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Manchester United finished second in the last Premier League (PL) season. But was it good enough? Certainly not. At United you expect to win the league every year otherwise the season is termed as a failure.
To win the current PL title, this is what United should do:
#1 Regular center-back (CB) pairing of Bailly and Lindelof
It is rightly said that:
"Attack wins you matches but defence wins you titles"
Look at any top teams out there. Be it Real Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus; they have got an established CB partnership.
At Madrid, it is Ramos and Varane. At Barcelona, it is Pique and Umtiti. At Juventus, it is Bonucci, Chiellini, and Barzagli.
You have got to play Bailly and Lindelof together consistently; One mistake and you bring in Jones; he makes a mistake, you bring in Smalling. You can't do that.
Even the best defenders make mistakes sometimes. Even Ramos is caught off guard by pacy attackers and concedes a goal(s). That doesn't mean you will bench him for the next game and for weeks.
You have got to show patience. Bailly and Lindelof are young and have got the potential to be one of the best defensive partnerships in the league if not the best. And that would be possible only when they are given regular first team football.
Playing alongside each other they will understand and complement each other better over time. They will try to cover up for each other's weaknesses. Even De Gea will be more comfortable in goal playing with familiar defensive partners.
#2 Give Pereira game time
Andreas Pereira was one of the best if not the best performer in the pre-season friendlies for United. He was even brilliant in the first PL outing against Leicester City. He has to get game time this season.
He was given the role to play as a CDM and that's where United played Matic last season. Matic is already in his thirties and can't play each and every game. United should rotate that position between Matic and Pereira uniformly throughout the season.
Pereira can also play on the right wing and he has got the creativity to play there. But we should not switch him from one position to another.
He has got to get a single and familiar role. He just needs to play in one position. He is young and talented and it is not a good thing to confuse him with two different roles. It will be a waste of his potential if he starts to underperform.
Jose too believes in specialists and prefers players who are best at a certain position rather than a versatile player. And that's what Mourinho needs to do with Pereira.
He also showed leadership during preseason and Leicester games and gave a good cover for the center-backs. With his creativity, he can initiate attacks for United from the deep. If he is not given enough game time this season then it would be a waste of his talent.
#3 Resolve the fullbacks' situation
Most attack-minded teams such as Manchester City and Liverpool create a lot of chances from the wings. They cross, cut inside or play low crosses.
United's fullbacks need to be ready to block these crosses and also cover up for the overlaps runs with the help of CDM.
If the fullbacks maintain their proper positioning throughout the game, this would surely freak out teams like Manchester City. United could also hit on counters as attacking teams usually play with a high defensive line.
To prove this point we can look at the example of Man City vs Arsenal game. Man City won 2-0. The first goal came from Sterling who cutback inside beating Bellerin and Guendouji and later shooting it past Cech and into the net.
The second goal came from Bernardo Silva who came as a substitute for Mahrez and played on the right wing. He was left unmarked on the right side and was given a clear shot at goal.
If fullbacks were properly positioned, both these goals could have been stopped and defeat could have been prevented.
Luke Shaw usually joins ahead in the attack with his forward runs. But he should also be able to quickly fall back if the possession is lost.
Likewise, Valencia has done well at the right back spot and should be starting games when he regains full fitness.
He should also be able to block the crosses which he usually doesn't, causing all sorts of problems inside the box.
4) Proper Right Winger:
Mata just doesn't have the pace to play on the right wing and was dull in the Leicester game.
Another candidate is Lingard. Is Lingard really a winger? No, he is not.
Lingard did a great job at the World Cup for England but he lacks descent crossing ability. He also doesn't exploit the right wing enough and does not combine with right back to create spaces. He has got to work on that.
Another option is Tahith Chong. He has got good crossing ability as well as pace but like Lingard, he lacks that one-two with right back.
If both Lingard and Chong work on their game especially on the crossing, then there would be loads of opportunities for Lukaku to score goals like he scores for Belgium; with the services from Nacer Chadli and Dries Mertens.
If Lingard and Chong improve as the season goes by, right wing won't be of any concern for United.
Another option is Sanchez on the right where he used to play for Barcelona. But he does not like to play on the right it seems.
5) Add some pace to their game:
United under Mourinho plays a defensive setup, and usually, you can see the bus being parked which is heavily criticised by United fans.
The style is not that bad though; He implemented the same method at Real Madrid and Inter Milan where he had trophy-laden seasons.
They just have to hit on the counters and make quick runs. This is where United really sucks and should improve upon. They don't have good long passing ability players apart from Pogba. But now with Fred and Pereira in the midfield that shouldn't be a concern.
There is no problem with the defensive style of play; And no problem with parking the bus; They will still get loads of goals on the counters.
The problem is with bottom half teams which sits deep. Counter-attacking game is not applicable. They sit deep back inside their own half and hardly attack.
You have to create chances with your midfield and wing play brilliance. With Pogba and Fred, the former won't be a problem.
The wing play is all the same stuff as mentioned in the previous slide. You just have to swing in enough crosses for Lukaku to thrive and let him be the target man.
