Manchester United are still looking for a first league win in October, and go to Stamford Bridge a couple of places behind Chelsea in the table, though at least José Mourinho can turn up at his old club with the satisfaction of having steadied the ship at his new one.
Granted, United have been less than imperious thus far, whichever combination of players they have used. Not all of their summer signings have impressed and some of the football has been reminiscent of the long afternoons that brought an early end to Louis van Gaal and his three-year plan. Yet, despite initial appearances, there have been signs of late that United under their new manager do not intend to spend the whole season in the shadow of Manchester City and theirs.
United are unbeaten in six games, for a start, perhaps only a modest level of consistency given that Northampton Town and Zorya Luhansk were among their opponents, but still an upward curve since the three consecutive defeats in September that had Mourinho grumbling about Einsteins writing off his team.
It appeared the Einsteins had a point when United opened October with an underwhelming home draw against Stoke, though the last couple of results have been more like the real thing.
Mourinho actually looked and acted more like his old self in boring the nation to death to take a point from Anfield, and in addition to showing his players have the application and discipline to perform to instructions in big matches, the easy win that followed against Fenerbahce in midweek was an indication that United are beginning to rediscover the knack of pacing themselves through a difficult sequence of fixtures.
The date of Mourinho’s first return to Stamford Bridge since being sacked will have been circled in red on the calendar since the fixtures were published, and just as clearly the manager was unhappy about it being sandwiched between games against Liverpool and Manchester City.
Yet despite all the moaning, United are on their way. Fenerbahce turned out to be an ideal recovery opportunity after the rigours of Liverpool, and Mourinho was not only able to give Zlatan Ibrahimovic a rest before the Chelsea game, he also took the opportunity to round on the doubters who suggested Paul Pogba had been an expensive mistake.
As the most expensive player in the world, Pogba will need more than a couple of goals against lacklustre Europa League opponents to prove his value to United, but his confidence can only have been improved by the performance against Fenerbahce.
It would have been easy for Mourinho to rest him with the Chelsea game in mind – Old Trafford is not exactly short of midfield options at the moment – but Pogba was one of only four players to keep his place and his performance turned out to be just what United needed.
Juan Mata won the penalty from which Pogba scored his first goal, and though the Spain player, who is also returning to his former club, is not guaranteed an outing at Stamford Bridge, the difference between Mourinho’s present midfield and his former one is one of the most interesting aspects of today’s game.
While many imagined Mata would be an early casualty of the manager who moved him out from Chelsea, in fact he has flourished under Mourinho, playing in most of the games and scoring the odd goal. Mata has made as many appearances for United this season as Nemanja Matic has for Chelsea. The pair are not remotely similar as players – Matic is an uncompromising defensive screen while Mata is a clever creator – though they both moved to their present clubs in the same January window in 2014.
When Mourinho brought the Serb back to Chelsea in 2014, setting a precedent for United’s U-turn over Pogba by paying £21m for a player who had already been on the club’s books, he was considered ideal for the way the manager wanted to set up his team.
A sort of muscular precursor to N’Golo Kanté, Matic would police the area in front of the back four, break up attacks and get the ball forward as quickly as possible. Mata was sold to United precisely because he tended to slow up attacks. Though unquestionably skilful and often effective, Mata did not fit into Mourinho’s model for Chelsea, which was a compact, organised, deep-lying defence and a midfield capable of attacking at pace.
Having arrived at United, Mourinho appears to have changed his ideas. “The football I wanted to play at Chelsea was one thing, here at Manchester United it is a completely different situation,” he has explained. “Here I have more players to play transitional football, we don’t have to be as physically strong and compact, or to try and play in a defensive block. We can play in a different way here, in fact that is what we are trying to do.”
If by “players to play transitional football” Mourinho is referring to what the rest of the world knows as the midfield, then it is true. United have more than most. They already had Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin and Mata before they bought Pogba, and that is not even mentioning wide players such as Jesse Lingard, Ashley Young and Memphis Depay, the discarded Bastian Schweinsteiger or the backwardly mobile Wayne Rooney.
There was no compelling case for spending £89m on the Juventus player, and perhaps that is why Mourinho is so touchy on the subject, particularly as debate is still ongoing over Pogba’s best position. Some feel he should play deeper, others believe he lacks the discipline to be a defensive anchor and should be encouraged to get forward and score goals. It has even been suggested Mourinho should grant Pogba a free role, a licence to roam, which is not something anyone ever said about Matic.
Yet Matic, performing his limited but clearly delineated task, was an immediate success at Chelsea. He was among the players of the year as his side won the title in his first full season. Mourinho had a plan for Chelsea that worked, at least for a while. If he has a plan for the way he wants United to play it is less clear but, by virtue of his cost and history, Pogba has to be a part of it.
Back in the summer he was being described as a statement signing. Since then people have begun to wonder what sort of a statement United are trying to make. Pogba has not been playing badly, it is his ill-defined role that is unusual. Mourinho teams are normally marked by certainty, which is one reason his original Chelsea side were able to stick robustly to the gameplan long after the coach had departed. Now, by Mourinho’s own admission, he feels the need to attempt something different, when many a United supporter would have been happy with more of the same.
The real Mourinho, which is to say the old Mourinho, was recognisable against Liverpool last Monday. Whereas, for all his manager’s protestations, the true Pogba was not glimpsed in that game but was able to shine against lesser opponents three days later. The big games are what counts at United, and this week brings another two.
Mourinho and half of Manchester must be hoping Pogba can continue to impose himself without waiting for the next Europa League game to come around.
