Manchester United’s Early Struggles Are Just Part Of A Necessary Process
Seb Stafford-Bloor |
September 20, 2016 |
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“The only factor in my hands is the improvement of the team and individuals, trying to stop with the defensive mistakes. I knew that I had a task.
I knew that because the first Man City goal and this second goal you can find an incredible similarity – which is Kolarov has the ball in a difficult situation in the corner and my players instead of ‘go up and press’ they decide to give space.”
That was Jose Mourinho, speaking to journalists after Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to Watford this weekend.
In a sense, the Portuguese has trapped himself within a “boy who cried wolf” situation: he has made so many complaints in the past and has so often attempted to shift blame to referees, players and anyone other than himself, that when he makes legitimate points about team-building they fall on deaf ears. It’s incontestably his own doing. Between arriving bright eyed in British football twelve years ago and becoming the sour, miserablist he is today, something happened to Mourinho. The sharp whites of his eyes have been dulled by bitterness and he has become a full-time Mr Hyde; the easy charm has gone and people cross the street when they see him coming. He’s Omar in his dressing-gown: “Jose’s coming! Jose’s coming! Run away.”
Nevertheless, in relation to Manchester United’s last week he has a point. Outplayed in the derby, beaten in Rotterdam, and out-worked and out-thought at Vicarage Road, United have been shown for what they truly are. They may be a side assembled at enormous cost, but they still bear the imperfections of previous years. Despite our appetite to flog Mourinho – and, let’s be honest, he deserves much of the schadenfraude he attracts – it’s worth remembering the journey this team has endured since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. The muddled mess of David Moyes and the slow plodding installed by Louis van Gaal reside in many of the players’ muscle memories and a few quick transfers, irrespective of their cost, were never likely to cure that.
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There’s an interesting statistic circulating: at present, United have run fewer yards than any other team in the Premier League. That’s startling. Mourinho’s ideology may not lean as much on physicality as that of Jurgen Klopp or Mauricio Pochettino, but he is still known as a high-energy coach and one who encourages his players to press and hassle the opposition. On the basis that he hasn’t become stylistically docile and doesn’t intend for United to become a passive team, the running statistic suggests lingering confusion. Pressing is an orchestrated tactic and one which relies on cohesion rather than simple effort. During the game with Manchester City, there was a telling moment in the build-up to the first goal. Henrikh Mkhitaryan – as referenced by Mourinho in the quote above – hesitated instead of closing Aleksandar Kolorov down and actually seemed to glance at the bench for instruction. Mkhitaryan may be a newly-arrived player and that might have been an isolated incident, but it was still illustrative of United’s stage of development. They’re under new management and they’re exhibiting all the usual signs of being so.
The names on their team-sheet may jump out more than before and this summer’s transfer activity might have been more proactive than in previous years, but the normal rules of transition apply: Mourinho’s football is predicated on discipline and precision and, until a tipping point is reached and a first-eleven is properly settled on, his sides can look ragged. New head-coaches do often bring instantaneous improvement, but that tends to be relatively superficial. “Bounce”, as it’s often refereed to, is emotional improvement and generally the consequence of simplification; that isn’t Mourinho. He builds complicated mechanisms which require time – and trial and error – to perfect and the advantages of appointing him typically become apparent over months rather than weeks. He is not, nor will he ever be, a Harry Redknapp figure.
Remember where United were and consider where they’re trying to go: That’s some distance to cover. Liverpool are further into their cycle under Klopp, Tottenham have had two years of Pochettino and, even though Pep Guardiola only recently arrived at Manchester City, he inherited a squad which was more balanced and, ultimately, stronger. It’s the difference between a standing and running start and so United’s relative clunkiness is hardly a surprise.
Football supporters loathe being urged to show patience. Understandably so, because it’s patronising and slightly pious. Nevertheless, given some of the block-capital opinions which are emerging and sharp reactions being aired, it seems necessary to stress these truisms. Spending lots of money and installing a celebrated head-coach is provides a starting point for a return to the top of the table, not a free, quick pass back to it.
