Once upon a time when a certain Scot was at the helm, the Red Devils were virtually unbeatable. With 13 Premier League titles and a number of other accolades ever since the Premier League’s inception, Old Trafford became a fortress and only few dared to challenge Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
Ever since his retirement in 2013, however, United have been on a decline. David Moyes and Louis van Gaal failed to win titles and were subsequently relieved of their duties.
Current manager Jose Mourinho instilled hope in United fans after claiming the Europa League in 2016 and coming 2nd in last season’s Premier League campaign, but this season has not gotten off to the best of starts.
The Reds started off with a convincing 2 – 1 victory against Leicester before slumping to consecutive defeats against Brighton and Tottenham, and this weekend’s draw against Wolverhampton does not indicate signs of improvement. However, there are a few changes Mourinho should make to regain their lost form in the league.
Play Anthony Martial instead of Alexis Sánchez
Alexis Sanchez switched the Emirates for Old Trafford in January as part of a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but has not lived up to his potential. The Chilean has only managed to score 2 goals in 17 appearances for the club and it’s high time Mourinho benches him for a couple of games.
Martial, who has been phenomenal when on the pitch, provides more pace on the wing and his versatility means he can create more chances for Romelu Lukaku. Also, Martial and Lingard on either wing would be extremely threatening for any opposing defense.
Allow Pogba to play a more attacking role
Club-record signing Paul Pogba should ideally be playing in a more natural position. During his time at Juventus, Pogba had the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Claudio Marchisio to provide defensive cover while he went up field, and the Bianconeri benefited immensely from it. United do have the defensive midfield cover in the likes of Nemanja Matić, Fred, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, and Mourinho should utilize them in order to let Pogba play up front.
Experiment with Lukaku and Rashford up front
When Sir Alex was in charge of the Red Devils, he did not make too many changes to their style of play. One interesting fact from his reign is that Ferguson barely changed his formation, always sticking with a 4-4-2 system. Fortunately, it worked wonders and became a style United adapted to.
Playing Lukaku and Rashford up front means that United can play more attack-minded (something which has not happened since Mourinho took over) and the goal-scoring burden won’t only fall on Lukaku. Rashford gets more game time and the Pogba/Matić midfield duo can provide both defensive and offensive cover.