Jose Mourinho has come under scrutiny several times at Old Trafford for not extracting the best out of the players he has at his disposal. More often than not, the manager has underused many of his players and the team has suffered from his erratic decision-making. He has also come under criticism for deploying players at unfamiliar positions, leading to a negative impact on the balance of the team.
The fact that Manchester United ended their losing streak with a convincing 2-0 victory over Burnley should not only come as a sigh of relief for the fans but it should also reinstate the team’s faith in Mourinho’s philosophies.
Mourinho made quite a few changes to the line-up that was at the receiving end of a lot of criticism after the 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. Marouane Fellaini, who currently earns wages in the region of £120,000-a-week, was handed his first start of the current Premier League campaign and Jose Mourinho’s gamble, for once, paid off.
The United boss fielded a 4-3-3 formation at Turf Moor on Sunday, with Marouane Fellaini at the heart of the midfield. Ander Herrera, who failed miserably in his last outing as a centre-back, was benched and Fellaini was utilized as a shield for the United rearguard. As a result, Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic featured in slightly advanced roles in the midfield.
The decision to start with Fellaini gifted freedom to Pogba and Matic and they made the most of it. While Fellaini dominated the central areas of the park with his pressing, blocking and ball-winning, Matic helped the team in the transition from defence to attack and kept things ticking with his elegant touches and impressive range of passing. Pogba did not have the best of days and missed a penalty but he created panic amongst the opposition defenders with his pacy surges forward.
It was the Belgian’s physical presence at the heart of the midfield that did not allow too much space for the Burnley attackers to exploit. A midfield that had looked in sixes and sevens in the previous games suddenly looked tight and organized. Apart from that, the former Everton man was good with his ball distribution, playing as a sweeper for the back four.
Furthermore, Fellaini also joined the attack at times, especially during set-pieces and posed a constant threat to the defenders with his towering stature.
In the previous games, Mourinho had used Fellaini as his trump card and had called upon his services when the team was in all sorts of trouble. Given the limited game time he has received so far, it was unsurprising to see the Belgian perform admirably enough.
Fellaini was brought on towards the end of the game against Leicester City just to kick the ball away and chew up some time, while in the games against Brighton and Tottenham, Mourinho utilized him as a target man. Well, that is just wasting a player of Fellaini’s potential and he has proved his worth in his regular position deep in the midfield.
Now that Mourinho has found his winning combination, he should avoid tinkering with his team selection. The trio of Pogba, Matic and Fellaini is the way forward for United in the midfield and Mourinho should stick to that. It will not only add solidity to the team and maintain the perfect balance but should also bring the best out of them.
