At the club like Manchester United, three defeats in a row equates to more than a disaster. The side may have won the EFL cup tie, but a big test in form of Leicester City is awaiting this weekend. Things have started to seem extremely buoyant only 10 days ago which seems to suggest that Mourinho may not have been doing much wrong. Going into the Manchester derby on September 10, United had a 100% record although they had only overcome Southampton, Hull City, and Bournemouth up until that point.
The game against Manchester City was a big test especially considering the Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry. United made an extremely disappointing start and they have never really recovered since then. Mourinho said after the loss against Watford that the team was lacking in confidence. This may be completely true, but there is also an opinion that Mourinho is starting to get found out more often than not nowadays. Perhaps, it is a case of his methods and tactics being outdated.
It would be daft to arrive at this conclusion after just three losses, but Mourinho’s poor run technically stretches to more than a year. Since the start of last season, his teams have not been performing anywhere close to top four qualification standards let alone title winning form.
After starting out as a coach with teachings from Dutchman Louis van Gaal, Mourinho started with the famed 4-3-3 formation which was the cornerstone of total football. However, his teams effectively played a 4-5-1 system with the lone forward. In recent years, though, he has been favouring the 4-2-3-1 system quite heavily and it is with this system that new problems are created at United.
At the start of the season, United were playing with a lot of bias for wing play. Just 28% of the game was played in the middle of the pitch by United in their opening game against Bournemouth. This percentage has considerably grown in subsequent matches and now stands close to 35%. It is a remarkable increase and shows that United are trying to play down the middle. This change may have come about as a result of Paul Pogba’s increasing presence in the first team.
In order to get the best out of their world record signing, United may inadvertently lose their effectiveness on the wings. This, in turn, has led to the lower percentage of successful crosses. While Mourinho has defended Pogba’s performances, it may not be long before United switch to wing play if results do not improve. Mourinho’s tactics may not necessarily be outdated, but the team has been struggling to provide a proper application.
