Yahoo Sports Manchester United's season could end in February as the Sanchez experiment looks to be failing
Having signed Alexis Sanchez, it was meant to be different for Manchester United in 2018. So far, though, it appears to be a case of deja vu. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired United have struggled to regain their aura of invincibility, and the club are now in danger of recreating the post-Dalglish arc of Liverpool. The occasional cup success, the odd sparkling season of promise, and then nothing of lasting merit. This weekend, the wheels on the bus could not just fall off, but smack Jose Mourinho clean in the face.
Sanchez was meant to change the dynamic of United. It is early yet, so there is no point in overreacting – Sanchez is often brilliant and may still prove to be a decisive signing at Old Trafford. But it has not worked out as quickly as had been hoped by those at United, and for supporters of the club. He was meant to bring fluency to a forward line which had struggled for rhythm. He was meant to take the pressure of Paul Pogba. He was meant to make the difference when United were struggling. On an extremely small sample size, he has done of these.
Sanchez has scored, and he has made dangerous runs, but his passes for other players have largely been poor, and his attempts on goal have not shown the ruthlessness that he has displayed in the past for Arsenal. United should have won comfortably with the chances they made against Newcastle, but instead lost 1-0.
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It is not the first time that Jose Mourinho’s side has struggled to break down palpably inferior players despite having the vast majority of the ball. It is a common theme running from David Moyes’ time at the club, when they put in over 6,500 crosses against Fulham and failed to find the winning goal.
One thing that might help that would be for Pogba to play to his best. He has only briefly threatened that when played on the left side of midfield against Everton, but is caged in his role as one of two deeper midfielders alongside Nemanja Matic.
He would rather protect a weakness rather than play to a strength
Pogba of course should be doing better regardless – his defensive work ought to have improved, and his passing has been wayward of late.
The most important thing, though, is United’s failure to field two central defenders who can both think and stand up at the same time. Both skills are crucial for defenders, yet both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are famous for their ability to kick the ball, and to stay upright consistently.
That is why United are weak both defensively and when starting attacks from deep – something that they will often face against sides that choose to play defensively.
None of these failures are terminal in the long term. Two defenders and an additional midfielder in the summer transfer window will balance the squad and the team. But with the season now coming towards its most pressured time, and with the squad unchanged for the next few months, there is a danger that the season will end prematurely in the mind of many of the players.
First up is Huddersfield. United have already failed in the away fixture in the league earlier in the season, betraying both defensive incompetence and a lack of fight that has held them back for Mourinho’s time in Manchester, and also in the last few years under Ferguson. It would be no surprise to see the same happen again.
Weakened
If Mourinho fields a weakened side to preserve his best players for the match against Sevilla – an eminently justifiable decision regardless of the outcome – he might find himself out of the FA Cup.
That is no disaster. It is just the FA Cup, and while it is a decent day out for the club and its fans, the League Cup win showed last year, as did the Europa Cup win, that this is not a squad who seem to care much about their success at United. They need to win to believe they can win, rather than believing in their own ability.
If they were to lose, then it might make the game against Sevilla harder. If they field Hinge and Bracket at the back, then they will almost certainly concede in both matches. The key for United then is to ensure that they are the first scorers. With Mourinho’s approach to the game, this is harder than it should be. He would rather protect a weakness rather than play to a strength, which is not an unreasonable approach with a more balanced side. This United team, though, simply invites trouble with this approach.
After years of underperformance in Europe, the English clubs are back. Arsenal are favourites for the Europa League. Manchester City are now the favourites for the Champions League and could soon become the indisputably best side in the world. Liverpool found their tie easy, and are closing in on Champions League qualification. United, by comparison, will face Sevilla knowing that it could be the last meaningful game of the season.
So far, they have done just about well enough to keep Mourinho interested, the same can’t be said of Mourinho keeping his players motivated for every match. United should get to the quarter-finals, but there is a growing suspicion that United are getting comfortable with life as also-rans.
