Manchester United 0-0 Valencia: 5 important conclusions from the game

Modified Oct 03, 2018 04:56 GMT

Manchester United v Valencia - UEFA Champions League Group H

#2 Mourinho has run out of ideas

The special one is not so special any more it seems, in fact, there is a predictability to his game plan at Manchester United that has made them easy to read and outright boring. He does not rely on using the talents of the players in his hand, which is the reason for his preference for long balls with Fellaini at the end of it. It is a tactic from the 90s era which, unfortunately for him, hardly works any more.

Next, for all the midfielders in his possession, he does not deploy a midfield which works on the attributes of the midfielders. As such, Pogba’s talents are laid waste to, and Matic is overburdened with defensive responsibilities. He broke the bank to get Fred in the summer, sacrificing the more urgent need for a right winger, yet decides not to use him. Mourinho’s preference for tall players, regardless of their talent, once again, is a tactic that is as old as the beautiful game and makes little impact in the present era.

Another proof that his ideas are outdated is his reliance on defending with 11 men behind the ball. Against a team who have scored sparingly this season in the La Liga, such tactics are meaningless. The Portuguese has clearly run out of ideas, and Manchester United are paying the price.

With this draw, the pressure continues to build on the Portuguese and things could take a turn for the worse soon.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 8500 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Vikshith R