Despite being 11 points behind title leaders Chelsea, Manchester United can’t be completely ruled out of the title race, or at least a top 4 finish as they are only 8 points behind 4th-placed Arsenal.
The Red Devils haven’t been able to perform up to expectations despite boasting of a mega squad and one of the finest tacticians of all time.
A return of 20 points after 13 games signals their worst start to a season since 1990, and it will take a huge upswing in fortunes for them to turn their woeful season around.
All hope isn’t completely lost as from now till May is a lot of time for big changes to happen. And by attending to these 3 problems pronto, United can bounce back from their rot.
How to score
Goals win games, and Manchester United have actually been on the right path towards getting a lot of them since the start of the season.
Only that, their finishing has betrayed them and let them down most of the time. Of 163 goalscoring chances created, the Red Devils have scored just 18.
They scored just one out of 17 chances created on Sunday against West Ham, and could only register a goal against Burnley and Stoke combined despite registering 62 shots against both teams.
Everyone, from the vastly experienced quartet of Zlatan, Pogba, Rooney and Mata, to the young inexperienced duo of Rashford and Lingard, has been guilty of squandering clear opportunities in front of the goal.
The team must learn how to score goals because clearly they have turned rusty and a lot of work is needed on their finishing touches in the opposition box.
Unnecessary lineup changes
Mourinho has only named the same unchanged starting XI twice only on 2 occasions this season. And it hasn’t really been because of injuries and suspensions, but due to the fact that the Portuguese boss doesn’t have an idea of his first team yet.
More than 3 months after the start of a campaign, getting it right with team selection should be the least of the United’s concerns. Surprisingly, it is, and such is coming from a Jose who could go a season with an unchanged starting XI while with Chelsea.
There isn’t enough quality in depth within this United squad for Mourinho to have selection headaches, and a regular lineup is the best for a coach that is known for such. It will also allow the players get used to themselves on the pitch and have a better understanding of what each other will do in different situations.
This is the working and winning formula the top 2 teams have stuck with. United need to follow suit if they wish to make something worthwhile of their campaign.
Mourinho’s temper and attitude
A 2nd stadium ban is on the way for Jose following his sending off at the weekend. United’s board will definitely not be happy with their employee as they actually had concerns over these types of attitudes before giving him the job.
The Portuguese must curb his temper and attitude. Coupled with his hitting on referees and kicking of bottles, Jose is also publicly criticising his players. That by no means isn’t the best way to get the best out of his charges.
These and many more issues must be resolved as soon as possible, else, things could go from bad to worst for Manchester United this season.