NEWCASTLE V UNITED
ALEXIS SANCHEZ’S POSITION HE has three games under his belt as a United player and two man-of-thematch performances, all while starting down his favoured left-hand side.
But, the man who has been forced to miss out is in-form Anthony Martial. Luckily for United and Jose Mourinho the Chilean is flexible and it’s not just the left on which he can operate on.
Having picked up the player of the month award, Martial deserves his place in the starting XI and not on the right-hand side.
Playing Sanchez down the middle gives him a chance to show his versatility and he can link up with Martial down the left.
MOURINHO’S ST JAMES’ RECORD THE stats aren’t in Mourinho’s favour.
St James’ Park is the only Premier League ground, aside from Huddersfield where he has only managed once, where he has not won. But, while Mourinho’s stats aren’t great, United’s are.
The Reds have won seven of the last 11 meetings between the two sides taking 10 points from a possible 12 in their last four visits to St James’ Park.
LEFT-BACK DECISIONS MOURINHO confirmed Luke Shaw is in line for a new deal – but will he be rewarded with a place in the starting XI?
Ashley Young’s been favoured ahead of the 22-year-old for most of the season, but, after Young’s unconvincing display against Spurs, there’s no reason why the younger man shouldn’t keep his place. JOSE Mourinho has mocked pundits’ obsession with Paul Pogba’s position and insists it is ‘difficult to find a midfield player with more potential.’
The 24-year-old’s relationship with the United manager has come under the microscope after he was dropped in favour of young Scott McTominay for United’s win against Huddersfield last weekend.
Pogba’s omission came just three days after the France superstar was substituted against Tottenham for tactical reasons for the first time in his Old Trafford career.
It has led to numerous pundits – including Graeme Souness, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Eamon Dunphy and Tony Cascarino – speculating about Pogba’s best position and whether he needs to play in a three-man midfield.
Giggs, for example, wrote midweek ‘that position where he’s on the left of a midfield three is where he’s at his best’ while Rooney said on Monday Night Football that Pogba is ‘a classic box-to-box player.’
But Mourinho has been left a little perplexed by some of those comments and gave one of his longest answers yet as United boss when asked about how Pogba’s performance has been in training this week.
“Paul as I was saying had a very professional behaviour and the week was not different and no different to what Paul is every week,” he told reporters at his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Newcastle.
“Paul is a good professional. Paul works well. Paul likes to train. I never had a single problem with regard to his professionalism because he is a really good trainer. He’s one of the guys who likes to train and enjoys to train.
“In relation to best position I had a few laughs over the past week because I heard, I watch, I had a chance to read a few things and I’m not English but I think I understand English enough to understand what you want to say with box-to-box. But with some comments from important people in football I got a little bit confused. Because for me box-to-box means you have to be good in this box, you have to be good in this road and good in that box. It means that you have to defend well in this box.
“You must have the physical condition, the desire, the intensity, the stamina to go into the other box. In the other box you have to be good: scoring, creating, heading and so on. Then when your team loses the ball you have to go into the other box. I think this is the meaning of box-to-box. This week I get a little bit confused when people say box-to-box player plays free of defensive duties. That’s not box-to-box.
“I think this country produced a lot of amazing box-to-box players. I had the pleasure to coach some of them but I think nowadays with some pundits, some agents, some family members, I think the concept of the box-to-box is changing a little bit.
“For me, with my Portuguese and trying just to translate into the English, I just think midfield players and for me Paul is a midfield player.