Watching a Jose Mourinho side lose used to be a rare sight in football, but the Manchester United manager has now lost 14 of his last 31 matches and Watford’s 3-1 win on Sunday meant Mourinho had lost three competitive matches in a row for the first time in more than 14 years.
Etienne Coupe’s incredible purple patch continued midway through the first half when he gave Watford a deserved lead with his fourth goal of the season - the same tally he had managed in his previous 44 league matches combined.
United appeared to have given themselves a way back into the match when Marcus Rashford equalised from close range just after the hour mark to make it seven league goals from just 11 shots on target since the start of last season for the teenager. However, the Hornets regained the lead with just five minutes of normal time remaining courtesy of Juan Camilo Zuniga’s second touch of the match.
Troy Deeney confirmed the victory with a stoppage time penalty, meaning the Watford captain has now played a direct hand in 49.1% of Watford’s Premier League goals since the start of last season (15 goals, eight assists). WhoScored.com look at some of the main talking points from the defeat.
United Out of Shape
The biggest problem Mourinho faces is how to manage to get the best out of his players. It’s a challenge that all managers deal with, but one that is more complicated for the United manager. As it stands, Mourinho has opted with a 4-2-3-1 formation that uses Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba as the two deep-lying midfielders. In order to get the best from Pogba you have to let the world record signing the freedom to cover the full length of the pitch, which, as was seen during parts of France’s Euro 2016 campaign, does not work in this current set-up.
To do just that, Mourinho would have to revert to a three-man midfield but that would either mean moving Wayne Rooney into central midfield, something he has already dismissed, or putting him out wide, which seems unlikely. Calls to drop Rooney are justifiable but more complex given his role as captain and significance in the dressing room. On the face of it Mourinho is the ruthless manager you’d expect would have no qualms in making such a big call, but it looks unlikely he would suddenly drop someone of Rooney’s status. Phasing him out gradually looks most likely.
Out of Form Wingers
Mourinho still hasn’t settled on his two wide players and that has been evident in his constant rotation. Marcus Rashford - given his first league start of the season - and Anthony Martial were selected today but both struggled.
Martial’s afternoon only lasted 38 minutes before he was forced off through injury after a clash of heads was followed up with a nasty challenge minutes later, which culminated in Watford scoring the opener. However, in that time Martial was still dispossessed of the ball three times.
Despite getting on the scoresheet Rashford’s dip in form has quietly flown under the radar. His general play has lacked fluidity and he is no longer flashing past players at will. In fact, Rashford was dispossed more times than any other player at Vicarage Road on Sunday (4). His goal actually came from an exchange of passes with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which saw the England international starting position through in the middle.
United Losing Their Cool
Jose Mourinho conceded after United’s third defeat in seven days that his players needed to keep their composure when decisions aren’t going their way and that was particularly evident during the second half. United picked up four bookings in the second half, with three of those coming in the last few minutes of the game as Wayne Rooney, Memphis and Marouane Fellaini got on the wrong side of Michael Oliver.
What were your biggest talking points in Watford’s 3-1 win over Manchester United? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
