MANCHESTER UNITED ALREADY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO BE PROVEN CHAMPIONS

        Attack! Attack! Attack! There is a reason why this word has become a recognized chant around Old Trafford during most matches played by Manchester United this 2018- 2019 calendar year. During times of trouble and despair the human brain holds a tendency of accessing our basic survival instinct and Manchester United proved last two weekends against Newcastle, that when faced with a serious crisis, the clubs best solution is to play attacking football. Plain and simple!

    Last weeks headlines news on Manchester United the media could not hold enough praises for the club which most football spectators had written of as probably one of top four big clubs in England that has lost their Potential to be champions. Has-beens or underdogs, depending on which words most suits your fancy but whichever words used to describe Manchester United poor form since the start of the season at least was described as simply embarrassing. 

       Some reporters even went as far as speculating that hoping for quality football to return to Manchester United was a bit too much to ask for because the club simply lacked enough Manpower in the quality of players to play attacking football. The dream of watching high tempo attacking football was dead at Manchester United and high tempo football might never return to the theatre of dreams.  That is, until last week!

   Juan Mata, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony MartiaL, Paul Pogba, and Romelu Lukaku all playing at the same time injected a frenzy of one of the most high spirited, high-level football that was thought to be lost by Manchester United since last seasons epic victory at the Manchester Derby. During last weekends post-match press conference after the victory against Newcastle, Jose Mourinho responded to the support Mourinho received from the fans singing his name as `` Nice but unnecessary``. 

   In other words, insinuating that Manchester United fans are hypocrites on clamoring for the Portuguese manager's dismissal two weeks prior to last weeks victory. However, just as much Mourinho can guilt the fans of being hypocritical, has to be said that last weeks victory was evidence that Mourinho, who has dawned the role of a strictly defense-minded man can indeed play beautiful attacking football after all.

   Juan Mata to start more games with the teams top four players maybe?... 

Think about it, with Juan Mata starting on the right side, Manchester United will be able to operate with a three-man defense, Jose Mourinho will have the option of placing two central defensive players behind Paul Pogba allowing the French man more opportunity to influence the attack a little bit more for Manchester United. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Manchester United should be playing on a higher level compared to the level the team is currently operating with but the problem is will the team be smart enough to attack more in the future?

      During his post-match interview after his sweetly struck free-kick that ignited Manchester United’s come back against Newcastle last week, Juan Mata had this to say to reporters: we needed something like that. It was very difficult to come back but we scored three and I think we even created more chances to score more. We are excited right now and we gave everything we had to win and we got very important three points.

       Clearly, the entire Manchester United team are aware of the pressure on Manchester United to succeed this season and whether or not Manchester United can finally win a trophy once again will rest largely on the level of football the team plays this season. A large part of the success to be achieved by Manchester United is not about the level of players signed season after season but more about the strategies the players are allowed to operate. Attacking strategies have proven to produce more wins than losses for Manchester United. Including players such as Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez, players who operate with an attacking mindset, into the starting a little more might just be a piece of the puzzle that will assist Manchester United in making their way back as champions   

       Nothing happens in a match without the managers' consent. This idea has always been clear around  Manchester United. Jose Mourinho makes the calls on how the team plays and the plays and the players simply enforce the managers' decision on the pitch. Simple enough right?

       So what happened last two weekends against Newcastle? Why did everyone see a Manchester United team, under the management of Jose Mourinho, so relentless on the attack when Jose Mourinho had been showing everyone that his strategy as Manchester United manager is built under a slow, positive, defensive mode of football?    

         Why pander to the demands of the Manchester United fans and switch to attacking style of football when all along Jose Mourinho had everyone convinced his main style of football is pure slow build up, possessive, defensive football?  why hold off on attacking football during the early part of the season? why switch to attack at this point after two years of management?

  One possible answer might have something to do with the news that Manchester United Chief Executive Officer, Ed Woodward, was rumored to have strongly considered releasing the Portuguese manager from his contract at Old Trafford if Jose Mourinho failed to turn things around in terms of Manchester United performance and results.

       Finally, the pieces have fallen into place. Clearly last two weekends inspirational come back victory for Manchester United against Newcastle was less about Manchester United seeing the light but could possibly be more about the Manchester United manager saving his job by any means necessary. A few, if any, Manchester United fan will honestly say that he or she was the least bit concerned with the reason behind the victory against Newcastle last weekend. The bigger question, however, will Manchester United continue to replicate the inspirational performance implemented against Newcastle two weekends ago high in 75 percent of the rest of the matches still to be played by Manchester United this season?

        Mourinho certainly answered aspects of this question during one of his post-match interviews after Manchester United last match against Newcastle United:
“ It’s not the substitutions(that caused the victory) it’s the desire, it’s the commitment. As I used to say, nobody is important. Only the club is important. This is not about me. This is not about the players, this is about the club and in the second half, the players gave absolutely everything. Nothing more to give"

                                                          (Jose Mourinho Saturday, 6 oct 2018)

      "I think at the half, we had a good conversation. We did not promise to each other that we were going to win the match because we cannot promise that. We promised each other we are going to give absolutely everything without any pressure, just the pressure of, give everything! And ofcause they gave everything and, I don’t want to say we were lucky because we fought so much for that (win). But i think the boys deserve, even if the result ends in a 2-2, even if we score less goals, the feeling could still be a possitive feeling because  as I was saying, nobody, nobody can promise to win matches. but a professional should promise to give everything and the boys they gave.

                                                                      (Jose Mourinho. Saturday, 6 oct 2018)

       Maybe it`s too overzealous to predict a constant flow of victories for Manchester United in the near future. However, if the performance against Newcastle is any indication, Manchester United might have started to turn a new chapter in the quality of football the team plays from this point on.