The most depressing thing about United’s recent
performances, for me, hasn’t been any of the things the irate Twitterati have
been venting their spleen over. It isn’t
Rooney’s decline, Pogba’s inability to make an impact or Carrick’s apparent
permanent seat on the bench that are bothering me, though these are all
symptoms. Rather more worryingly, it’s
that Mourinho gives the impression of being uncharacteristically hesitant in
addressing such issues.
It’s the last thing we expected of him. Never a great Mourinho fan, I accepted he was
the inevitable choice simply because I thought there was no way he’d fall into
the trap of his two predecessors. David
Moyes always looked caught between an attempt to go with his own tried and
trusted methods and a desire to show faith in the United way and got the
balance completely wrong. Van Gaal, in
contrast, always seemed to project the belief that he knew what he was doing,
but his teams’ performances often said something else entirely, indicating that
his players had no more belief in his methods than the fans did.
Mourinho, I thought, might upset us by not prioritising some of the things we most cherish about our club – youth
development, for instance –
but he’ll surely have the self-belief to do things his own way and from that,
at least in the short-term, we’ll surely benefit.
So it’s been
baffling, in particular, to see his approach to United’s midfield
selections. Having paid a world record
fee for Paul Pogba, we’ve seen him moved about the midfield positions between
and even within games: This from a coach who has publicly stated his intention
to field players in their specialist positions. Michael Carrick, meanwhile,
hasn’t kicked a ball in earnest so far, despite Mourinho’s desire to keep him
at the club. Surely the most familiar
Mourinho midfield would be one that sees Pogba’s energy complemented by
Carrick’s tactical nous? If not, then
what of Morgan Schneiderlin, one of the few players to emerge from the
Feyenoord debacle with any credit?
I know I’m not the first to say it, but the whole thing
points to a need to accommodate Rooney, who he played in midfield at Watford
despite assuring us at the start of the season he did not intend to use him in
that role. I’m not one to follow the
instant condemnation line of those who populate Twitter and I do genuinely
attempt to see it from the coach’s point of view but, given his earlier
pronouncements, it was a baffling selection and one that leaves me concerned
that Mourinho, like Van Gaal and Moyes, may be over-complicating a simple
situation purely because the easier decision – leave Rooney out – is somehow
less palatable.
Rooney’s place in the starting line-up isn’t the only issue
Mourinho has to resolve (and, yes, I know he wasn’t even playing at Feyenoord
and we were still very poor), but it’s probably the most significant one
because it’s hard to see how other players can flourish in their best positions
as long as he’s there. Wayne Rooney is
no longer our best centre forward, our best number ten or our best attacking
midfielder. Ergo, he shouldn’t be in the
side unless those who are better than him are unavailable. This
isn’t anything against Rooney: it’s just a cold, hard appraisal of the
situation. The ability to carry out that
kind of assessment – recall his treatment of Mata at Chelsea - is something on
which much of Mourinho’s considerable reputation is based.
Whether the Mourinho of repute will finally stand
up and make a decision on an issue that his two predecessors so painfully
dodged might well be the difference between whether he succeeds or follows them
into the post-Fergie hall of managerial ignominy.
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