Other clubs and fans are having a field day at the minute, seeing what is happening at Manchester United. They’re becoming a laughing stock, and falling behind.
They finished second last season, and will probably make the top four this year, but is that what they should be striving for? No.
Realistically, their goal should be to win the Premier League. But they just cannot compete with Manchester City or Liverpool at the minute.
If they lose against Tottenham on Monday, for example, they could find themselves six points behind City with three games gone already.
When you look around at City and Liverpool, you see settled players and, ultimately, a settled club.
At Man United, everything from top to bottom is in chaos, and it shows. Everyone – from Jose Mourinho not getting his transfer targets to the frustrated players and fans – look unhappy. So how do you expect to win anything?
So, should Mourinho leave? No. Should Man United as a club get their house in order? Absolutely.
That’s the whole lot, from the top down, Ed Woodward, Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba, everything is a total mess. You would never have seen this going on with Sir Alex Ferguson as manager, especially not playing out in public.
I could see why it would be playing on the minds of supporters that this season might end up like the Chelsea 2015/16 one.
Mourinho doesn’t understand the ‘United way’
I can see now that fans are turning against Jose Mourinho, and I can understand why. When you see Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham – they’re all playing the kind of football you expect from a Manchester United side.
After last year, the way he set up his teams and some of the football the fans had to endure, you’d have thought he’d have tried a different technique this time around.
The fans want to see attacking football, they want to see the kind of performances they’re used to from United sides, even if the result is sometimes disappointing.
They’re right to be upset, because I don’t believe they’re going to see that this year either.
I watched the game on Sunday, and I physically couldn’t see what Mourinho and United were trying to do. There was no game-plan whatsoever.
Sometimes, it’s not about getting beat, it’s about the manner in which you get beat.
Let’s get one thing straight, Jose Mourinho is a proven manager. He’s won time and time again at the top level. However, for me, the style he’s playing at United doesn’t suit the club and never will.
When you’re managing at Old Trafford, you’re expected to play a certain style, and if you’re not then there’s going to be issues with the fans and the club.
Paul Pogba needs to nip the Mino Raiola situation in the bud
Hearing that Mino Raiola has criticised Paul Scholes is an interesting one – who is he to criticise him?
He was an unbelievable player, and a leader despite the fact he didn’t speak much. I appreciate that times and mentalities have changed since I was a player, but the fact is the agent’s job is to get a player a club and make sure he’s happy – not to get involved with what pundits say.
I doubt it will bother Scholesy much. He’s a pundit paid to give his opinion, but Raiola needs to grow up and stay out of it.
Even so, his actions have just proved that this Paul Pogba situation needs nipping in the bud.
Some people need to talk for fear of being forgotten. Paul Scholes wouldn’t recognize a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill. @paulpogba
— RAIOLA (@MinoRaiola) August 21, 2018
Paul Scholes should become sports director and advise Woodward to sell Pogba. Would be sleepless nights to find Pogba a new club @paulpogba
— RAIOLA (@MinoRaiola) August 21, 2018
I’m not sure whether this is a case of him telling Raiola to tweet that, or whether he’s done it of his own accord, but Pogba needs to put this straight and get fans back onside.
He’s not yet come out and said he wants to leave, but if he actually wants to stay, he needs to say that publicly rather than creating a media storm every other day.
There are enough issues at Manchester United without Raiola getting involved.
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