Patrick Rees
Just! Only just, but the Red Devils got the winner in the dying minute of the game against Hull City. The skipper Wayne Rooney did his part perfectly (finally…) and got the better of Elmohamady to launch a threatening ball into the danger area and the substitute, Marcus Rashford, was on the right place in the right time to score the Fergie Time, oops, Jose Time winner.
Though United dominated the game from the beginning and never let the Hull side to test De Gea, they were unable to find the end product during the course of 90 minutes. They did test Jakupovic on many occasions, but the Bosnian-born Swiss professional had answers for all of United’s assaults. But besides the keeper, their skipper Curtis Davies put a solid performance and if he wasn’t there for the team, the Tigers would have found themselves lagging behind very early in the game.
Rashford became the hero for the side, but it was a special night for Manchester United’s Swedish hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 34-year-old made his mark in the Premier League on his debut as he scored a screamer against the Cherries and then went on to score a brace against the Saints and was on the verge to equal a 91-year-old record, only if he had scored.
He tried to his skin and although he failed to match the record, he gave a glimpse of what he can offer to the Red half of the city. The side’s next hurdle is the Manchester Derby where they will be welcoming the city rivals to the Old Trafford and many believe that it would be more of a mind game.
Manchester United were heavily criticized for their lack of attacking prowess under van Gaal, but soon after Mourinho arrived and he brought Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the Old Trafford (for Free), that never seemed the case anymore. The Swede scored the winner in the Community Shield encounter and never looked like a player of his age. Many criticized and believed that he won’t be able to match the tenacity and toughness of the Premier League, but he did.
We all are aware of the fact that both Mourinho and Zlatan carry a great relation amongst themselves and that was the reason the Swede chose United in the first place because to be honest, he would have never joined if van Gaal would have been in charge. The duo, though not for long, has previously worked while their time in Inter Milan and has won the Serie A title as well. To be honest here, we personally believe that Zlatan is the leader for Mourinho and if not for Rooney, the manager would have given the armband to the Swede because let’s face it, he thoroughly deserves it.
Besides all of that, Zlatan is a completely different personnel on the field, especially in the Premier League. The player himself stated that Premier League is a way tougher competition and went on to say that to get goals, you have to be patient. During his time with Barcelona, Inter and PSG, he was scoring goals for fun, but thanks to a rigid nature of the Premier League, the 34-year-old will have to work his skin out this time and to defy all odds, he did that.
We can clearly see how he helped his side in the game against Leicester. I’m not talking about the goal, but I’m talking about the defensive contribution in the game. Till date, there have been so many incidents that the 34-year-old has backed up to help the side and that is what makes him a perfect player for Mourinho. Mourinho’s plan is straight and simple; if you are performing then you are on the team, regardless of your age, and Ibrahimovic is perfectly fitting in the script and that is why, we believe that Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic can lay down a marker in the Premier League this season, just like Alex Ferguson and Van Persie did in the 2012-13 season.
