Ultimate United
Why some United players need to Grow Up 25 Oct 2017 21:08
Why the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Swansea does not change matters, and those players unhappy with José Mourinho’s comments after the Huddersfield game need to take a look at themselves.
By Frank Mead, Editor
Manchester United returned to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Swansea City in the League Cup on Tuesday. This will have come as a massive relief to Jose Mourinho after the defeat at Huddersfield Town, but this is in danger of masking an underlying issue.
It seems that certain Manchester United players believe that manager José Mourinho went too far in his criticism of them following the 2-1 defeat at weekend. These players ought to take a look at themselves in this argument. There is no doubt that it is the manager’s job to motivate his players prior to kick off, to get them in the right frame of mind for the match, but the buck doesn’t stop entirely with him.
In Retrospect
The facts appear quite simple. United turned up to a rainy, wind-swept ground on Saturday and clearly didn’t fancy it. Anthony Martial seemed to love the idea of getting sent off for a nice, hot, early bath, and demonstrated this by getting booked within the first ten minutes, and committing two blatant fouls shortly after. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was absent for most of the game, as was Juan Mata, and it was no surprise when the former replaced the latter at half time. Basically a like for like change, as both of them had the same degree of effectiveness. One suspects that the reason neither were used against Swansea was to give more deserving players a chance, rather than merely resting them.
Ander Herrera, who admitted in the post-match interview that United’s attitude had been poor, has so far been a shadow of the player who became such a stalwart under Mourinho last season. In the last three games, his passing has been abysmal. Even Ashley Young’s normally superb crossing was awful, although we will hope that is just an off day, given how consistent he usually is. In fact it could have been caused by the ineffectiveness of his team-mates – that kind of attitude can spread like wildfire.
Problem Areas
There is no doubt that United are missing Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini, and you suspect that either one of them in the midfield could have made the difference at Huddersfield. It is also highly unlikely that United would have conceded either of those catastrophic goals had their defence featured Eric Bailly. But none of these can be used as an excuse for the limp showing at weekend.
Most, if not all, of the players United had on the pitch that day would walk into Huddersfield’s squad. Everyone is an international, most of whom have several years of Premier League and European experience behind them. This is not to say that they should not ever lose a game like this. We have seen it several times over the years when a team has battered another and had no luck at all, having shots cleared off the line or hitting woodwork, having decisions go against them, etc. If United had lost this game because of things like that, then nobody would have minded once the initial disappointment of losing had evaporated. But that performance was gutless.
Nemanja Mati? hasn’t looked quite as impressive as he did in the first few weeks of the season. Maybe this is down to the fact that he has almost been carrying the midfield on his own recently, because he is not getting much help from those around him. Mata’s carelessness caused the counter-attack which set up Huddersfield’s first goal, and his performance was so awful he can think himself lucky to have made it to half time without being hooked. But that didn’t stop him taking to his blog as usual on Monday – maybe if he focused the same efforts on the job he is being paid to do, he might last a full 90 minutes one of these days.
It’s no wonder that Romelu Lukaku hasn’t scored for a few games with the limited amount of support he is getting at the moment. Sure, he could do better and maybe get himself involved in the build up a bit more, but that is exactly what the players immediately behind him are paid to do. We bought him to finish off the chances they create – so who is not doing their job, exactly?
The only players to emerge from that game with their reputations intact are David de Gea and Marcus Rashford. De Gea continues to pull off world class save after world class save, but even he couldn’t make amends for Victor Lindelöf’s mistake the second goal. The world and his wife know that the Swedish defender is struggling to adapt to the rigors of English football, and his below-par team-mates won’t have helped his confidence on Saturday. When Rashford came on, he was the only one that seemed to want to have a go at Huddersfield, and took their players on time after time, eventually being rewarded with a goal for his efforts. They are the only two players wearing a red shirt on Saturday who didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.
Moving Forward
With if the above in mind, if the rumours about them being a tad peeved at Mourinho’s criticism are true, then maybe they ought to listen to it, instead of spitting their dummies out. They are being paid many thousands of pounds a week to represent one of the biggest clubs on the planet. They are also being coached by one of the most successful managers in the world, who has won every trophy he has ever competed for. If they are feeling a little bit stung by the criticism, maybe they should question whether or not they have the character to play for such a big club. Don’t go blaming a manager who has proved he know how to win trophies, especially when many of the squad haven’t.
Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe were drafted into the side against Swansea, and both of them impressed Mourinho. They displayed high energy, graft and inventiveness. Towards the end of the game, McTominay set forward on a run through the Swansea midfield which started in his own half, having clearly grown in confidence. Both players did more last night then the players they have replaced had done in the previous three games. Given how poor United have been seen the International break, it’s hard to see too many fans being upset if they kept their places against Tottenham this weekend. Just a shame that Tim Fosu-Mensah and Andreas Pereira aren’t currently at Mourinho’s disposal. It is likely that their hunger alone would have seen them add something to the current set up.
Final Thought
The chances are that the Huddersfield defeat itself hasn’t hurt these players as much as Mourinho’s comments but, make no mistake, the fans are still fuming at such a spineless showing. A win over a lightweight Swansea side won’t earn them instant forgiveness. And if these players want someone to blame for how they were left feeling after that game, perhaps they should start looking closer to home.
1991 European Cup Winners Cup …