And when we talk about Luke Shaw, about Martial, about Lingard, about Marcus Rashford, we’re talking about boys with great potential but who still are lacking – a word I can’t say but you like to say a lot – having that. They’re lacking a bit of this.”

    Now, we are all aware how words can be misconstrued and lines buried in backs of interviews are twisted to contort the true narrative of conversations.

    But why Mourinho felt the need to thrust Shaw into any potentially damaging limelight is hard to fathom given his gargantuan progress.

    He has been United’s best player of the season so far, by a distance, form that has returned him to the England team. It is both encouraging and hugely impressive given he was arguably predicted to be first out of the door in the summer.

    Yes, he’s lacked focus and discipline at various stages over the last four-and-a-half years. But he revealed in September that his double leg fracture three years prior almost resulted in amputation, so it’s hard to rationalise how difficult that road back must have been.

    His manager could not have asked more of him this term, so the fact he seems to be doing exactly that is baffling.

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