The start of the 2018/19 season has not gone to plan so far for Manchester United. After a cagey 2-1 win at home against Leicester, the Red Devils lost to Brighton in the second game of the season. This shock defeat was the result of a shambolic attacking performance from Mourinho’s men. United created just four chances all game. To put that into perspective, Liverpool played Brighton this weekend, and Mohamed Salah created six chances alone. This is simply unacceptable, but it is what we have come to expect from Mourinho’s United. The lethargic football has prompted many supporters to call for a change. This change should be sacking Jose Mourinho and hiring Mauricio Pochettino. By next season, Mauricio Pochettino should be the Manchester United manager.
Mauricio Pochettino Should be the Next Manchester United Manager
Style of Play
Many United fans have had enough of Mourinho’s brand of football. His pragmatic style took the club to second place last season, but it is sometimes painful to watch. Pochettino’s Spurs side play swift, attacking football, and this would be most welcome at Old Trafford.
United have the midfielders and forwards required for Pochettino’s style of play. In Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Fred, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, United have talented, dynamic players, capable of playing breathtaking football. Should Pochettino join, he would have these fantastic attacking players to work with, and he would definitely be able to implement an attacking brand of football United fans haven’t seen in over five years. This would help lift the mood of the fanbase, and United fans would be able to enjoy every game their team plays.
Pochettino’s Spurs side dominate games, and not just against Premier League opposition. In last season’s Champions League, Spurs ripped Real Madrid apart 3-1 at Wembley. This felt like a turning point for both Pochettino and Spurs, as never before had they dismantled one of Europe’s elite so convincingly. This wasn’t a one-off either. Later in the competition, Spurs gained a respectable 2-2 draw in Turin against Juventus. What was noticeable though was how Spurs created more chances than Juventus and completely controlled the game in the second half.
This is in stark contrast to United in the Champions League under Mourinho. The Red Devils crashed out to underdogs Sevilla in the Round of 16 after playing woefully over both legs.
So clearly, United under Pochettino would give fans of the club the attacking football they crave, and Pochettino can get the most out of his players to provide it.
Getting the Best Out of his Players
It has been well documented now that Mourinho has struggled to get the best out of his players at United. The likes of Pogba, Martial, Rashford and Lukaku have been excellent at times, but remain inconsistent for the most part. This even goes for Alexis Sanchez, who joined the club in January. He has been fairly poor so far, routinely misplacing passes and giving the ball away. One thing Pochettino has shown at Spurs is that he gets everything out of his players.
Pochettino has coached once relative unknowns in Harry Kane and Dele Alli into top-class players. Kane, in particular, has a claim to be the best number nine in Europe. Upon losing Kyle Walker to Manchester City in the summer of 2017 many wondered how Spurs would replace him. Pochettino has seamlessly introduced Kieran Trippier into the starting lineup, and Spurs have not been noticeably worse. Trippier has become a key man for Spurs, with his crossing and set-piece taking adding another dimension to their attack.
So clearly Pochettino knows how to get the best from his players, and if he does this at United, they will be one of the best attacking teams in Europe.
A Bigger Chequebook
This past summer it was widely reported that Pochettino was not happy with Spurs’ lack of transfer activity. Spurs’ penny-pinching comes as no surprise though, as Daniel Levy has a new stadium to pay off. This was probably made more frustrating for Pochettino given his proven eye for talent. He’s added players such as Davinson Sanchez, Dele Alli, and Toby Alderweireld to Spurs in recent years. The Argentine knows a good player when he sees one, and at United, he’d have a substantially bigger transfer budget.
United generate more revenue than any other football club in the world, and this would provide Pochettino with a huge chequebook. This would allow the Argentine ample room to manoeuvre in the transfer market and sign a calibre of player unavailable to him in North London. And as previously mentioned, Pochettino tends to get the best out of his players.
So with United’s already stellar squad, combined with a manager who coaches his players well, plus a large chequebook to help him sign who he wants, why wouldn’t United fans want Pochettino? That is the real question.
Conclusion
Manchester United hiring Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager makes total sense. United would get a manager whose style of football is more aligned with the traditions of the club, and a manager who has proven he can get the best out of the players at his disposal.
Pochettino would reinvigorate a club in dire need of change, and he is the man to take United back to the top of English football.
Main Photo
