Manager Jose Mourinho is gradually moulding Manchester United into a team built in his own image with the latest signing of Nemanja Matic. It may not always be pretty, and quite far away from the style of football that many United fans would like to see, but the £40m capture of the Serbian international is a statement of intent.
Mourinho knows a thing or two about winning Premier League titles. He won three with Chelsea after all, and it looks as though he will be trying to emulate those teams with the type of squad he is creating at Old Trafford. His sole focus looks to be on creating a unit capable of winning United’s first Premier League title in five years.
The emphasis here is on one unit. Mourinho teams play according to a detailed plan of action, and it requires all the cogs in the machine to make it work. One of these is a holding midfielder like Matic. The 28 year old played an integral role in both of Chelsea’s last two Premier League titles wins; one playing under Mourinho in 2015 and another under Antonio Conte last season. The £40m spent could be the most vital for United as it will free up the likes of Paul Pogba to move further forward and create chances for Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.
His assured debut against Sampdoria on Wednesday will hopefully be a sign of things to come. The ability to have someone who can close down the opponent’s creative players, essentially putting out the fires, is an important part of Mourinho’s strategy. Breaking up play, and setting off the likes of Rashford and Lukaku on counter attacks will be a key aspect of Matic’s game, as well as retrieving possession and offering simple passes for the creative talents of Pogba, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to work their magic.
Lukaku will also add another important component to Mourinho’s game plan. He was likened to Didier Drogba when he first moved to Chelsea, and the United boss will most likely employ him to similar effect; as a battering ram in the forward line. The Portuguese manager will be hoping for the Belgian international to terrorise defences and commit defenders, allowing the likes of Rashford, Mata and Pogba to find more space to create chances and score goals.
The combination of both Matic’s ability to free up Pogba and Mata, and for Lukaku to commit defenders to create space for others, will be absolutely vital for United if they want to compete for the title this season. On too many occasions, especially at home, last season, Mourinho’s side struggled to break down teams who sat deep.
Despite an unbeaten run in the league from October until the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal back in May, the number of draws prevented a serious title challenge being undertaken. Mourinho and United fans will be hoping that the club’s summer signings will be able to address this major issue and convert those draws into important victories.