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When you are 2 goals down after 20 minutes in an away game, you can almost hear your heartbeat. Manchester United found themselves in familiar territory at St. Mary's Stadium, when they went a goal down early in the first half.
Stuart Armstrong unleashed a venomous volley that stunned David De Gea and put the Saints ahead. United fans all over the world knew that it was about to get harder. However, even the most pessimistic fan would not have expected what unfolded in the 20th minute. Soares churned up a perfect free kick that had De Gea stranded in no man's land. 20 minutes into the game, the score was Southampton 0-2 Manchester United and maybe Jose Mourinho was partly to blame for the debacle.
Also Read: 4 signs of Mourinho's third season syndrome at Manchester United
The Portuguese shocked everyone when the teams were announced. He had opted for a back 5 with Shaw, Matic, Jones, McTominay and Young!
In the middle, he put Pogba with Herrera and Fellaini, while Rashford partnered Lukaku in a two-way strike force. Perhaps Mourinho was guilty of giving too much respect to a Southampton side and he got just what he asked for within the first 20 minutes.
Yet, the night was long and true to their pedigree, Manchester United mounted another comeback of gigantic proportions against lesser oppositions. With the right amount of raw power and Spanish trickery, United was back in the game by the 40th minute. In the end though, it was not enough as United could only salvage a point.
Nights like these are slowly becoming a regular feature for Manchester United and the club management now have a decision in their hands.
Here are 5 reasons why Manchester United need to sack Jose Mourinho right now.
#5 Outdated style of play
While the rest of the Premier League and indeed the world has moved on to a rigorous passing game that is both pleasing to the eye and effective on the field, Manchester United under Mourinho has moved backwards.
The Portuguese still likes to defend deep in numbers and wants to play results-oriented football. When the results arrive, it makes up for the placid display, but more often than not, United have to strive harder than they should. This season, United lost against Brighton, Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City, however, the fact that they were outplayed in each of those games is a cause of concern. United also dropped points against Wolves and Crystal Palace at home, both games which should have been won, but for a lacklustre style of play.
Since Mourinho's arrival, United's style of play has hardly improved and the longer the Portuguese stays, the harder it will be for Manchester United to break free of the shackles of his outdated tactics.
Also Read: Dear Jose - A letter to Mourinho from a United Fan
#4 Eccentric team selection
Against Southampton, the Portuguese opted for a back 5, with Matic, Jones and McTominay as the three Center Backs. While the decision to put three centre-backs against a team that has scored just 10 goals in 13 games and is currently 19th in the table is baffling, Mourinho's choice of players makes it hard to back him up. It seems that the manager is hell-bent on showing the upper management that they were wrong to deny him a new centre-back in the summer!
Mourinho already has Eric Bailly in the ranks and even had Marcos Rojo on the bench. The Ivorian is neither nursing an injury, nor going through a lack of form, he has just irked his manager for reasons unknown. He last played a full 90 minutes in the loss against Brighton and has appeared three times since then, for a total of 21 minutes.
Bailly has not even been on the bench for most of the games and for a player who was brought to United by Mourinho, things have gone haywire in the space of the year. But this is not the first time that Mourinho's team selection has been questionable.
Against Spurs, Herrera was used as a centre-back, a move that backfired. McTominay has been used in that position before already, in the defeat to West Ham. Mourinho has been eccentric in his team selection, and there has been a lack of consistency in his team selection that has hurt United. If such inconsistencies continue, United might be in a bigger mess in the future.
#3 Negligible player development
There is an unexplained pleasure in watching young talents improve with each passing season and turn into fabulous players. Manchester United have been doing this for years now; their youth set-up and tendency of promoting young talents to the first team is famous all around the world.
Yet, quite a few clubs have overtaken United in talent nurturing and promotion in recent years. Jose Mourinho's appointment meant that United was always going to lose out on that field, but it is also the deterioration of the experienced lot that is alarming.
Marcus Rashford is the prime example of a young player with fabulous promise, who has failed to reach the world-class heights that were expected of him. Instead, Rashford has gone backwards in many ways and is currently a shadow of the player he once was. He is not the only one.
Martial might have been rejuvenated for the past few weeks, but it is a delayed reaction and might even be temporary. Players like Pogba, Lindelof, Shaw, Lukaku have all failed to improve because the manager refuses to play to their strengths. United under Jose Mourinho is no longer a dream destination for the best players in the world, because of the Portuguese's tendency to burden even the best attackers with defensive duties. Unless Mourinho leaves now, Manchester United will not be able to lure the best talents of the world into their set up in the future.
#2 Declining team morale
The collective morale of the Manchester United team is at an all-time low, a fact that is evident from their displays on the field. The players regularly appear clueless, out of ideas and lost. There is no invention on the field, there is no plan. Manchester United do not have a set style of playing anymore and Mourinho's desire to defend has broken the spirit of the team.
When talented attacking players are asked to prioritize defending ahead of their natural instincts, they are bound to have a loss of faith. No wonder barring Martial, every United attackers have failed to score consistently.
Gifted youngsters are not allowed chances to play even when first-team regulars are going through a continued lack of form, under-performing players are publicly humiliated and players not on the manager's good books are consistently overlooked even during an injury crisis. No wonder the team looks broken and this is a situation which will only get worse in time if Mourinho continues his strange ways.
The Manchester United squad is decent enough to mount a title challenge or at least play attractive, attacking football that is in accordance with the club's ideology. With Jose Mourinho at the helm, that does not look possible now.
#1 United falling behind the pack
Manchester United have always been ahead of the pack in the Premier League. The record title winners have been leading the way for a long time now. United still have the most wins in the Premier League - 635, most goals in the Premier League as well as most clean sheets in the Premier League. However, it is not just the records, but also the image of the Red Devils that is at stake here.
For starters, United's performance in the transfer market has been poor in recent years. Mourinho might be sulking at his club's refusal to get him a centre-back in the summer, but the amount of investment he has wasted at the club is alarming. Mkhitaryan, Bailly, Lindelof, Lukaku, Pogba, Sanchez, Fred - these are players he invested on and yet like a child who gets bored of a toy after playing for a while, Mourinho needs more. Under the Portuguese, United have not made smart moves in the market and the Old Trafford outfit is already paying for it.
On the other hand, the team no longer arrive at Old Trafford hoping to salvage a point, neither do they welcome United with nervy glances at the back. Manchester United are no longer the most feared opposition in the league, that title, unfortunately, has gone to the noisy neighbours who seem to be making all the right moves. Every team in the Premier League is improving, pinning down a style of play, a way of moving forward, and sad as it might seem right now, Manchester United are slowly falling behind the pack. It is for this reason alone that Mourinho needs to go now before it is too late.
Also Read: 4 Available Replacements for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
