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It is no secret that the change from Louis Van Gaal to José Mourinho sparked a glimmer of hope for Manchester United fans. Even the woebegone David Moyes chimed in and defended Mourinho’s arrival in Manchester, pleading that being manager of the Red Devils means “being the finest manager of the time.” That’s no small matter when discussing one of the biggest clubs in all of Europe. And considering Mourinho’s methods, fans and analysts alike had one question that enveloped the start of his United tenure: What exactly does he have up his sleeve?
The illusion was created that hope and honor would soon return to Old Trafford along with the acquisitions of both Zlatan Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba, causing a real shakeup during the summer. Unfortunately, these changes have brought on more frustration than actual results worth the merit of discussing. The Red Devils are currently sitting sixth in the league after their much-needed win against Swansea. They’re also third in their Europa League group, trailing Feyenoord and Fenerbahçe by a lone point. It will definitely take time for the players to gel together, and Ibrahimović recently told Inside United, “The pieces are there, we just need to put the puzzle together.” But it is clear there is more to their shortcomings than just familiarity. With this onslaught of talent at his helm, the Special One definitely has some things to consider.
The defense, for instance, has conceded 12 goals this season, which is fitting considering the lack of comfort they show in protecting the central and wing areas. They’ve experienced decent success with the likes of Darmian, Fellaini, Schneiderlin, Young, and Rojo. This was seen in United’s rout of Swansea, during which Darmian, Fellaini, Young, and Rojo were called upon to set the defense in a late change in Mourinho’s side. In the meantime, Shaw and Smalling did not want to put it all on the line for the side over the weekend, something Mourinho was highly critical of, despite the win. Even with the stern criticism, United still managed to string together one of their best performances this season against Swansea. Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba accounted for 271 touches in that match, which shows that their ability to switch from defense to offense is becoming more fluid. As seen below, every single one of Carrick’s touches were very calculated and mature, almost as if he’d been in form for years.
Despite the win, Mourinho hasn’t had the smoothest publicity this season, especially with his FA charges resulting in a one-match ban and two fines totaling £58,000. When a manager or coach is highly critical of his players (and is public about it), he is attempting to show his players something. Popular coaches like Mike Krzyzewski or Gregg Popovich in the game of basketball have been ejected for their fair share of outbursts towards referees, and are willing to take their fair share of consequences. The players on the pitch also appreciate their manager’s fiery passion, since they know the gaffer will go to all lengths to protect them.
Moving to the midfield, Mata and Pogba have become the driving force of the offense. Pogba’s magnificent touch and composure outside the box allowed him to slot this goal in the upper right corner by being in the right place at the right time.
One juicy aspect of the midfield is the missing attacking threat up the middle. And this is where a midfielder from his former club, Real Madrid, named James Rodríguez, who happens to be fairly unhappy in his current situation, will need to be evaluated by Mourinho and his staff. James was a revelation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which fueled his big-money transfer to the Bernabeu. Since then, he’s picked up intermittent injuries, and failed to cement his spot in the starting lineup, which features more competition than James would appreciate.
The reason James will gel nicely with this United side is because the constant in Mourinho’s trophy-winning formula includes young talents (like Pogba and James, if he comes to Manchester) surrounded by veteran players in a new system that they adapt to over time, creating a formidable concoction. Signing James and deploying a 4-3-3 formation would allow Carrick to anchor the central defense (with Schneiderlin and Fellaini as replacements). Meanwhile, James can unleash the weaponry of Rooney, Ibra, and Martial by serving as the linchpin in attack. Despite James’ lack of goalscoring this season, he has created plenty of chances (seven) in his five appearances for Real Madrid. In his last start against Legia Warsaw, it was apparent he was hungry for the ball, making plays on both offense and defense. In the clip below, James’ defense starts the counterattack, and as he sprints towards goal, defenders attract like magnets to both him, which frees space for a weighted pass to Cristiano Ronaldo, who eventually gets the call.
Quick feet and swift reactions are a focal point to any complete midfielder, and James Rodríguez embodies those qualities to the highest degree. The space James himself clears up for scorers to navigate can effectively fit in any system, given the opportunity. The onus is now on Mourinho to realize James’ sky-high potential, and make the appropriate arrangements to bring him to Manchester.
Zinedine Zidane will probably be reluctant to let him go, but Florentino Pérez will definitely consider United’s offer if it aligns with the numbers in his mind. The likelihood of James coming to Old Trafford grows, especially considering how the rumors have been circulating in major media outlets for almost the past seven months.
In the book, “Toughness” the author, Jay Bilas, a former Duke University basketball player and a pundit currently, asserts, “Toughness is the ability not to rationalize. Rationalization is to make an excuse for not achieving more than you have to that point.” So many people have called San Antonio Spurs basketball “boring,” or considered the Duke Blue Devils as the underdog, when they’ve been able to triumph time and again.
Here’s the thing: Mourinho has regularly built teams from the midfield to the forwards with past signings of Ángel Di María, Mesut Özil, Didier Drogba, and others, while having coached one of the greatest players to ever grace a pitch in Cristiano Ronaldo. He has handled some of the largest egos, and has built up one of his own in the process. Mourinho has won twenty one championships – and yet he is considered to be having a worse start than his predecessors. His legacy in European football is one of both glamour and controversy, which is inevitable considering how tactfully The Special One combines his reputation as one of the winningest managers the game has seen with his fair share of questionable comments along the way.
Coming out of the international break next weekend, the Red Devils will welcome Arsenal on November 19. A victory over Arsenal followed by some convincing wins can put the Red Devils well into the top five of the Premiership table and past the group stages of the Europa League, bringing some semblance of triumph and pride to a grieving and underwhelmed fan base. Then, in the January transfer window, bringing in James (and offloading the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Bastian Schweinsteiger, if they’re still not featuring in Mourinho’s plans) will stabilize the team, allowing Mourinho to finally launch a full-on counterattack up the league table.
