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The ongoing Premier League season was deemed to be a big one for Manchester United and their manager Jose Mourinho, given the Portuguese gaffer’s incredible history of winning the domestic title in his second season, more often than not.
And while United did look on course for the title at the beginning of the season, things are no longer the same at the halfway stage of the season. However, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom at Old Trafford this season.
Here are 5 things we’ve learned about Manchester United so far this season:
5. David de Gea is to Manchester United what Jesus Christ is to Christianity
Christmas is almost upon us and it’s almost that time of the year again when followers of Christ all over the world are preparing to commemorate the birth of their lord and savior Jesus Christ. However, as far as Manchester United and their fans are concerned, David de Gea will be considered as their savior in chief for the shot-stopper has saved his team the blushes on a very regular basis in the recent past.
Moreover, though de Gea has undoubtedly been United’s most consistent player in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, his stock has raised to a whole new level this season, especially after his mind-boggling performance against Arsenal wherein he equaled the Premier League record for the most saves in a match (14).
Truth be told, de Gea’s importance to United can’t be emphasized enough and if the former Atletico Madrid man carries on performing with this kind of consistency for the next few seasons, he’ll certainly go down in United’s history as one of their best ever goalkeepers alongside the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van Der Sar.
4. Phil Jones and Eric Bailly are indispensable to United’s defensive set up
Jose Mourinho’s footballing philosophy has always been built on a rock-solid defence which then lays the foundation for the counter-attacking brand of football that he endorses. And in all of the teams that the Portuguese manager has coached till date, he has always had two warriors at the heart of his defence who believe in nothing but no-nonsense defending.
While John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho did this for Mourinho during his first spell at Chelsea, Pepe and Sergio Ramos did the same when ‘Mou’ was in charge of Real Madrid. More notably, Mourinho led Inter Milan to the Champions League title in 2010 using the same ploy. And now, at the beginning of the ongoing season, the 54-year-old chose to deploy the same tactic with United as well using Phil Jones and Eric Bailly as his respective defensive mainstays. And the decision certainly paid dividends for United in the initial stages of their domestic campaign as they looked compact and watertight at the back.
Both Jones and Bailly seemed to form a good understanding at the back which was one of the main reasons why United made a flying start to their domestic campaign and also managed to keep more than a few clean sheets initially. However, as luck would have it both Jones and Bailly have gone on to pick up injuries at different stages ever since and United’s defence has not looked half as assured in the absence of the preferred duo. Now that, Jones is back for United, Bailly’s return can’t come soon enough for Mourinho’s men as they enter the second half of the season.
3. No Pogba, no party for United
A lot was made of Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United on a then world record transfer fee last season and those voices only grew louder as the Frenchman struggled to put in the kind of performances that would justify his price tag.
A year later, however, it’s a whole different story for the 24-year-old’s performances have been central to United’s fortunes so far this season. As far as the reason for the radical turnaround in Pogba’s fortunes is concerned, the addition of Nemanja Matic to United’s midfield has certainly given Pogba the license to roam all over the pitch and run the show for his team. And the former Juventus man has certainly made good use of his newfound freedom on the pitch as he has been United’s creator in chief this season, whenever he has played.
However, as is always the case, the true worth of what Pogba brings to the side was understood and appreciated like never before, only when he missed a few games, first through injury and then through suspension.
And not surprisingly, Pogba’s time on the sidelines coincided with a dip in United’s fortunes as the Red Devils suffered crushing defeats at the hands of Huddersfield Town and Chelsea respectively. But the most damaging result in Pogba’s absence was undoubtedly the derby defeat to Manchester City a fortnight back as the result effectively ended United’s title hopes once and for all. What’s more worrying was the fact that United never really looked like posing a threat to City’s goal at any stage of the derby which by itself underlines Pogba’s importance to this current United side.
2. United have come a long way since last season…
While there is no escaping the fact that United are eleven points behind Manchester City in the race for top spot in the Premier League, let this fact not overshadow the slow and steady progress they have made since Mourinho’s first season in charge.
While United looked rather resolute in defence last season, they seemed to lack the cutting edge to win them games in attack. This season, however, that largely hasn’t been the case as United have netted 4 goals on six occasions in the league already, so far. And that kind of potency in attack combined with their sturdy defence has certainly seen the team improve by leaps and bounds. But most importantly for United, they have the following stats to show for their improvement: After 18 games this season, United find themselves four places higher than they did last season, (second to sixth), having scored eight points more than they had at this stage last year (41 to 33). Moreover, United have also managed to score 12 more goals than they had done at this stage last year (39 to 27) and have also conceded six goals fewer (12 to 18). Clearly, if Mourinho’s men have to be described in one word this season ‘improved’ should have been the one, however, that isn’t to be the case.
1. But there’s still a long way to go.
The only reason why United have not been given enough credit for their improvement this term is because of their ‘noisy neighbors’ who have overshadowed them at every step of the way, so far. Simply put, if United have been good, then Manchester City have been great. And to be honest, this has been the case even before the season started with Pep Guardiola investing heavily in his squad so as to ensure he has a side capable of competing for the title in every competition that City find themselves in. While many found Guardiola’s spending spree during the summer absurd all their doubts must surely have been put to bed after watching City play the way they have done this season.
On the other hand, while Mourinho did manage to sign his primary transfer targets during the summer in the form of Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, the lack of depth in United’s squad as compared to City’s is evidently hurting the 20-time Premier League champions. And as a direct consequence of this, United have been found guilty of not having a ‘Plan B’ when the likes of Lukaku and Pogba have a bad game. Meanwhile, City have studded their squad with match-winners all across the pitch with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling all rising to the occasion on a consistent basis for City, at least individually, if not as a whole this season.
Finally, while United might have been the traditional trendsetters in the Premier League, this season, they have been forced to follow in the footsteps of their despised neighbors. And with City raising the bar with each passing performance, United can only try to follow in their footsteps as best as they can and for as long as they possibly can. For whether United like it or not, City’s performances thus far are proof of the fact that, for all their improvement over the last two seasons, United still have a long road to glory ahead of them.
