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Something is not working, and the City victory over the United with a striking 3-1 clearly reveals it. Jose Mourinho's team is passing through a mild crisis, so to speak, because they are ranking at #8 and have a negative goal score of -1, which clearly shows that their performance has been declining, and after this recent match, it only keeps going down.
The picture does not look good, of course, but what exactly is not working? What needs a fix? What needs to be done to return the Manchester United to the glory?
This article will analyze the matter to shed a light on it, and bring some hope by showing what can be done to fix this situation.
City vs. United: A Victory Foretold
Anyone who watched the match can say that the Manchester City had an easy win over the United. It was not hard, not even a bit. In fact, all betting websites like free-bets.net had the City as the clear favorite for winning. A victory foretold.
It is clear that Guardiola's tiki-taka style wins games, and in this case, the United could not do anything about it. The City had all the elements necessary for an easy win: superior possession, a high-pressure attacking style, a smart defense and effective counter-attacking.
Guardiola's game style and strategy worked wonderfully well against the Manchester United because it was impossible for them to capitalize on bounces of the ball, and generally, the City simply eclipsed all of their chances.
With a superior and strategic attack, a responsive defense and agile and smart counter attacks, the United didn't stand a chance.
If we add the fact that Pogba couldn't play due to an injury, it is easy to understand why the match finished this way. Even though the team cannot depend on a single player, he is the one who can bring enough security and confidence to the team, something that was absent in this game.
On top of that, due to the absence of Pogba, it was impossible to get the ball through midfield. Herrera, Matic and Fellaini did not know how to solve this problem, and this element contributed to their defeat. Many variables came into play.
Here we have a great evidence what something is not okay, so now it is dime to dig deeper to find the reasons for this detrimental performance.
Is Jose Mourinho The One To Blame?
It is easy to point the finger at Mourinho and blame him for the deficient results during this season, but in fact, the Manchester United has a serious structural problem, the same one that neither Louis van Gaal nor David Moyes couldn't solve.
Mourinho has a proven record of success with 20 titles won, and from all the managers the United has had, he is the most successful by far.
One of the biggest obstacles is that he is stuck with the players brought by previous managers, something that does not allow him to create the strategies he has in mind.
The United has a structural problem that deserves the attention of all the board and the coaches. They need to sit down to analyze it and discover how to fix it, because it is a hard challenge, because you do not really know what or who to change.
This is something that Mourinho alone cannot solve, and he needs the entire team to support him in this gigantic task.
However, citing back the City vs. United match, it showed that he is confused about the optimal line-up, especially for important matches against leading teams. He came up with a strong and bulky midfield, but as we all saw, they could not do much without Pogba. They lacked mobility and dexterity, which are essential elements.
It was incredible to see how easy it was for the Manchester City to filter passes through the midfield. Herrera couldn't do anything against Leroy Sane, who did whatever he pleased to. The inefficient midfield, and weak overall, made it easy for the City to find incredible opportunities to exploit, which of course, they turned into goals.
What to Do?
It all starts with consensus and talking about the structural problem that is damaging the club. Without it, nothing can be fixed, because the real elements that are wrecking the performance must be addressed.
Second, Mourinho should have more freedom to hire new players and make the adjustments that he needs. It is clearly known that many of the players brought by previous managers are not ideal for his strategies, and this is costing him many victories. He must sign players who suit up.
Finally, he needs to rethink his line-ups, especially regarding the midfield, because he is depending too much on luck and bounces of the ball, something that can be easily neutralized by teams like the Manchester City.
Final Words:
The chances the Manchester United stands for winning this season are too little, however, nowadays the aim must be to fix this structural problem before it becomes too big and sends the club in a terrible crisis, because this is how it starts.
