5 steps Manchester United must take to return to where they belong | Premier League 2019-20

#4 Identify a playing pattern and appoint a coach that fits the profile

Pep Guardiola has implemented a unique playing pattern at Manchester City

Watching Manchester United play makes one question what all the time on the training ground is spent doing, as the players usually trudge about in a clueless manner, with rare victories attributed more to luck than any imposed system.

In the seven years since Ferguson departed, no less than four permanent managers have been appointed, with each bringing with him a different system which has culminated in this unidentifiable mess.

David Moyes was out of his depth from the moment he got the job, Louis van Gaal spoke about his 'philosophy' for two years with little evidence seen on the field, while Jose Mourinho was as far from the 'United way of playing' as is humanly possible.

By contrast, despite their relative success, the powers-that-be at Manchester City had long admired the Barcelona model and identified Pep Guardiola as the ideal manager to put them on par with the Blaugrana and they put systems in place to make his transition from Bayern Munich as smooth as possible.

Two long-term friends in Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano were appointed long before his arrival, while the club's academies were overhauled to imbibe the training systems and patterns of the senior team.

The result of this is that Manchester City have not only found immense success, they have done so by playing in an identifiable pattern of play and their entire transfer model is based on players' adaptability to this system.

Even the casual fan knows the traits sought in potential Manchester City players, with ability on the ball ranking high for defenders and goalkeepers, while midfielders and forwards must be able to retain possession in tight spaces. The same can be said about Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, with high-energy players who can run for days integral to the success of his gengenpressing system.

Manchester United currently lack a clear playing pattern and for as long as this happens, sustained success would continue to elude them and the first step to addressing this would be to sign a proven manager and give him the requisite support to implement his ideas.