The Manchester United supporting punters here in the Transfer Tavern are desperately keen to see their team become great once again, and are resigned to the fact that Louis van Gaal will depart sooner rather than later.
The Dutchman hasn’t adhered himself to the United fans present in the Tavern at all and have said they would rather watch the pool table attract dust, than watch United in action at the moment.
Ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been lined up as the club’s next boss, and it appears only a matter of time before he takes over the reins from van Gaal.
One United fan in the Tavern is sat preparing himself for United’s FA Cup match with Shrewsbury this evening, and he thinks the Portuguese boss would be a great appointment for United.
The Transfer Tavern’s writer Lee Clarke set about looking at FIVE things that Mourinho will have to change in order to achieve greatness at Manchester United…….
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FIVE ISSUES!
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Style of play
One of the first things which Jose Mourinho must address as a matter of urgency when he takes over first-team affairs at Old Trafford is the style of play.
Louis van Gaal has been determined to play with a 3-5-2 system since his arrival, which is fine given that the Dutchman has won trophies galore playing with that system throughout his career.
The problem which the Dutchman has is that he has no flexibility to transform the system into an attractive one, which plays free-flowing football.
It is all good and well playing this negative, defensive football on the continent but the Premier League is unforgiving and it has taken the majority of the top flight no time at all to suss out exactly what van Gaal’s United are all about.
A winning mentality
Since the birth of the Premier League in 1992, Manchester United have been a team that have had an instilled mentality to win games at all costs.
In too many games of late United have simply rolled over and had their bellies tickled by ordinary teams and that has to stop.
Mourinho is a born winner and I am adamant that that factor alone is one of the reasons, that the United hierarchy cannot wait to appoint the Portuguese manager.
The fear factor that every club used to have when it came to facing United as long gone and the sooner they can rediscover that the better.
Better players
Any new boss that waltzes into Old Trafford will need to perform some critical surgery on a flailing Manchester United squad.
The squad at present is littered with players who are no longer good enough to wear the famous red of Manchester United, and the team is in desperate need of some world class acquisitions.
Mourinho will no doubt be handed a kitty if he takes the United position and he will be tasked with recruiting some of the finest players in the world, in an attempt to achieve greatness for the club once again.
Getting the fans back on side
Manchester United supporters are among the best in the world but naturally they have grown increasingly frustrated with the performances on the pitch.
With close to 80,000 people at home games, whoever gets the gig at United will have a real job on their hands in order to get the supporters back on the team’s side.
The fact that Mourinho used to work for United’s rivals Chelsea won’t aid him as he looks to quickly warm to the fans, but winning football matches – and eventually trophies – will.
Attack, attack, attack
One thing that Manchester United fans have been used to seeing over the years is their team on the front foot from the very first whistle.
It is a sorry sight these days to witness a United team so over protective over their own goal, that they barely get out of their own half and it has happened all too often this season.
Whilst Mourinho is renowned for ‘parking the bus’ he at least achieves results by doing this, and that usually means attacking to a point where his team edges themselves in front before retreating and protecting a lead.
The ex-Chelsea boss’ style might take some getting used to in the first instance but it won’t be long before the United fans take too him, if he sticks to his football fundamentals.
