Coming off Manchester United’s 3-0 win against champions Leicester City, some fans predicted that this would be the turning point for United’s season.
However, Jose Mourinho’s men have too many problems to successfully turn this season around from the disappointment it has been.
With this squad sixth place is simply not acceptable. The team that has been assembled for the Special One is the best since the Sir Alex era, and therefore he should be held to a higher standard than David Moyes or Louis Van Gaal was.
This season’s struggles are not completely down to Mourinho’s decision making. Some players have not performed their best and that has plagued United.
One example of this is David De Gea. While he does have 9 clean sheets in the league this season, he has made uncharacteristic plunders that have cost United points, specifically against Stoke and Chelsea.
What is not his fault are the lackluster defenders in front of him. While Phil Jones and Marcus Rojo have performed well as a center back pairing, they are quite frankly not good enough to be the center back pairing on a Champion League team.
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Jones is not good enough playing out of the back, and Rojo is too mistake prone to be a solid center back pairing. If United want to make a run in the second half of the season, Eric Baily and Chris Smalling are their best hope at center back.
Possibly the only solid player in the back line this year has been Antonio Valencia, as they have problems at left back. With Luke Shaw injured, they have had to rely on Daley Blind and Rojo to fill in, both of whom have been underwhelming.
United’s defense has never been their strength this season. During their hot streak in the middle of the season, it was the midfield 3 that was propelling them to victory.
Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera, and Paul Pogba were working perfectly in that midfield, but all 3 have not been up to form as of late.
While Carrick looked good at the start of the season, he has looked off the pace the past few games. Not only that, but Herrera and Pogba have not been dominating the midfield the way they were during their unbeaten run.
Even though these 3 have been struggling, they are their best hope in the midfield. With no replacements on the bench up to par, all 3 will have to turn it around if United have a chance at top four.
Up front, United have been struggling for goals of late. Looking at their 0-0 draw at home versus Hull City, the team is creating chance but they have had trouble finishing.
Zlatan has looked good in stretches this season, but he has not been consistent enough on a game to game bases to be in the starting lineup every single match.
When you also factor in that he is 35, Mourinho should give him rest for a game or two and insert Marcus Rashford at his preferred number 9.
Mourinho has placed Rashford on the left wing the past couple games, and he has not played up to par. This makes it even more puzzling that he has left Martial on the bench and even out of the squad entirely in the League Cup.
Inserting Martial in the starting 11 would give United a boost that they need and could possibly lead to more goals. However, Mourinho seems to be unhappy with Martial for some reason.
Annexing Martial from the starting 11 is not only an unwanted distraction, but it is also bad for the team. The Special One needs to put his ego aside and play the Frenchman.
With all this being said, United are only a couple points off a champions league spot. United should be competing for the title, but at this point that is not possible.
They can still salvage their season by making top four, winning the League Cup, and possibly making a run in Europe.
If United can put in a good performance this weekend versus Watford, they could possibly go on a winning streak that could vault them up the table. For this to happen, some major changes need to be implemented because the squad is not playing to their full potential at the moment.