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It has been only 5 years since Sir Alex Ferguson left but to Manchester United fans, it seems like a lifetime. Such was the brilliance of the man, that even after he won 13 Premier League titles in 20 years, only after he retired did people actually realize that he was even more spectacular than what they had assumed him to be.
So what’s gone wrong at Manchester United? There have been 3 managers (not counting Giggs) since the great man left. And if we leave out David Moyes (what a disastrous stint that was), the other two were the big name managers you associate a big club with.
Louis Van Gaal had come to Old Trafford on the back of a 3rd place World Cup finish with the Netherlands and you’d imagine him turning things around straight away. He got the players he wanted – Di Maria, Falcao, and Depay. And together with Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata you’d expect them to decimate Premier League defenses but such were the robust defensive tactics that despite no European distraction, United struggled to finish 4th that season and by the end of it both Di Maria and Falcao along with Van Persie were gone.
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Van Gaal was given another season despite the first season struggle because he had taken United to the UCL where they only managed a 3rd place finish in the easiest group they could have gotten that season. It was during his second season where teams actually stopped fearing Manchester United as they finished 5th behind City but won the FA Cup which proved too little as he was let go in 2016.
In came Jose, a manager United fans absolutely hated but had little option but to support as the words “Your job now is to support your new manager” reverberated in their ears. Along with Jose came Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba and their charisma ignited optimism amongst the fans as the new season began.
Everyone knew about Mourinho’s defensive ideologies and the football at Old Trafford became even more boring. Draws and 1-0 wins had become the new flavor in Manchester as fans grew more and more frustrated. Despite a 6th place finish in the Premier League, United somehow ground out a Europa League victory and joined Chelsea, City, Spurs, and Liverpool in the 2017-18 Champions League where they eventually lost to a lackluster Sevilla in the round of 16.
United ended the amazingly dull 2017-18 season in the second position, 19 points behind champions City.
A second place finish and 81 points aren’t that bad but then why is the atmosphere at Old Trafford so poisonous this season? Let's take a look:
#1 Jose Mourinho
To start with, Manchester United had the best defensive record over the last 2 years but this season any team just comes in and scores whenever they want and, in most cases, De Gea is left with absolutely no chance.
In the last couple of seasons, it was not because of the great quality of defense but only due to De Gea’s brilliance and the opposition’s lack of quality that United were able to preserve their leads. Take 90% of matches last season where United scored the first goal and simply parked the bus, allowing the opposition to pile up the pressure.
It wasn’t as if United stopped all the crosses and won the second balls, there were at least 2 chances given to the opposition to score and a decent team would have taken at least 1, as they are doing this season.
Whenever United have gone down, Mourinho hasn't been able to motivate the players to fight.
Go down memory lane, and imagine what would have happened if United had conceded a goal during the Fergie era. Fergusson made sure that the team carved out at least 10 good chances in the last 10 minutes of matches. But under Mourinho, United just can't gather any momentum and if the opponents park the bus, they simply don’t know how to carve out a chance.
That, according to me, simply goes down to the manager and his training method. None of the forwards has any idea about what the other players are doing. They move forward aimlessly and have to search for a teammate to pass the ball to. For whatever Mourinho has achieved, his tactics are outdated and he needs to move ahead in the game, rather than reminding the media of his achievements.
#2 Romelu Lukaku
Simply put, he is not good enough! His first touch to control the ball is atrocious, to say the least, and his ability to stay calm in pressure situations is non-existent.
Here’s a stat to ponder upon: the 2 penalties he has taken so far for United, he has put the ball between the keeper and his post at waist height without power and of course both have been saved.
His third penalty against Derby in the shootout was the exact replica of his first 2 and had the keeper done his homework, he would've saved it all day long. Lukaku missed at least 15 absolute sitters last season, many of which would have resulted in extra points, and 4 this season with little to no pressure from the defenders.
Most of his goals last season for club and country were simple tap-ins or headers from around the 6-yard box and most of them were first touch finishes and only on 7 occasions, he had to take a second touch.
Now to be fair, had he been at Liverpool, Spurs or City, he could have gotten away with the missed chances but because of United's defensive tactics, him being absolute lethal with such chances becomes extremely crucial. Agreed that Mourinho likes tall strong strikers who can outmuscle any defender – Drogba, Diego Costa, Ibrahimovic, Diego Milito come to mind.
But all these players managed to score from nothing. They had/have the ability to score a goal from absolutely nothing. Lukaku? Not so much. Whatever the stats say, simply put, he is not a United-calibre striker.
#3 Dressing room standoff
In the simplest of words, Mourinho’s third season horror story continues. It is as if Jose is no longer interested in managing the club anymore. United have one of the best pool of attacking talent at their disposal with Mata, Sanchez, Martial, Rashford, Pogba, Lingard and to some extent Lukaku, who at least scores 70% of the chances which are served to him on a plate.
And yet the manager plays negative football, with these players expected to defend for almost 65-70 minutes every match. And this season with the manager lashing out at his star and academy players in public, the senior players have simply stopped falling back.
They want to play football which suits them. To be honest, why play with tactics your players are uncomfortable with. Or simply put, just get the players who are more suited to your style of play. A player like Sanchez, who was playing exceptional football at Arsenal for a manager he didn’t want to play for, has become a sorry sight at United almost immediately after his transfer.
There might be a few more reasons but after yesterday's shambolic loss at the London Stadium against a West Ham team that had won just 4 games at home this calendar year before kick-off, the board has to take a decision before the club sinks further.
