Opinion: Jose Mourinho should bench Romelu Lukaku against Manchester City

Manchester United have been a curious team this season. Lurching from crisis to elation, then back to crisis on almost a weekly basis, this campaign has resembled an HBO drama rather than your average football season.

Over the last few games however, a pattern has emerged. United have developed the rather unfortunate habit of falling behind in games. The shock of going a goal down seems to awaken the team, and they only seem to really be able to play when coming from behind.

They overcame deficits in three of their last four Premier League games, before repeating the trick in stunning fashion against Juventus on Wednesday.

That minor miracle of a win in Turin has given United a much needed boost in confidence ahead of the Manchester derby, and is the side's third 2-1 win in a row, having navigated tough contests away to Bournemouth and at home to Everton.

During these last three games, they have been largely without the services of their main striker, Romelu Lukaku, who was benched for the Everton fixture, before picking up an injury in the lead up to last weekend's game against Bournemouth.

United have looked better without their big man up top

In most cases, having your £75 million striker out for a series of tough games would be a monumental setback. Interestingly, United have looked better without their big man up top.

With the spectre of the Manchester derby looming large, Jose Mourinho has a big decision to make, and the correct one may be to bench Lukaku for the biggest game of United's Premier League campaign.

Glimpses of fluidity

In Lukaku's absence, Mourinho has gone with Anthony Martial on the left, either Marcus Rashford or Alexis Sanchez through the middle, and Juan Mata or Jesse Lingard on the right.

The Portuguese manager has been rewarded with the first glimpses of consistent attacking fluidity from United this season. Martial has been in stunning form, with 5 goals in his last 4 league games, while Mata has been excellent at linking the forward line to the midfield with his intelligent play.

Rashford got himself the vital late goal against Bournemouth, while Sanchez has been playing his best football since joined United (which admittedly is not saying much).

By moving Sanchez to a more central position, the Chilean is no longer occupying the same space as Paul Pogba, as the Frenchman tends to drift into space that opens up on the left hand side of the box. Instead, Pogba is now linking up with Martial, who he has a much better understanding with.

Sanchez's terrier-like running can now be channeled through the centre, as Martial cuts inside to link up with both him and Pogba. The right-winger, either Mata or Lingard, is free to drift across the front line, and fullbacks Ashley Young and Luke Shaw are then invited to take the space freed up on the outside.

All of this has led to a more vibrant and fluid Man United. It is not perfect, there is still the issue of attacks slowing down in the final third, or Sanchez being muscled off the ball by bigger centre backs, but there is a genuine attacking plan, something that was not evident before.

Lukaku was United's top scorer last year, but has looked off-kilter ever since he came back from the World Cup this summer. His first touch has been poor, his finishing atrocious, and the fact that United have begun to look more cohesive in his absence may not be a coincidence.

The big Belgian brings plenty to the table, and as of writing this he may not even be fit in time for the game against City, but with United already nine points behind their rivals, it may be in their best interest to keep Lukaku on the bench for this one.