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We are currently in the international break and this will give Mourinho and his stars some much-needed break off the Premier League. Of all the able Premier League teams at the moment, Manchester United is currently the one in a lot of trouble. A disgruntled fan base, a manager under fire, a board that seemingly doesn’t care about anything but the bottom line and a torn apart dressing room, that’s all that can summarize Manchester United. This is a total disaster, to say the least.
The team is currently playing for the sake of it and no one looks happy to be playing for Manchester United at this time. You’d expect players like Fellaini, Smalling, Bailly and Valencia to be proud of playing for the biggest club they will ever play for, but no, they are all there to fill the numbers. Somehow somewhere, Mourinho has gone seriously wrong with the club’s executive and the mediocre bunch of players he currently has at his disposal.
What can he do to change the tide of the team and at least save face? At least to even have some kind of reputation to make other top teams consider appointing him when he leaves Old Trafford (it is a matter of when not if). First thing’s first, Jose needs to change his approach and stop trying to overly-complicate his tactics. We all know he’s a basics kind of manager and he needs to go back to being just that. Mourinho needs to now go back to the basics in all aspects of this team or else it will only get worse for him and his charges. Here's how the Manchester United manager can achieve this without having to make drastic changes. That he can wait to do when the season ends if he is still the boss at Old Trafford.
#1 Build on a strong defence
There’s one notion that only Fantasy Football managers can’t understand. All title-winning teams are built on the backs of a strong defence. When you shut down your opponent you have a high chance of winning the game than trying to outscore your opponent.
Manchester United currently don't have the best personnel to keep a clean sheet; that despite having the best goalkeeper in the world. This comes down to the manager, this is a problem he identified a long time ago and he needs to address it, from within the club. He should spend more hours with his current crop of defenders and help them work on positioning and winning duels.
#2 Have a runner in the midfield
Who actually runs in the Manchester United midfield? Pogba is way too lazy to do the donkey task and also considers himself too much of a star to keep track of opposing players. Matic is the holding player in the midfield, much like what Carrick used to do. Plus he’s too slow to run up and down the field and doesn’t possess the engine to keep up even if he tries. Fellaini is more of a shield when he plays, he guards the back four and pretty much does nothing more even when being played in an advanced position. So who actually covers the ground for Manchester United?
Well, Jose needs to address that and quick. He went into the transfer window and bought Fred but that singing hasn’t paid off yet, so he needs to address that part. Or rather, he already has a player in that mould in Herrera who he can use to great effect. Herrera is strong defensively, can spot a pass, he is capable of scoring and also has the engine to run the ground for 90 minutes. In addition to that, Herrera isn’t afraid or embarrassed about shadowing an opposing player, ask Eden Hazard. The runner will also ease the burden on the defenders and hence the defenders' sole concentration will be on the opposing teams’ main striker(s).
#3 Flying wingers
This season Mourinho has been playing with three midfielders which begs the question, why aren’t his wing-forwards performing?
On paper, Manchester United has some of the best wing-forwards in the game today. Look at Martial, Rashford and Sanchez, when on song any of these three can walk straight into any team. But why aren’t they performing? Only Jose can answer that question. Rashford was a couple of seasons being compared to Mbappe but look at the distance now. Martial was taunted as the best French talent when United forked out over €50 million to get him. Sanchez? We all know what he’s capable of doing, but why isn’t he doing as much for Manchester United? Mourinho should unshackle these players and let them mesmerize the fans while tormenting their opponents.
#4 Show Pogba who’s boss
If rumours are to be believed then, more than half the dressing room is siding with Pogba than with the manager, while the other half are in between. Can you see that happening when Ferguson was calling the shots at Old Trafford? Hell no! I mean, people tried to challenge the Scot but it ended badly for all of them in the end. He knew he was boss, carried himself as such and ran the dressing room as the boss as well.
Mourinho has let Pogba’s ego become his downfall and it’s time he clipped the French superstar’s wings, even if it is the last thing he does at Machester United. He needs to create an environment where anyone that stands against him is a good as gone and he can only do that if the board feels assured he’s there for the long haul. There’s no way the board will back someone who thinks of managing Porto sometime in the future.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that Mourinho is a good manager and he has an average Manchester United squad at his disposal at the moment. He needs to go back to the basics of what made him the “Special One” in the first place or else, taking the Manchester United job that he always craved for, will be his biggest undoing.
