Jose Mourinho also has had to balance these factors in each of the clubs he’s managed (namely Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid). However, his current assignment of restoring Manchester United to their former position of glory with such a myriad squad is something that he’s never faced before.
Currently, the Manchester United squad comprises of 27 players (without considering the loaned out players). By no means, it’s an easy feat to find the right balance in the first team as well as rotating the squad so that all players get ample game time. When your squad comprises of stars and world beaters such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, some players such as Marcus Rashford and Morgan Schneiderlin are likely to spend time on the sidelines.
While it seems a foolish decision to not play the best possible starting-11 if available, the ‘Special One’ has got quite a few players for the same position and it seems quite a headache for him week in week out to pick a specific player for a specific position.
Here are three positions where the Portuguese tactician has a selection dilemma to deal with.
#3 Centre-back alongside Eric Bailly
Players to choose from: Chris Smalling and Daley Blind (Phil Jones is not being considered due to his frequent injuries).
Smalling and Blind are two very opposite players for this position. The Dutchman’s strength lies in his excellent reading of the game but due to his lack of physical prowess doesn’t exactly fit as an ideal center back. He is sometimes quite static at the back and often gets beaten by pacey forwards.
Chris Smalling, on the other hand, is someone who uses his height to his advantage but is very prone to committing errors. While Blind may look a good technical player, we have to remember that at the end of the day he isn’t a natural center back and his fragilities are sometimes exposed as seen in the match against Manchester City.
That is exactly where a player like Smalling was required to win headers and look after Bailly until he gets accustomed to the Premier League. Smalling has also been one of them more consistent Manchester United players and keeping him in the side with Bailly does make a lot of sense.
#2 Defensive midfielder alongside Paul Pogba
Players to choose from: Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera (Bastian Schweinsteiger is not being considered due to his banishment to the reserves).
The position that has defined Mourinho’s teams over the years, be it Nemanja Matic at Chelsea or Sami Khedira for Los Blancos. Here at United he not only has got to select a defensive player but also someone who complements Pogba’s explosive midfield play.
Fellaini is a very physical presence in the middle who can play with his back to goal which makes him an ideal target man, not a very good defensive midfielder. He doesn’t give Pogba the license to go in the opposition half because of his lack of defensive abilities.
Pogba’s countryman, Schneiderlin may be Premier League tested but is seen as a future prospect and more likely a successor to Michael Carrick.
Carrick may be 35 but he’s still got the mojo that very few players can boast of. The veteran Englishman is someone who sits deep and allows others to play their natural attacking play. All that said 90 minutes of top flight English football week in week out is not something that Carrick can produce at his age.
Ander Herrera is perhaps one of the few gems of the Louis van Gaal era, who has not been used to his full potential. The Spaniard like all players from his brethren is a master passer of the ball. His tremendous abilities of recycling the ball from defence to attack, defensive surety and a knack of shooting from long range makes him an ideal partner for Pogba in the double pivot system preferred by Mourinho.
#1 Attacking midfield or the number 10 role
Players to choose from: Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Wayne Rooney.
Mkhitaryan, who was the standout player for Borussia Dortmund last year seems like a perfect fit for the Number 10 role for the Red Devils but he is not yet accustomed to Premier League football. Mkhitaryan has displayed glimpses of his qualities in his substitute appearances but showed how unready he was in the Manchester Derby loss. No doubt Mkhitaryan is a quality player and might even become a regular for the club, but all he needs is time.
Wayne Rooney, Manchester United’s golden boy, has made his transition into the midfield even in FIFA! That all but confirms that his days of barraging through defences are gone and now he is tasked to create goals for his team-mates.
Also read: Gary Neville says Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United is now in his own hands
Yes, it helps prolong his career but the fact that he is just not cut out for such a role. The ample amount of mobility coupled with a sense of quick passing has nearly diminished from his game. A lot of his play involves long range passing and static possession of the ball to no use. Qualities that don’t seem parallel to a number 10.
Juan Mata is another player who is pretty well experienced in the number 10 role as well as in the Premier League. The diminutive Spaniard is agile, has a good positional sense and can find pockets of space for his team-mates. He is perhaps the most creative player in the Manchester United squad right now which makes it a no-brainer for Jose Mourinho to play him.
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