3 Things Mourinho Needs To Get It Right When Manchester United Travel To Chelsea This Weekend

Jose Mourinho will be back at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the first time since his unceremonious exit last December and how the reunion goes down definitely interest many.

Chelsea have moved on just fine without their erstwhile manager, and recent results show they are beginning to find their feet. Manchester United too aren’t doing badly with Jose now in charge, and when the 2 sides meet by the weekend, the onus will be on the Portuguese to show why he is still a tactician to reckon with when it comes to making title statements.

And here are 3 things he must do to make one.

Beat the Blues to their defensive game

Jose is known to have made Chelsea a well-drilled defensive side, and while the team isn’t as tight at the back like it used to be during the Portuguese hay days, traces of the foundational defensive input he helped laid over the course of his 2 stints at the helm of affairs can still be seen.

On Saturday, Mourinho must show who the real master is when it comes to closing the shop and choking the opponents. While Conte’s style is different to his, the similarities in tactics can’t be denied. And it is why Manchester United have got an advantage.

A 3-man defence allows for much space to be exploited at the back, even if that will mean the midfield battle must be won first to get to exploit such space, as such, the Red Devils must come out tops of the midfield battle, like they did against Liverpool.

But this time around, they must make light work of the opposition’s defence by taking more attacking initiatives. It’s a plan Jose knows how to orchestrate, and doing it to a tee will make desired impacts.

Play to win

Result is king as far as Jose is concerned, and while the defensive battle must be won, more importantly, the game must also be won. The Red Devils must play to win. The end product of Mourinho’s game plan must be to get a win.

Albeit, the share of the spoils will still be considered a manageable result, a loss of any kind will only further justify Chelsea’s belief that the tactician isn’t at the top of his game like he used to. The result of this game will mean a lot for both sides, but more importantly to Mourinho’s credibility.

Leaving the Bridge with all 3 points will be the perfect psychological boost the Red Devils need to really get their title ambitions back on track. And the only way to get a win on the road is to play to win. No spoilers, no surprising tactics, just 3 points in the bag without making (much) drama out of it.

Play Mata

A starting XI without this creative attacking genius will mean Jose isn’t keen to come out tops with his head held high at the end of the encounter. While Fellaini did put in splendid work against Liverpool on Monday, it deprived the wingers and Zlatan of enjoying any meaning supply from the middle of the park.

With Mata in the mix against Chelsea and in his elements, United’s attack won’t be starved of chances and goal scoring opportunities. Playing it safe won’t make sense at the Bridge, Conte should be the one to do to worry about that. Jose must come all out for victory, and playing Juan Mata is crucial if that will be possible.