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Manchester United defeated Leicester in the opening day of the season and the same Leicester side went on to defeat Wolves 2-0 the following weekend. But after the clash against Wolves at Old Trafford, some sections of Wolves fans were disappointed in their team for coming out of the clash with just a draw. So, what’s happening to Manchester United? Read on to learn my take on the game…
No purpose to United’s play
A saying goes that ‘when the purpose of something is not known, abuse is inevitable.’ I said on this blog last weekend after the Watford victory that United lack an identity to their play - and have looked so almost every time Jose Mourinho sets the team out for a game.
You just can’t fathom what they are trying to do as a unit over the course of a game.
United have enjoyed back-to-back league wins coupled with the 3-0 victory at Young Boys in midweek before this game, but even all that victories came without a defined pattern of play.
It’s only normal that when they come against a side as coordinated as Wolves, they were bound to crack.
Seven games into the season and yet Jose Mourinho doesn’t know his best eleven. He doesn’t know his best forward line, he doesn’t know when to start Fred/Fellaini/Andreas Pareira in midfield and, he can’t guarantee anyone that he’s assured of his best pairing at the back too!
Nuno Espírito Santo (Wolves manager) was Porto's reserve goalkeeper when Jose Mourinho led Porto to UCL triumph in 2004. But you watch his Wolves side play and you'd like Mourinho to borrow a leaf from Wolves' book. Pathetic how José has refused to evolve from 2004. #MUNWOL— Godwin Odiko ⚽ ™ (@GodwinOdiko) September 22, 2018
Seven games into the season and yet Jose Mourinho doesn’t know his best eleven. He doesn’t know his best forward line, he doesn’t know when to start Fred/Fellaini/Andreas Pareira in midfield and, he can’t guarantee anyone that he’s assured of his best pairing at the back too!
Jose Mourinho just looks confused. And it’s so because even he can’t really tell how he wants his side to play, hence the purposeless and ‘patternless’ display from his team most times.
United can’t continue to go one step forward and three steps backward under Jose Mourinho. A change is needed!
Fred can play
Having excelled at Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, he was brought in to improve the squad and compliment Pogba’s quality in midfield. But his first three starts for the club produced a win and two defeats – in which the Brazilian was notably poor in all three games.
He was dropped to the bench for games against Burnley and Watford and only returned to the starting line-up when United traveled to Switzerland to play Young Boys for their opening game of the Champions League. He wasn’t all impressive that evening against the Swiss outfit, but he showed signs of improvement from the first three games.
Against Wolves, he was magnificent. And it was only rewarding to score a goal for his brilliant display.
If he builds on this performance, then, the Brazilian is destined to excel at Old Trafford.
Fellaini alongside Pogba in midfield can’t work
Some managers may argue that there’s a lot a technically limited Fellaini offers a team, but in truth, he will never get into Pep Guardiola’s first team or start games under Jurgen Klopp.
Maroune Fellaini is only as good as his managers. Sir Alex won’t sanction a deal to bring Fellaini to the club for instance.
And to be fair to the Belgian: he most times do what is required of him from those managers. But he is never a Manchester United type of player.
And playing him alongside Pogba and in that midfield doesn’t favour the kind of pattern the French star loves to play.
Pogba is a player that loves to experiment with the ball and tends to give away possession most times trying to do that. He needs a player with quick legs to help press and recover possession immediately in those situations.
Fellaini’s lack of mobility doesn’t enable creativity in midfield for a Paul Pogba that loves to hold on to the ball a little longer.
Fellaini’s lack of mobility doesn’t enable creativity in midfield for a Paul Pogba that loves to hold on to the ball a little longer.
When Pogba holds on to the ball, he needs players around him that can quickly run into spaces to enable him get viable options in such scenarios.
Hence, the need for midfielders in the mould of Ander Herrera – who are very mobile and can pass the ball too – adding more creativity to the pack.
I'd love to see Andreas Pereira start over Fellaini in that midfield because of what I just highlighted. But, if Jose Mourinho feels his defensive game isn’t up to the required standard then he should start Herrera alongside Pogba and Fred/Matic in that midfield.
I know the 29-year-old Spaniard only just recovered from an injury setback, but he should be integrated into that United’s midfield once he is 100 percent fit. Playing the former Athletic Bilbao man regularly won’t only improve United’s midfield; it will also help exterminate the increasingly disturbing interest from Barcelona at the moment.
Follow and interact with me on twitter by clicking on this handle: @GodwinOdiko
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