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Oh, Mourinho!
People had started talking about Jose Mourinho's infamous "third season problems" as soon as last season ended and by the time Manchester United's preseason ended, many were not hoping to see Mourinho on the boss' chair at United for too long.
The transfer market debacle didn't help either, with Mourinho blaming Ed Woodward for failing to get his desired targets. The pre-season wasn't great either, with as many as 14 first team players missing from the action. The bookmakers even placed Mourinho on the top of their list of the manager who'll be the first one to be sacked.
Mourinho started the season, against Leicester City, and hoped to get the best out of the squad available to him. The first match seemed to be an easy win for United, with Leicester not showing much fight until the ending moments of the game.
Then came, Brighton and Hove Albion - a wake-up call to Mourinho and United that it's not going to be easy for them this season. A 3-2 loss was enough of an indication that things had to be changed.
This was followed by a visit of Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford. After starting the match well, United fell behind, just after the break, with goals from Harry Kane & Lucas Moura and finally, suffered a 3-0 demolition by the Spurs. The week ended with Manchester United sitting at 13th on the table.
Many questioned if the Special One still had it in him or not. So if Mourinho wants to save his reputation and his job, he'll need to have United pumping and rocking at all fronts, and thus, make September the most important month of this season.
United play 4 Premier League games in September and each of those fixtures are being previewed now:
September 2 - Burnley vs Man Utd (Away)
Burnley, currently placed 18th in the table, haven't started the season the way they hoped to. They've been knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers, lost two PL games and have shipped 7 goals - completely uncharacteristic from them.
Sean Dyche's men are known to be solid at the back and compact in midfield, complemented by some good counter-attacking football. This season, they've shipped 7 goals in two games, including 3 at home against Watford.
United need to show more urge and desire from this game onwards and should definitely look towards gaining maximum points from this fixture - because the Clarets are low on confidence and high on fatigue. Expect Mourinho to play a 4-3-3 and look for a victory right from the first whistle.
September 15 - Watford vs Manchester United (Away)
Watford are the surprise package of this season so far and currently find themselves in the top four, with a perfect record of 3 wins from 3 games.
Javi Gracia has brought back the traditional 4-4-2, therefore, getting the best out of his team and his star player, Roberto Pereyra. They've been playing some impressive football this season and if they continue this early season form, the Hornets can end up in the European competitions next season.
Manchester United should view them as tough as any other top-6 game and while Watford are high on confidence, Mourinho can hope to outsmart Gracia with the plethora of attacking and creative options and sneak out a victory on the road.
By this time, Mourinho may have his whole squad back from injuries and a range of formations and options to choose from.
September 22 - Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (Home)
Wolves were expected to take the Premier League by storm when they entered the new season with a number of high profile signings like Joao Moutinho, Adama Traore and Raul Jiminez, but so far have failed to show results of their impressive transfer window.
They currently, sit 14th on the table, with two draws and a loss. Wolves have played some impressive football against both Everton and Manchester City, before sharing the spoils in both the games. Nuno Espirito Santo is an experienced manager and plays with the famed 3-4-3 formation that allows Ruben Neves the freedom to express himself.
This game is a tricky one for Manchester United, as the Wolves are a tough team to beat but home advantage should see this through for United. Still, Neves and co. can be expected to pull a shocker.
September 29 - West Ham United vs Manchester United (Away)
Sitting at the bottom of the table, Manuel Pellegrini's West Ham have had a tough luck at the start of the season, losing all their games so far.
They've restructured their whole team, with a new look backline, a new keeper and a new attack still settling into the Chilean's ideas. Every team needs time to settle into the new manager's methods and the Hammers too will take some time.
Honestly, West Ham have never really felt comfortable at the London Stadium too. They have an impressive squad on paper but haven't really shown enough grit or determination in the opening games.
By looking at the league table now, this game should be a no-brainer and there is no doubt that Mourinho would be hoping to take maximum points from this away fixture. Knowing he can dominate this game using his tricks and tactics, Mourinho will employ either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 formation to win the game.
With the games mentioned, United should look to take maximum points in at least three of the four games. Failing to do so might pile on more misery for the Portuguese manager and rightly so.
