5 Changes Jose Mourinho Should Do Ahead Of Manchester United’s EFL Cup Game Against Manchester City

Manchester United were truly disappointing in their away loss to Chelsea as they lost it by 4 goals to nil. The scoreline flattered United as they could’ve been in for a real battering if not for their star goalkeeper De Gea who made a few excellent saves to keep the score down to 4.

In an attacking sense, United went missing as all their stars failed to show up. Pogba and Ibrahimovic in particular disappointed largely as several of Manchester United’s players failed to get a foothold on the game.  Despite a strong performance from the team against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, the team hasn’t done much in an attacking sense.  United are winless three games on the bounce in the league and this certainly wasn’t expected when Jose Mourinho took over the reins at Old Trafford.

If their track record is anything to by, Jose Mourinho is in for a hard time at Manchester United. The League Cup game against Manchester City presents itself as an opportunity for Jose Mourinho and his team to make up for their bad form off late. His selections, which have come under scrutiny recently, need to be spot on if Manchester United are to avenge that league defeat to their city rivals.

Here are a few changes that Jose Mourinho might make to the team that were mauled 4-0 by Chelsea

Matteo Darmian for Antonio Valencia

The Italian defender has hardly gotten a look in this season. Valencia has been preferred to him and he has given mixed performances so far. But the 4-0 loss at the hands of Chelsea should come as a sign to Jose Mourinho and he should look to shore up his defence. Darmian is certainly the more defensive minded of the two. A confidence showing in the League Cup could do the former Torino man a world of good.

Luke Shaw for Eric Bailly

Bailly had to go off with an injury against Chelsea and Marcus Rojo was brought on for the Ivorian, which saw Blind move to central defence. The Dutchman will in all likeliness continue there. But Mourinho got it wrong by naming Rojo on the bench against Chelsea. The Argentinian certainly didn’t help matters after coming on. Luke Shaw is a player that has been on the receiving end of some criticism from Mourinho this season. He will be looking to respond to that with a strong performance.

Michael Carrick for Ander Herrera

Many have been calling for Michael Carrick’s inclusion into the Manchester United line-up. Their wish came true in the Europa League tie against Fenerbahce, as the former England international played and did superbly as his team ran out 4-1 winners. His inclusion seemed to have given Pogba the freedom to move around and influence the game more. Mourinho opted against started him in the game against Chelsea and instead gave Fellaini and Herrera starting roles. This backfired as Chelsea’s midfield of 2 dominated United’s midfielders on the day.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Marouane Fellaini

The Belgian was outrun in midfield against Chelsea and he has looked leggy in many games. There are now doubts over his status as a Manchester United player and if he has the pedigree to be wearing such a prestigious shirt. He is undoubtedly a handful on his day but mediocre performances such as his are simply unacceptable. Mkhitaryan has hardly had a look in since moving in from Borrusia Dortmund for a hefty fee of 26 million pounds. His solitary start in the Premier League came in the Manchester Derby but he was substituted at half-time. So there are doubts over whether Mourinho has got his man in Mkhitaryan. He needs to show more faith in the Armenian and give him the confidence to go express himself on the pitch.

Anthony Martial for Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan started the season off spectacularly with a couple of goals as he got used to life in the Premier League. But as time has gone by, the goals have dried up and he is getting more and more isolated up front. Uncertainty over Rooney’s future has left a cloud over the striker position at Manchester United. Mourinho should look to give the Swede a breather. He could do with some time off to recoup in order to regain some of the form that makes him one of the most feared strikers ever and Anthony Martial must be given a chance to sizzle meanwhile. Doing so will also add a lot of pace and running to the front line, which was clearly lacking from Ibrahimovic.

Predicted line up; De Gea, Matteo Darmian, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind , Luke Shaw,  Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick,  Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jessie Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial

Kick off  – 7 pm BST, 26^th October