As everybody should be well aware, Manchester United’s appointment of José Mourinho as manager was a knee-jerk reaction to Manchester City’s appointment of Pep Guardiola. After all, Louis van Gaal had just won the FA Cup and qualified for the Europa League, albeit with sleep inducing football which would have had the world’s worst insomniac snoring within seconds.
Mourinho, after some initial success has also managed to play some very boring and ineffective football which, at times, has managed to border on the pathetic. So what is the problem?
Well, as discussed in a previous article, he is nothing like the manager he used to be. Football has moved on and, unfortunately, he hasn’t. There are a few teams now who would beat his old title-winning Chelsea teams, yet he insists on the same style of play and tactics.
He also has a few players who simply aren’t good enough to represent Manchester United but, in the three years since he arrived, he has done little or nothing to address that situation despite spending £300 million or so on new players.
Ashley Young, an old winger, is being selected regularly as a wing back. He is useless. Antonio Valencia, an old winger, was selected regularly as a wing back, he is useless.
Paul Pogba, a revelation for both Juventus and France is useless when playing for United. Alexis Sánchez, still scoring regularly for Chile and Arsenal’s best player before leaving for United, has become useless.
Romelu Lukaku is a big, lumbering centre forward, a throw-back to Didier Drogba. The difference is that Drogba was a good player, Lukaku isn’t. His control is awful, his heading ability questionable yet he still went to Old Trafford for around £90 million.
Ander Herrera equalises for United in another lacklustre performance from United
In the last game, against Southampton, Fred and Juan Mata were on the bench while Fellaini and McTominay started in midfield. Good management? You be the judge. The fact that United were two goals down within fifteen minutes tends to suggest not. Whilst they managed to get back into the game and draw 2-2, that was more through good luck and Southampton’s bad play than anything exceptional from United.
So what is the answer? United have too many players who would not get into a top six team which explains exactly why they are not in the top six.
Do they all need replacing or would a different manager get different results with the same players? There have been many examples over the years of a new man taking over and having success with players previously deemed not good enough. The obvious one is Antonio Conte replacing Mourinho at Chelsea and winning the Premier League in his first season!
Whatever the answer this United team has too many players who shouldn’t be there. Get rid of Young, Smalling, Fellaini, Valencia and Lukaku and wake up to the fact that even a new manager would struggle to win anything with average players such as these in the team.
At the moment United are miles away from City and Liverpool and are even lagging behind Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs. This will not change while José Mourinho is manager. He has spent enough money, none of it particularly wisely, and now he wants to spend more.
He wants respect for what he has achieved in the past but doesn’t look like achieving anything in the future. It is time for him to become part of his own history and leave for pastures new.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 