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Are wholesale defensive changes needed at Man Utd?

Are wholesale defensive changes needed at Man Utd?

With failure comes opportunity. Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday was undoubtedly a failure with Jose Mourinho suffering another new nadir in a career now following a downward trajectory. Never before has he had so many doubters, but the prospect of proving them all wrong must spur on The Special One now deemed not so special.

That’s assuming Mourinho still believes in his own capabilities. United must hope that he does, because if he doesn’t how can anyone else? And so Mourinho isn’t just charged with reviving the Old Trafford club, now just another club in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson age, but with reviving his own career.

Sunday’s defeat at Stamford Bridge said a lot about both club and coach. It was symbolic of a fading force on the pitch and in the dugout, but Mourinho must focus on what is within his control. He mustn’t get bogged down in the bigger picture of what he is trying to achieve. Instead Mourinho must look at Man Utd as a sequence of smaller projects, starting with his faltering defence.

While United have improved as an attacking force under Mourinho, with Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and even Paul Pogba all in form at one point or another over the first few weeks of the season, they are nothing short of shambolic at the back. Sunday’s collapse demonstrated that.

The knee injury sustained by Eric Bailly is only likely to exacerbate United’s defensive troubles, with the Ivorian the only redeeming component of a backline that perpetually looks to be on the brink of an almighty blunder. Mourinho will have to find a temporary solution. Michael Carrick could be deployed as an emergency centre-back once more, meaning United will be robbed of his composure and calming influence in the centre of midfield.

Phil Jones could force his way back into the fold, but is he really the man needed to impose a sense of assurance at the back? Mourinho has been unconvinced of his qualities since taking over at Old Trafford, but he might now have no other option to turn to Jones with alternative options so scarce.

The issue for Mourinho is that his first-team defenders, with the notable exception of Bailly, have done little to suggest they will form the kind of basis United need to mount a title challenge on. It had been hoped Chris Smalling would build on his own personal development of last season under Mourinho, but the England centre-back has instead regressed. Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea couldn’t be attributed to just one player, but Smalling was to blame more than any other.

The same goes for both Luka Shaw and Antonio Valencia who have been at fault for defensive lapses one too many times this season. It might be the case that Mourinho’s arm is twisted behind his back this January, having no other choice but to make moves in the transfer window. Shrewd signings are hard to come by mid-way through the season, but United might have to grab what they can get to shore up their increasingly shaky defence.

United’s struggles at the back are somewhat surprising given Mourinho’s background as a coach. His entire career is based on a strong defensive understanding, with success at both Chelsea and Inter Milan founded on a solid backline. So why is still toiling so much to instil the same defensive security in his Man Utd team?

Maybe Mourinho needs to change his tactics. Pogba was used as an unabashed number 10 against Chelsea on Sunday, but perhaps the Frenchman will be deployed as an anchoring midfielder in front of the back four until a more permanent solution can be found. United at present are far too open and so Mourinho might look to tighten things up by defaulting to his conservative roots.

Mourinho was so keen to prove that he could align himself to United’s renowned identity as an attacking team he has neglected the foundation of what makes him such a proven coach. He wanted to show that he could play the ‘United Way,’ whatever that really is, but at the moment he is playing the losing way. No more managerial changes can be made at Old Trafford. It’s up to Mourinho to make the changes now.