Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho (Getty Images)
Manchester United were completely outplayed and outclassed by Italian giants Juventus in the Champions League but the Red Devils put up a good show against Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday and claimed all three points with a 2-1 victory over the Toffees.
It wasn’t supposed to the easiest game for Jose Mourinho’s men this season after United had succumbed to defeats at the hands of Brighton and West Ham earlier in the campaign. Mourinho was seemingly on borrowed time heading into Sunday’s clash but the positive result against Everton will definitely give him some breathing space.
And they not only picked up three valuable points but also played some very good football. It was arguably their best performance of the season. They had shown glimpses of their potential as a team with some impressive passages of play against Newcastle and Chelsea but they weren’t able to stamp their authority on the opposition.
In other words, Manchester United put in an authoritative performance against Everton and Jose Mourinho should have plenty of positives to carry forward into the coming games.
Having played some rather dull and boring football with a subdued body language in most of the games this season, United looked a completely different outfit on Sunday. It isn’t just the three welcome points that should bring a smile on Mourinho’s face, but the manner of the victory should do a world of good to their confidence as a team.
In a display that reflected classic build-up play and good balanced attacking football, United ticked all the boxes that they were lacking so far this season. Mourinho might have been criticized so far for his inconsistent and bizarre team selection but the Portuguese tactician played a masterstroke by fielding Fred alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in the midfield trio.
Fred played a very important role alongside Paul Pogba in the attacking third and Juan Mata shifted to a more central role with Ashley Young making the overlapping runs.
For the first time this season, it looked like United had a concrete gameplan to overpower their opponents. Pogba and Fred combined brilliantly with Anthony Martial up front, something that was not happening on a regular basis in the previous games.
Pogba teed up Martial for the second goal before Fred’s perfectly measured pass found the Frenchman in acres of space in front of goal, only to be denied by the brilliance of Jordan Pickford. Mata joined the party as well and played some really good through balls to the attackers up front.
United’s one-touch link-up play in the final third and incisive passing was a treat to watch. In the previous games, they had relied mainly on long balls and crosses to build up the play.
As a result, the opposition found it relatively simple to deal with their predictable and one-dimensional football. As opposed to the long-ball strategy, United used their midfield firepower to outsmart the opposition with some dynamic football.
The change in midfield strategy worked wonders for the Red Devils. In the game against Juventus, Pogba and Matic were playing virtually along the same line, something that was quite surprising given the pedigree that Pogba has as an attacking midfielder.
Mourinho corrected that deploying Pogba in a much more advanced role against Everton and used Fred to accompany him. Matic did a wonderful job as a shield for the rearguard and looked confident with his distribution.
United looked a lot more comfortable at the back, something that should bring a huge sigh of relief to the fans. Victor Lindelof was arguably United’s best defender against Juventus and followed it up with another strong performance against Everton.
Although Chris Smalling’s reckless challenge inside the penalty area denied the team a clean sheet, United can take a lot of heart from their defensive display against a potent attacking force.
Having played some wonderful football this week, United’s next challenge will be to continue their impressive run when they make the trip to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth.
Given that the Cherries have been in scintillating form this season, it will be another tough test for Jose Mourinho but it would be hard to back against them if they can produce the same brand of football next weekend.