With a thoroughly embarrassing 3-1 loss at arch-rival Liverpool today, Manchester United are now 19 points behind the Reds for the top of the Premier League table. As it stands, they’re actually closer to Fulham FC, the league’s bottom of the bottom side than they are to the top.
Even fourth place, the most optimal position they can hope for, according to manager Jose Mourinho, is getting farther away from them now. United currently stand 11 points outside of the top four. How did it get this bad? How far up the organization do the issues lie? Club legend and Sky Sports Pundit Gary Neville pretty much nailed it.
? Gary Neville "United don't have one central midfielder in the club who can pass the ball" #LIVMUN pic.twitter.com/19DyMMpTy9
— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) December 16, 2018
“I can’t get over United’s central midfield,” Neville said of Mourinho’s decision to not feature Paul Pogba, the most expensive player in club history.
“If you’re Paul Pogba watching (Nemanja) Matic, (Ander) Herrera, (Marouane) Fellaini, Fred, who played the other night…not one of them can pass a football. None of them can actually receive the ball and pass the ball. I just find it absolutely staggering. I thought United were awful today….It’s not good enough.”
Neville then articulated what those paying close attention know about the current state of MUFC- the biggest problems go above and beyond Mourinho. The most pressing issues rest with the Glazer family ownership and Executive Vice President Ed Woodward.
Mourinho probably won’t be getting sacked until later in the season or at the end of it. And if/when he’s gone, can you just the current club leadership to find a proper successor that can fix this mess?
Neville criticized the board’s decision to give Mourinho a contract extension so early into his United tenure.
“The board are so naive, giving him a new contract,” said the man who eight titles under Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Manchester United need to reset. It’s not just the manager, it’s deeper than that. They lost control of the football club when they gave him a contract extension 18 months in. The minute he came back from preseason he was at it and the club lost control.”
“There is not that experience or knowledge in the football club above him to be able to manage or control him and handle him.”
As for Mourinho and those stated ambitions for the season.
“We can still finish fourth,” he said after the game. “It is not easy.”
For sure, for sure we are going to finish in the top six but the best we can get is fourth. We can look to the fifth and probably later we can look to the fourth.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.