JOSE’S GIANTS
Capture of 6ft 4in Matic gives boss more physical presence as he builds team ready to bully their way to the title
LOUIS VAN GAAL identified the problem. Jose Mourinho has now spent £300million in two transfer windows to solve it.
In the final weeks of his Manchester United reign, Van Gaal bemoaned the lack of tall players at his disposal, claiming: “We are normally the smallest team in the Premier League and we always have problems with set-plays.” That should not be the case any more, though, thanks to a string of big – literally – buys by Mourinho. Old Trafford is now the land of the giants after the manager’s deliberate recruitment of players over six-foot since his appointment last
summer. Six of his seven acquisitions have been over that benchmark, with only Henrikh Mkhitaryan below it. Mourinho’s signings have seen United climb up the Premier League height table. In Van Gaal’s second season, they were the equalseventh tallest team on average. Last season, they rose to fourth, following the summer arrivals of Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, along with Mkhitaryan (5ft 10in). It would be no surprise if they are top come the start of the new season, just like Mourinho’s Chelsea side were on the opening weekend of his second Stamford Bridge spell, in 2014-15. His beefing up of the Reds squad to give him a potential first-choice spine packed with tall, powerful stars should come as no surprise. They now look more like a side built in Mourinho’s mould and possess a similar physicality to his two Chelsea teams, Inter Milan and Real Madrid sides.
Keeper David De Gea (6ft 4in), centrebacks Bailly (6ft 2in) and Victor Lindelof (6ft 2in), central midfielders Pogba (6ft 3in) and £40m new-boy Matic (left, signing yesterday, 6ft 4in), plus striker Romelu Lukaku (6ft 3in), should make United an imposing sight when they line up in the tunnel.
Mourinho has never been shy about his preferences. When he persisted with out-of-form Branislav Ivanovic at Chelsea, he justified his decision bluntly. “If you don’t have a minimum of five tall players, good in the air, you are dead at set-pieces,” he explained.
Mourinho (above) set the tone with his £30m capture of Bailly, his first United signing, and was keen to highlight how the Ivorian’s physical attributes made him an ideal purchase.
Juan Mata (5ft 7in) paid the price for not being tall enough to cope with Leicester’s late aerial bombardment in last year’s Community Shield when he was subbed off, having only been brought on in the second half.
And while many feared for Marouane Fellaini’s prospects, the Special One kept hold of the Belgian because of his use in the air and sheer physicality.
The Portuguese’s approach has paid off with United improving in a number of relevant categories, like aerial challenges won, crossing accuracy, headed clearances, headed goals, and headed attempts on target last season.
When asked during his first Chelsea reign about power being a key feature of his sides, Mourinho said, with a dig at Arsene Wenger and Arsenal: “I don’t agree. We are a team adapted to the reality, which is why Arsenal cannot beat Bolton at Bolton and we have played three matches and got three victories at Bolton, with zero goals conceded.
“Some teams and some managers play every game with the same strategy. Sometimes they beat someone 6-0, and sometimes they lose a game they shouldn’t lose. One of the strengths is to adapt to different realities.”
A stickler for detail, renowned for leaving no stone unturned, Mourinho just wants a team that can mix up their game and adapt to all situations.
United certainly shouldn’t be getting outjumped or outfought any longer.