Will Mourinho's Man Utd bounce back ?
The stage was set for yet another win after Mourinho's Manchester United beat Leicester City in the 2018 - 2019 Premier League season opener. Football pundits all over the globe lauded the tremendous effort put in by the United men especially praising the likes of Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly in defense. New signing Fred and Manchester poster boy Paul Pogba were also praised for their work in controlling the game. The well pleased United fans were in all expectations looking forward to a similar performance against the newly promoted Championship team Brighton and Hove Albion. However, a disappointing performance by the Manchester United fullbacks and shabby offensive play by the midfielders led to an unexpected 3-2 defeat to a side that was supposed to be no match for the Manchester Giants.
Manchester United are scheduled to take on high-flying Spurs in their next fixture scheduled for 28th August 2018 at 12:30 am IST but a performance similar to that against Brighton can lead to further disappointment for Mourinho and his men.
Who can we blame for the current United crises? Is it Ed Woodward for the lack of signings during the summer transfer window? Is it Mourinho's failing strategies? or is it just the lack of discipline by the players to execute the plan? Too many questions can be asked about United's dropping form but what exactly went wrong in the game against Brighton? And how can they make sure they put up a better performance against Spurs.
- Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof's defensive errors: The defensive duo of Bailly and Lindelof switched off so easily against the Brighton attack. On several occasions, they were completely outsmarted by the Brighton Attack. They put in a series of careless tackles, including one which gave away a penalty to the opponents. Even the wing backs were no match to the speed of the Brighton forwards. They need to step up their game if they have to defend the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli
- Pogba's misplaced passes: The United midfield looked like a group of school kids playing in the backyard on a Monday morning. The number of misplaced passes were way too many to even keep a count of. Even a midfield masterclass like Paul Pogba who performed exceptionally well in the World Cup didn't seem to get his passes right. In order to put up a better performance, the Man Utd midfield needs to work on their communication play and a better counter-attacking strategy.
- De Gea's dangerous ball distribution: Didn't we all feel that De Gea played way too many dangerous balls in the centre of the midfield? This led to a pressing play by the Brighton attack, thus putting more pressure on the United center backs. De Gea will have to keep this in mind when goes up against Spurs.
- Mourinho's Squad Selection: This has been an issue right from the pre-season in Los Angeles. Mourinho till date hasn't found the right starting 11 for his squad. He has kept experimenting with a lot of youngsters but still hasn't got it right. From benching Anthony Martial to trusting the youngsters, Mourinho needs to get the right combination against Spurs.
So will Utd dwell on the mistakes of the past or will we see an improved Man Utd? Only time will tell...