How Mourinho can revive Man United

Jose Mourinho’s ‘re-arrival’ on English shores as replacement for the bumbling Louis van Gaal (he never really left, did he?), means the Premiership will be home to five of the world’s top 10 managers. Indeed, the battle for superiority between Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger is certain to provide a captivating sideshow.
Ronald Koeman and Slaven Bilic are themselves among the world’s top 25 coaches and they could be joined by Frank de Boer, and Unai Emery as the English Premier League morphs into the melting pot of tactical ingenuity. So how exactly is Mourinho going to out duel these masters?

Motivation factor
First off, by going back to the basics. Mourinho made his name by motivating average players at FC Porto into believing they can be world beaters.
Possessing a degree in psychology was hugely important. Although he lost the dressing room in the dying embers of his Chelsea tenure, I think he learned his lessons.
Winning over the United dressing room will entail dropping his superstar coach demeanour and play the good teacher to senior players Wayne Rooney, David de Gea, Antonio Valencia and Chris Smalling.

Next up will be reorganising the team into a speedy, effective attacking unit without compromising the defensive discipline that allowed United to have the league’s joint best defensive record. This will entail signing either Villarreal’s Mateo Pablo Musacchio or John Stones from Everton, as rehabilitating Phil Jones may not yield short-term dividends, given his poor record with injuries.
Interspersed with that, Mourinho must play proper attacking full backs.

A key pitfall of his final spell at Chelsea was the team’s lack of impetus from the back as Branislav Ivanovic had slowed down (was actually a centre back) and Cesar Azpilicueta was playing as an inverted left back without licence or ability to venture forward. Central midfield must retain ability to cover the centre backs while injecting speed into the attack.
In his first spell at Chelsea, he relied on workhorses Claude Makelele, Thiago Mendes and Frank Lampard to do that. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick no longer have the legs for this job.
Mourinho should release these old war horses and recruit Villareal’s Bruno Soriano and Valencia’s Andre Gomes. They are both blessed with excellent game reading, work rate and vision.

Rooney-Lampard comparison
Team captain Wayne Rooney has confessed attacking midfield as his future. I foresee him doing for United what Lampard did for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
You only have to recall his dribble and run for United’s equalising goal in the FA Cup final to realise how well he can thrive as part of a three-man attacking midfield along with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. Yes. Rashford has spent most of his academy years as a wide man.

Rashford’s eight goals in 17 starts suggest he will develop into a prolific forward. But he is not ready to lead the line in his own.
Enter Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede scored 50 goals for Paris St Germain, and is available on a free transfer. He would provide excellent leadership to an essentially young United forward line.
To round up, with a £200m (about Shs900t) war chest, there is nothing to stop United from an immediate challenge for the title.

If Leicester City could do it, so can a Mourinho-led United.
United’s rebuilt starting line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation should look like this. David de Gea, Antonio Valencia, Daryl Blind, Mateo Musacchio, Chris Smalling, Bruno Soriano, Andre Gomes, Marcus Rashford, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The bench; Juan Mata, Marcus Rojo, Morgan Schneiderlin, Phil Jones and Jesse Lindgaard.

SCHOLES SPEAKS
Jose Mourinho will learn from Louis van Gaal’s experience and deliver exciting football at Man Utd should he become manager, says club legend Paul Scholes. Talks to bring Mourinho to Old Trafford have entered a second day. Van Gaal was sacked on Monday, two days after winning the FA Cup. “The fans at Man United demand entertaining football and I’m sure Mourinho will come and try and give it,” said former midfielder Scholes.
Van Gaal led United to fifth place in the Premier League but was criticised for his lack of attacking football, with the team only scoring 49 league goals this season.