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Even though Manchester United look likely to finish the season at second position in the league, this season will not be considered a success by any means. This was supposed to be the year when the Manchester clubs were expected to fight for the title amongst themselves whilst maintaining a fair distance from other teams in the league.
While both clubs do occupy the top 2 positions in the league, the Red Devils have been nowhere as prolific as their noisy neighbours, with the Citizens needing just 2 wins from 8 matches to lift the title trophy.
Jose Mourinho and his men have just the FA Cup left to fight for this season. The Portuguese manager has often been accused of being too defensive with his tactics and publicly criticizing players such as Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw.
With all this in mind, lets have a look at some of the changes Mourinho needs to make before the start of next season to lead the team to success and improve squad harmony.
#5 Find a reliable partner in defence for Eric Baily:
The fact that Eric Baily has been Manchester United's best centre-back this season in spite of featuring in only 15 matches (13 starts, 2 off the bench) in all competitions speaks volumes about the quality of the other defenders in the team.
Despite being stocked in the centre back department with players like Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Victor Lindelof and Daley Blind, Jose Mourinho has failed to find a suitable pairing at the back.
Phil Jones showed good form early in the season but eventually faded after suffering a few injuries. Smalling, who has featured heavily in defence, is prone to the odd error and is often caught in the wrong position against quality opposition. Hence, it is no wonder that neither Jones or Smalling were picked for Gareth Southgate's latest England squad.
Rojo returned from a long-term ACL injury in November but has since struggled with form and fitness while also being accused of being too rash while tackling. Lindelof has looked nervous and shaky since making the switch to Old Trafford.
Daley Blind, frankly, has not had a chance to impress with minutes being confined to cup competitions or the group stage of the Champions League.
With players like Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti being linked to Manchester United, Jose Mourinho should be looking to sign world class defenders of high quality who complement the status of the club as a footballing superpower.
#4 Put an end to the David de Gea transfer saga
David de Gea came so close to moving to Real Madrid in 2015 that only a faulty fax machine could stop the paperwork from going through at the right time. This meant that Real Madrid could not register the player with La Liga on time as the transfer window had closed, but this did not mean that the rumours linking the Spaniard with a move to the Los Blancos would stop.
Every time de Gea has stepped foot on Spanish soil to play for the national team or on vacation, he has been bombarded with questions about whether he wants to move to Real Madrid or not. However, De Gea has dropped a hint that he will stay at Manchester United because of the ‘affection and respect’ he feels from supporters.
“In the end, in England, I have a great affection and respect that I do not notice so much here,” De Gea said, “But every time I come to the national team I feel fondness inside and it is the most important thing.”
Despite all this, the shot-stopper has just 2 years remaining on his contract and this is one of the reasons why he is being linked with a move back to Spain. If Jose Mourinho plans to build a world-class team, he needs players like de Gea, who is the probably best goalkeeper in the world, to stay at the club.
Contract renewal talks are ongoing and Mourinho must ensure that the Spaniard commits his long-term future to the club.
#3 Strengthen the full-back positions
Despite players like Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind being signed by the club in recent years, it is 2 wingers who were a part of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad, that ply their trade at both fullback positions as undisputed starters.
This is something that Mourinho would not be happy about, no matter how much he praises Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in public.
Young, who has earned call-ups to the England squad after a gap of 3 years is, in all probability, the best crosser in the team. Despite his high work rate, he is often prone to the odd defensive error and is highly inconsistent.
His understudy, Luke Shaw has made only a handful of appearances for the first team and looks likely to leave Old Trafford this summer. Jose Mourinho clearly is not a big fan of his and has criticized him in public while questioning his commitment.
Antonio Valencia, despite being fast and full of trickery, is not a natural right-back. He has been caught in the wrong position a number of times and his crossing is not up to the mark. Matteo Darmian has featured mainly in cup competitions and is another player being linked with a move away from the club.
Mourinho will be well aware of the quality, or rather the lack of it that he has in the fullback positions, and needs to bring in young and talented players in the summer. Players like Danny Rose, Alex Sandro, Fabinho and Kieran Tierney have been linked with a move to Manchester United.
#2 Integrate Alexis Sanchez into the team
If Jose Mourinho had known that signing Alexis Sanchez would spoil the on-field chemistry of his squad, he would rather not have bought him. Sanchez arrived at Manchester United amid much fanfare and became the best paid player in the league. His whopping weekly wage was criticized by pundits all over the world as being too high.
Ever since Sanchez arrived, Pogba has looked like a different player. He looks like he has lost that swagger about being the most talented player in the squad and has rarely started of late.
Both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have been relegated to the bench, with Sanchez starting on the left side of attack. Mourinho has tried a number of formations trying to bring the best out of Sanchez, with a 4-2-2-2 being deployed against Chelsea in the league.
The Chilean often drops deeper in search of the ball and leaves a void in attack. Perhaps he misses being the focal point of the team, as he was playing as a striker in his final few months at Arsenal. He loses the ball frequently and has scored just once for the club in 10 appearances, that too from a rebound of a penalty that he missed.
On international duty at the moment, Sanchez expressed disappointment over his form and said that he did not feel like playing in the friendlies for Chile. The fact that he is a mid-season signing who is struggling to find his feet at the club is the only possible justification.
Hence, Mourinho needs to put his man management skills to the best use and ensure that Sanchez has a good pre-season and integrate him into the squad.
#1 Find the best position for Paul Pogba
This is probably the biggest problem on Jose Mourinho's plate right now. How does he fit the club's most expensive signing in his team in order to bring the best out of him?
Sticking to a 4-2-3-1 formation at the start of the season, Mourinho played Pogba alongside Matic, saddling him with defensive duties. While he played well in patches, the Frenchman often looked confused on the pitch, not knowing whether to join the attack or stay back in midfield to defend.
After being urged by fans and pundits alike to play a 4-3-3 formation with Pogba featuring on the left of a midfield trio, Mourinho decided to give it a go. But the result was the same with Pogba and Mourinho even being seen arguing on the touchline against Tottenham in the league.
There is no doubt that Paul Pogba is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world. Once he has the freedom to attack, like at Juventus when he played with Vidal and Pirlo in midfield, he has the quality to rip open defences at will.
But unlike at Juventus, he has the responsibility to track back and defend at United, which doesn't get the best out of his primary qualities: skills, pace, strength, shot power and the killer final pass.
Mourinho has already made signing a central midfielder in the summer his priority, with one eye on the departures of Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini, and the other on how it would free Pogba up.
A Manchester United attack featuring Pogba in a free role, alongside Sanchez, Lukaku and Rashford would be quite a sight to watch.
