Jose Mourinho’s big summer regret might be missing out on Antoine Griezmann or Gareth Bale. It might even be signing Romelu Lukaku. But it probably isn’t any of those things.
Manchester United’s squad is already quite fearful, and if we’ve heard the argument advanced many times, it’s only because it’s true: if it weren’t for the utter brilliance of a record-breaking Manchester City side, United would be well and truly in title contention – exactly where Mourinho should be in his second season in charge.
That’s not the reality, of course, but the fact is, this United side was always going to remain a work in progress this season. Even if they should be closer than they currently are to City.
A first-choice centre-back pairing of the currently-injured Eric Bailly and Phil Jones could hardly be considered up there with the likes of Bruce and Pallister or Ferdinand and Vidic, even if the Ivorian has the tools to be considered in such a lineage with the right partner in the future.
But it’s really the full-backs that tell the story of this team: as well as Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have done this term, relying on players from the Ferguson era to fill in at new positions shows the scale of the problems facing United, and arguably shows how well Mourinho has done.
None of that is to say that the coach shouldn’t be criticised. And if he’s had to make do and mend after breaking a world record transfer and spending hundreds of millions of pounds in a year and a half then it’s clearly his own fault. But there’s one missed signing that he appears to be rectifying now.
Last summer, one name Manchester United fans will have been sick of hearing was that of Croatian winger Ivan Perisic. A deal for him couldn’t be reached with Inter Milan, and he has stayed in Italy. Meanwhile, United’s attack has been somewhat unbalanced as a result.
It is obviously down to the manager to make that work, and down to his collaboration with boardroom staff and scouts to find another player to step in if necessary. But this season, United have often played with a front three and are clearly missing that sort of player.
In Henrikh Mkhitaryan they have a man of pace and guile, but one who has been playing through the centre. In Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, they have pacey attackers who are often used interchangeably by the manager. And in Romelu Lukaku, they have an out-and-out striker. But what they don’t have is a winger who is comfortable in wide areas and who can make things happen.
And in a Mourinho team, that’s crucial. The likes of Arjen Robben at Chelsea and even Eden Hazard in his second spell don’t just show that Mourinho likes to have a player who is a natural on the wing, but one who he can wind up and let go. In other words, he likes a livewire, someone who can spark his team into life without needing to be part of a systematic attacking pattern.
That’s usually what’s seen as the difference between Mourinho and some of the more fashionable coaches in the top six. Back in September, Hazard said that under Antonio Conte, he’s coached more than he was under Mourinho, implying too that under his former boss he didn’t know exactly what he had to do on the pitch when he took to the field.
Mourinho’s reply might be something along the lines of, “well, you’re one of the best players in the world, can’t you figure out what you’re meant to be doing?” And as much as some players want to know exactly where to stand in any given position, some don’t. You can see how that might stifle some creativity.
Indeed, after missing out on Perisic, this January has presented Jose Mourinho with an enticing possibility – the chance to take Alexis Sanchez to Old Trafford instead.
That wouldn’t just solve the problem of bringing in a winger to add some differentiation to an attack which lacks one, but it would also bring in a player who we know is capable of flashes of brilliance which have nothing to do with the manager’s instructions. On the pitch, he’s as much the pragmatist as Mourinho is, and he makes it up as he goes along.
United’s problem this season is scoring goals. That might seem harsh as only Liverpool and the leaders City have scored more, and both have conceded more, too. But standards are high when you’re chasing down a team like Guardiola’s. By bringing in Sanchez, they’ll get more than just the top player he quite clearly is.
They’ll also get the player they’ve needed since the summer, and failed to land back then. It’s not just a big signing, it’s rectifying a mistake.