Mourinho's first year at the club is either a success or failure depending on who you talk to. The truth is obviously somewhere in the middle. The team finished 6th in a year after they brought in 4 new signings and bought the world's most expensive player (for now). The biggest reason for finishing 6th was the draws against lower table teams, particularly at home. The team did win the Europa league which automatically qualifies them for the group stage of the Champions League this year.
So far Mourinho has bought two players. Romelu Lukaku is the big name and came with a huge fee. You can see why...he's 24 years old, proven in the Premier League, and built like a brick shit house. Mourinho loves to play with a target man up front so Rashford or Martial were never going to be his first choice (not yet anyway) and after Zlatan got injured the need for a 9 was there. Griezmann refused to come after Atletico's ban and apparently the choice was between Morata and Lukaku. I'm glad we went with Lukaku, who has proven he can be the lead striker in the Premier League. Morata seems like a great player and I'm sure Chelsea are happy to have him but he was the bigger question mark of the two.
From watching preseason I will say Lukaku's hold up play is surprisingly good. His touch is terrible but he makes up for it with his strength and positioning. His passing leaves a lot to be desired but if he can hold the ball up and get it to Pogba or one of the wide players there will be no complaints. The goals will be there, but he'll be expected to perform better than he has in big games...though with better players around him he should be fine.
Victor Lindelof is the other signing so far. Like Eric Bailly last year there is not much known about him. He's 23 and had a solid few seasons at Benfica. He's had a rough start in preseason, showing a tendency to dive in recklessly and having trouble with pacy strikers. Surprisingly, Mourinho has not played Bailly and Lindelof together yet. One would think they are the first choice center back pairing. Lindelof's passing range is very good though.
There are strong rumors that Nemenja Matic could be signed as early as today. After Chelsea signed Bakayoko I guess he's become surplus requirements there. It'll be interesting if he's signed because after a great first year with Mourinho at Chelsea he was one of the players accused of mailing it in when Jose was sacked (not by Jose, of course, just rumors). If he can rediscover the form that made him one of the best DM's in the league this is a great signing. It was rumored that Dier was the number 1 choice but obviously he has a key role with Tottenham and United probably didn't want to try to negotiate with Levy. The biggest thing this could do is move Pogba further up the field, where he should feel more comfortable. The other thing a DM signing would do is give Mourinho flexibility. In games where Matic is needed he could shield the defense while Pogba and Herrera play ahead of him, but against teams who will sit back he could bench Matic and play Fellaini with Pogs and Herrera, or Mikhi, or Mata, etc...
Rumors are that we still want a fourth signing, likely to be an attacking wide player, likely to be Ivan Perisic.
Some of the bigger questions heading into the season:
1. Will Pogba play more consistently? He showed flashes of brilliance last year while at other times his decision making was poor.
2. Who will play left back? Its a make or break season for the talented but often injured Luke Shaw. Daily Blind and Darmian could feature as well.
3. Will Martial bounce back? Last year he struggled with Mourinho's demand of making him a two way wide player.
4. Will Rashford continue to develop? He's looked great in the wide position in preseason. If Zlatan resigns in January then its difficult to see him getting minutes in the #9 position.
So far Mourinho has bought two players. Romelu Lukaku is the big name and came with a huge fee. You can see why...he's 24 years old, proven in the Premier League, and built like a brick shit house. Mourinho loves to play with a target man up front so Rashford or Martial were never going to be his first choice (not yet anyway) and after Zlatan got injured the need for a 9 was there. Griezmann refused to come after Atletico's ban and apparently the choice was between Morata and Lukaku. I'm glad we went with Lukaku, who has proven he can be the lead striker in the Premier League. Morata seems like a great player and I'm sure Chelsea are happy to have him but he was the bigger question mark of the two.
From watching preseason I will say Lukaku's hold up play is surprisingly good. His touch is terrible but he makes up for it with his strength and positioning. His passing leaves a lot to be desired but if he can hold the ball up and get it to Pogba or one of the wide players there will be no complaints. The goals will be there, but he'll be expected to perform better than he has in big games...though with better players around him he should be fine.
Victor Lindelof is the other signing so far. Like Eric Bailly last year there is not much known about him. He's 23 and had a solid few seasons at Benfica. He's had a rough start in preseason, showing a tendency to dive in recklessly and having trouble with pacy strikers. Surprisingly, Mourinho has not played Bailly and Lindelof together yet. One would think they are the first choice center back pairing. Lindelof's passing range is very good though.
There are strong rumors that Nemenja Matic could be signed as early as today. After Chelsea signed Bakayoko I guess he's become surplus requirements there. It'll be interesting if he's signed because after a great first year with Mourinho at Chelsea he was one of the players accused of mailing it in when Jose was sacked (not by Jose, of course, just rumors). If he can rediscover the form that made him one of the best DM's in the league this is a great signing. It was rumored that Dier was the number 1 choice but obviously he has a key role with Tottenham and United probably didn't want to try to negotiate with Levy. The biggest thing this could do is move Pogba further up the field, where he should feel more comfortable. The other thing a DM signing would do is give Mourinho flexibility. In games where Matic is needed he could shield the defense while Pogba and Herrera play ahead of him, but against teams who will sit back he could bench Matic and play Fellaini with Pogs and Herrera, or Mikhi, or Mata, etc...
Rumors are that we still want a fourth signing, likely to be an attacking wide player, likely to be Ivan Perisic.
Some of the bigger questions heading into the season:
1. Will Pogba play more consistently? He showed flashes of brilliance last year while at other times his decision making was poor.
2. Who will play left back? Its a make or break season for the talented but often injured Luke Shaw. Daily Blind and Darmian could feature as well.
3. Will Martial bounce back? Last year he struggled with Mourinho's demand of making him a two way wide player.
4. Will Rashford continue to develop? He's looked great in the wide position in preseason. If Zlatan resigns in January then its difficult to see him getting minutes in the #9 position.