#4 Jose prioritises Europa League by ringing in wholesale changes
The Manchester United manager made as many as eight changes to the side that took to the pitch in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo on Thursday.
In doing so, he has provided a not-so-subtle indication that all of the Red Devils’ Champions League qualification hopes are currently pinned on the Europa title.
De Gea returned between the posts in place of Romero while Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were in charge of the central defence, taking over from Eric Bailly and Daley Blind. Axel Tuanzebe started at right back in place of Antonio Valencia – who captained the side at Celta - while Matteo Darmian retained his place.
Michael Carrick was back in the centre of the pitch alongside the ever-present Ander Herrera; Juan Mata made his first start since March after being an impact substitute in the last few games, following a stint on the sidelines due to a groyne injury.
Marouane Fellaini sat out through a suspension, courtesy of a red card earned in the Manchester derby at the end of April while Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard were rested as games come in thick and fast at the business end of the season.
Given that United have three not-so-easy league fixtures to negotiate successfully – against Spurs, Southampton and Crystal Palace – besides having to rely on others slipping up, Mourinho’s strategy to prioritise Europa makes sense.
After all, the outcomes of the Europa league games are dependent solely on his team’s performances. Will the method of putting all eggs in one basket as far as UCL hopes are concerned cost United big?
