Why it is high time Manchester United offload Mourinho and bring in Zidane
Manchester United have not made the best start to their Premier League campaign so far. After a largely underwhelming pre-season tour, the Red Devils managed to pick up a victory against Leicester City on opening day.
But Jose Mourinho’s team were made to suffer against a stubborn Brighton and Hove Albion, who won the game 3-2 at Amex Stadium. And once again, Mourinho’s style of football has come under the scanner.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils were an attack-minded team who were capable of taking on any major force in Europe. And yet Mourinho’s team were beaten by one of the newly-promoted clubs from the previous campaign.
A number of fans have lost their patience with the former Chelsea manager, who seems too stubborn to change his ways. In the aftermath, Manchester Evening News reports that the Red Devils are considering Zinedine Zidane to replace Mourinho as the club’s head coach.
Zidane stepped down from the Real Madrid hot seat after three successful years with the club. The former French captain also became the first manager to win the Champions League three consecutive times.
The 46-year-old took up the manager’s job at Santiago Bernabeu after years of practice with the youth squad and B team. He immediately came into the side and instilled the squad with confidence and faith. That’s the kind of manager that Manchester United need and not one that often throws them under the bus during press conferences.
Zidane is excellent with his man management and is also a source of inspiration for a number of players. That should automatically raise the spirits when he enters the locker room for the first time.
Moreover, his style of football is quite suitable for the Red Devils. The manager often deploys a high-octane attacking side that devastates teams on the counter, just like United once did.
The Frenchman also needs all-around performances from his central midfielders, as he did with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Everything went through them before it found the back of the net, meaning the likes of Paul Pogba and Fred will definitely flourish under the manager.
Zidane also pushes his full-backs to work at a high rate and constantly surge up and down the field. He likes his wing-backs to widen the pitch as much as possible in order to provide space in the middle, which the team must then take advantage of.
This should see the likes of Romelu Lukaku receiving more chances in the final third. Most importantly, United star Pogba would receive greater freedom to express himself in the final third.
It’s been three years of Mourinho at Manchester United and there doesn’t seem to be any kind of improvement in that time. The club must bring in Zidane while it’s still possible. Holding onto the former Chelsea manager would only see him pull off his infamous third season syndrome and derail Manchester United’s season further.