Why 2017 looks bright for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United

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Another year has passed, meaning the festive period for the Premier League has come to a close. The January transfer window is now open and by a quick glance at the top of the Premier Leagye table things are going to start heating up really quick.

Manchester United started the New Year with the same good fortune as they closed out 2016 with. The most recent 2-0 win over West Ham at the Olympic Stadium continues the good form and momentum that was started way back on December 11^th with the 1-0 victory over Tottenham.

The starting 11, while still being rotated, has found a formation that they can build around. The 4-3-3 has been implemented game-in and game-out, with recent results proving its worth. The midfield of Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera provides balance, composure and flair. Each player’s skill set seems to work nicely together.

Pogba has been able to find the freedom in which he excels and can cause havoc for opposition. When balls are being played to the Frenchman’s feet, and he has time to turn and get his head up, his passing has been a sight to see. He seems to have calmed down following his big-money transfer and is no longer trying to carry the weight of the whole team on his back.

Carrick,meanwhile, has had the ability to string a run of games together, with only a short rest given, before the opening of a new calendar year. He has had a calming effect on Manchester United and his simple style of pass-and-move is keeping the machine running smoothly.

Finally, Herrera has been a catalyst for high pressure and timely interceptions with his form trending positively lately.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to impress by converting his chances with regularity. While the 35-year-old may need a rest at some point this season, he is working his body to the limits and has no signs of slowing down. The Swedish striker closed out the year with 50 goals (which could have easily been 51) putting him one goal behind the great Lionel Messi, and with 12 goals in his last 12 games, he is a likely Golden Boot contender.

Zlatan, while known for being outspoken and overly confident, seems to be enjoying his time in Manchester and forming some nice relationships with his teammates along the way. He is linking up with Pogba with great consistency, and his movement into space, when working with the likes of Anthony Martial, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, has created plenty of goal scoring opportunities for all involved.

Jose Mourinho, a man who finds himself in the media spotlight weekly for his emotions and press conferences, is doing what he does best and that is setting his team up for success. The media love to hit out at the man when he seems unhappy, but let’s be honest, a manger is set out to do one thing, and that is having their team win games. When your team isn’t winning, nobody wants to see the manger sit around and say that everything is alright and it was just not their day.

With winning game of course comes happiness and a weight off your shoulders. United are now on their longest unbeaten streak since the great Sir Alex Ferguson left, and right now spirit around the club, players, fans and staff is high. All seem to be experiencing the optimism of where this season could go. While the team is in good form the decisions that Jose is making right now, with his selections and substitutions, have proven why he can be such a great manager.

Against Middlesbrough he brought on more attacking players in a “go for it push”, with the final result going in his favor. Again, in the next match, he showed his managerial skill and knack for unlocking his opponent’s weaknesses, when he brought on Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford to inject more pace into the squad against a tiring West Ham. The move saw Michael Carrick move to center back, as Rashford connected with fellow sub Juan Mata for the opening goal of the contest.

In addition, the gap at the top of the table has been closed. United find themselves level on points with Tottenham (Spurs yet to play this game-week) while still sitting in sixth place, two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Only a few weeks ago, the task of reaching the top four had almost been written off by supporters, with many of them claiming the only chance the club had at qualifying for the Champions League would be winning the Europa League. However, the Red Devils are now earning points in ways that had previously escaped them. Good teams find ways to win no matter the method and right now it is falling into place for them.

If anything,  for Manchester United supporters the team spirit and style of play, has gotten them walking with belief again. The 2-1 comeback victory on New Year’s Eve created a buzz that surely fueled the night time celebrations as 2016 was brought to a close. The ball from Pogba to Zlatan and the flicked header to Martial to get level; followed up by Paul Pogba launching his headed chance into the top corner, all in a period of two minutes, was an adrenaline boost to say the least. It was almost like turning back the pages into the Fergie Era and for this win to occur on Sir Alex’s birthday made it all that much sweeter. The players seem happier, the manager is happier and the results are positive. Bring on 2017!

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