MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO HAS SURPASSED PEP GUARDIOLA WITHOUT SPENDING £100M
MANCHESTER
UNITED MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO HAS SURPASSED PEP GUARDIOLA WITHOUT SPENDING £100M
Man Utd
beat Stoke on a night Jose Mourinho showed he has a knack for improving
players. Here are the talking points from Old Trafford.
It took
eight-and-a-half years but Antonio Valencia finally scored for United with his left foot. What was more
pleasing than Valencia's strike was it marked his third of the season - as many
as he tallied in his previous three - and on the other flank Ashley Young has scored twice this term. He
will argue his deflected looper against Brighton should make it three.
Most of
Young and Valencia's strikes have been goal of the month contenders. Their
audacity should not overlook the development of United's full-backs under Jose Mourinho, though. In an era where clubs
like City are shelling out over £131.5million on them, full-backs are maybe
more instrumental to a team's attack than ever and United are making the
transition without signing any of them. The duo Mourinho inherited are greater
goal threats and City's auxiliary option Fabian Delph - who started ahead of
new recruit Danilo at Liverpool again - is having monthly howlers.
It says
much about Valencia and Young's enterprising campaigns that Matteo Darmian and
Daley Blind, at various stages viewed as first choice full-backs, did not make
the bench against Stoke.
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Jones a
player of the season contender
David
de Gea's agility and viral performance at Arsenal suggests he could carry home
the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year statue for an unprecedented fourth time
in May. It would be unfair to overlook Paul Pogba's talismanic impacts, Ashley
Young's consistency or the basic brilliance of Phil Jones.
The
25-year-old is enjoying his best season at United under a manager who is
unprepared to tinker his role and has shown loyalty to him despite a couple of
injuries on international duty. Jones's goalbound block from Maxim
Choupo-Moting was maybe his moment of the season and its importance amplified with
Anthony Martial's strike to extend United's lead.
When
Eric Bailly returns, his partner has to be Jones.
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Pogba
bails out United
That
edgy spell Stoke had after United scored was extinguished not just by Martial's
sweeping finish but the perceptive pass from Pogba. It was just as good as
Martial's slick strike and reiterated just how pivotal Pogba can be in such
circumstances.
At 0-0
and 1-0, he stepped up to create openings for United to score and claim two
assists in the second successive league game.
Matic
becoming a concern
When a
player whose existence was in doubt until he showed up last month is bypassing
you then it is time for a sustained rest. Stephen Ireland only had to jog past
Nemanja Matic to get a free shot at goal during the uneasy half-hour United
endured between their first two goals, a period where Stoke had three excellent
opportunities to level.
Matic
did not look like a player who had not played in two weeks and enjoyed a few
days in Dubai. He has started every United league game this season and it is
starting to show with his laboured wanderings. Matic's last genuinely good game
was against Arsenal over a month ago and looks in need of a rest. With Michael
Carrick and Marouane Fellaini fit and available, Mourinho has options to give
the 29-year-old Matic a proper breather.
Shaw
reacts to Mourinho's advice
Stoke were
having some joy in the first-half down Luke Shaw's left-hand side and he was
inexplicably spotted in central midfield during one attack. It was just as well
he was not within earshot of Mourinho, who tasked Nemanja Matic with passing on
instructions to the full-back.
After
that, Shaw's defending was much more disciplined, albeit not as adventurous.
His manager will have approved.