In 2019, despite Jose Mourinho having won many titles in his previous clubs, he said he considered finishing second in the Premier League with Manchester United to be one of the best jobs he had done in his coaching career....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
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Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho (Photo credit: The Guardian)
It is no longer a secret why he said that as the managers that have come and gone after him have all failed to take the club back to the glory days. To make matters worse, the current manager Erik ten Hag shot himself in the foot before this season even kicked off.
Daily Mail reported in June that Ten Hag’s decision not to work with former manager, Ralf Rangnick, was the reason the club cut ties with the German manager.
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (Photo credit: Modern Ghana)
For me, that was a costly mistake as working with someone that knew the league, managed the club, and knew the players would have made life easier for him at Manchester United. It would have given him a head start in his career at the club.
There is no doubt Rangnick already knew the players that were not good enough, as he was of the opinion that the club needed to sign ten new players this summer. It would have been a simple case of replacing those players with the ones Ten Hag feels will fit into his plans.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it played out. His failure to work with the German manager meant he had to start afresh. It led to him giving a chance to players that have failed to live up to expectations in the last four to five years.
The result, of course, is what we are all witnessing now. Two humiliating defeats to clubs they were expected to beat in their first two league games of the new season.
Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire looking disappointed after Manchester United lost 4-0 to Brentford in the Premier League
It’s not all bad for Ten Hag as there are quick fixes for other reasons for their struggles in the current campaign. One of those solutions involves benching Harry Maguire even though he is the club captain.
The English center-back was in poor form throughout last season and has never really justified Manchester United paying £80 million to sign him from Leicester City in 2019. For me, that makes him not a suitable partner for Lisandro Martinez who is looking to settle into a new league.
Therefore, a solution to their licky defense will be to partner Raphael Varane with Martinez, or to partner the French center-back with Ivory Coast international, Eric Bailly, who was in fine form in preseason. The second option allows him to ease the Argentine center-back into the team.
Another solution involves selling and replacing unhappy players. Keeping such players around affects their morale negatively, as well as that of their teammates.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one player that said he wanted to leave the club. It is pointless to keep him if it means he won’t give his all to the team.
We saw him carry the team almost singlehandedly last season. He has not been able to do that so far this season, probably because he is unhappy.
