What can soothe and correct Manchester United's issues?

After Manchester United's 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 27th August 2018, Mourinho is now under serious pressure.

He had lost the prior game away to Brighton and Hove Albion and now has lost to a fellow top four/title contender.

There has been grumbling in the Old Trafford fanbase about Mourinho for a little while. He had won the Europa League and League Cup in his first season and finished second to record-breaking city rivals, Manchester City, in the following season. Though there have been numerous calls for him to go, due to his playing style, which is not attuned to the traditional "United way". This was exemplified by the Sir Alex Ferguson days, and runs back to the glory days of the late Sir Matt Busby.

I'm not a Man United fan by any stretch, but they are a club I respect and admire. They are an institution, not just in a footballing context, but in a British setting, period. I personally think Real Madrid is a bigger club (more Champions Leagues, and the Premier League TV deal skews relative revenues). However, Manchester United, with its many great players, managers, and moments, is a standard of footballing excellence. The late, great Best, Sir Bobby, Stiles, Robson, Cantona, Hughes, Keane, Schmeichel, Neville, Beckham, Scholes, amongst numerous others, are pretty much.

So it's in this context that I take an interest here. It's sad, in some way, to see them suffering now. Yes, nothing is always good - nor bad. And the heights of Sir Alex may have been followed by comparatively weak times. Nonetheless, there must be some means by which United can improve, or at least be more competitive.

So what exactly can be done to correct their malaise? It goes beyond Mourinho, though his presence and actions are a factor. The board, players and even Sir Alex himself need to be called to account here. The "noisy neighbours" are marching ahead in fine style, and their deadly enemies Liverpool are also. Even Tottenham, a non-rival to United in Sir Alex's pomp, has emerged as a better team. And Arsenal and Chelsea - certainly two strong teams in Sir Alex's top days - have slumped in some ways, but are looking to rebuild.

Something then clearly needs to be done, to get Manchester United back to the top.

Jose Mourinho

It's wrong to ignore Mourinho's role in this.

Problem

• Style of play is not pleasing, nor attuned to United's tradition
• His comments are often barbed and hostile in some quarters
• He has complaints - often legitimate - of not being allowed the funds in the transfer market
• He feels he is not being given the backing of the board
• He is not getting on with some players - though in some cases such as Shaw, he was indeed overweight

Solution

As a non-Man United fan, I'm not interested in his staying, or not, in honesty.

Though I believe he is one of the best managers of all-time. His achievements at Porto, Chelsea, Internazionale, Real Madrid, and Manchester United (where he has had success), stand as a legend.

However, his needs as a manager are not conducive to the structure and club strategy.

He has said that he's just a head coach, and not a manager in the traditional sense, holding control of all footballing matters. Until this changes, he may need to go, or move on to a better opportunity elsewhere.

The Structure/Board

Mr.

Ed Woodward, Man United's Executive VP

Problem

The Glazers, who have leveraged large debts on the club, have not provided the proper vision and direction for it to succeed.

Yes, many trophies have been won under them. But largely in spite of them, and not because of them. The brilliance of Sir Alex has been a major factor, including the FA Cup under van Gaal, and League Cup and Europa League under Mourinho.

However, there has been a tendency to focus more on United's brand, and immense revenue generating capacity, over winning.

The tenure of Ed Woodward, the club's Executive Vice-President, also has come under fire for not providing a proper vision, and not handling transfers well enough.

Solution

Change the board.

Glazers must sell.

These may seem simplistic, but they would solve the issue.

Nonetheless, the Glazers selling their interest to another may cause additional problems. Who is to say the next owners would be better? They could be like Mike Ashley (not investing bare the minimum), Kroenke (similar model to the Glazers, but focusing too on revenues and not competition), or as a best case FSG (increasing Anfield, hiring Klopp, and enabling top spending). Though even "good" owners like ENIC at Tottenham have come under flak, namely for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium debacle.

If the board is to stay, and the owners, then they need to be more open with their vision, and state clearly how they wish to invest in the club or ensure the club remains successful.

The structure also must change, since there needs to be a greater focus on footballing success.

Arsenal is often seen as being in a similar boat to United since both clubs are seeking to transition from long-standing managers. However, Wenger at the end of this tenure was failing. Sir Alex left at the top, literally, since United were champions at that stage. Arsenal thus have the motivation to ensure they get competitive, and there are more things needing fixing, and more impetus to fix them. Appointing Emery (a known tactical/meticulous manager), Sven Mislintat (head of recruitment formerly at Borussia Dortmund), and Raul Sanhelli (head of football relations formerly at Barca), are all key components in the defined "catalyst for change").

Ivan Gazidiz, Arsenal's CEO, has spearheaded a "catalyst" for change. Does United need similar?

Arsenal had a powerful manager in Wenger, who controlled all facets of the club's footballing operation. But this has been split and defused, and exact components have been brought in to correct the perceived errors. Emery is looking to get Arsenal on track, via better tactical analysis and defensive structure. And with Wenger in charge of scouting and football relations, getting in two world-class replacements certainly plugs the gap.

United needs a similar catalyst for change since the club needs renewal like Arsenal did. Whether this renewal will take shape is moot. But then at the least, the club has acknowledged that it has structural issues, and has sought greatly to correct them. United now needs to do the same.

Sir Alex Ferguson

The greatest football manager of all-time

Sir Alex Ferguson is not only a United legend. But a legend of football, and a sporting legend, period. He is possibly the best football manager of all-time. His tenure from 1986-2013 brought immense success to the club, and helped United further its global standing, and boost the Premier League's appeal.

This isn't to be disrespectful to Sir Alex's legacy or tenure. But his successor was David Moyes, who whilst performing well at Everton (a big and traditional club in its own right), he was unprepared to manage United, the biggest club in the United Kingdom.

Moreover, United at that point were champions. And it was always going to be hard for him. There is a strong case that Sir Alex himself chose Moyes to succeed him. This may have been well-intentioned. Though he apparently appeared out of his depth.

This may seem harsh to cite, overall. However, possibly a manager with more experience could have been better.

Conclusion

There are many factors as one can see causing United's current mess.

But there could be specific people who could solve them:

Possibly somebody who is respected for speaking well, and being in the media, and has respect in the game in many quarters, could be an effective director of football.

It could even be a club legend, such as:

Gary Neville

Rio Ferdinand

Mark Hughes

These are all club legends and are a few of many choices. It may not have to be a United legend, but somebody unrelated to the club.

My team is Arsenal, and I feel we've seen the experience United has had post-Sir Alex, and the club is looking to correct its own structure. Club CEO Ivan Gazidis said that the club, in May 2017, needed "catalyst for change". This was roundly mocked in the early 17/18 season, but the appointments of Mislintat, Sanhelli, the moving on of Wenger, and the appointment of Emery, show a desire to change.

United needs similar, for sure. And who knows - if both clubs can change successfully, it may be pretty much a repeat of the epic battles of yesteryear. Even as a non-United fan, Arsenal and Man United share a lot of similarities, in both playing traditions, demands for success, trophy wins, and contributions to English football both on and off the pitch.