This Sunday marks the beginning of Mourinho’s competitive trial at his new club, Manchester United. A Community Shield match-up with Ranieri’s championship winning side, Leicester City, promises to be a glorious affair as both teams have a lot to prove going into the Wembley stadium. Having had all summer to regroup and work towards a better future, United have shown some promising growth as a unit but not without a fair share of issues that some of the friendlies highlighted.
Manchester United have seen some really rough times since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson under the leadership of David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal so the incoming, Jose Mourinho has a lot to prove going into the 2016/17 season. Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have been impressive signings, to say the least, but will the inflow of these individual talents change the landscape of the club is yet to be seen. Much was left to the imagination of the United faithful as they only saw their team achieve straightforward victories over teams of a lesser quality such as Wigan and Galatasaray. Against quality opposition such as Borrusia Dortmund and Everton, on the other hand, United failed to impress as they lost to the German outfit 4-1 and were held to a goalless draw against the Toffees.
Mourinho’s men need to step up their game if they are to be deemed challengers for the English title. The only way to do that would be to get off to a good start and hit the ground running and therefore, the Leicester City game is vital for them in terms of confidence and performing under pressure. Next Saturday flags the commencement of the English Premier League and the ‘new and improved’ United’s uphill task to change the way they are perceived lately and to reclaim their spot as England’s most successful club.
The “Pogba” fever is still viral among United fans and his signing could mean a world of things for Old Trafford. His role in the team and place in the squad could potentially unsettle the likes of Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, and Carrick from their preferred deep roles in the squad. How he can help transform Manchester United into a title winning side alongside his already star-studded squad is something we’ll let time decide.
