ORDINARY ONES!
United may have lots to play for but Jose just can’t find a winning Red formula
A TROPHY in the cabinet, a European title there to be won but this is turning ordinary.
Yes, Manchester United deserved the late equaliser, despatched from the spot by Zlatan Ibrahimovic after Ashley Williams handled. Yes, they are putting together an impressively long unbeaten run. But it remains ordinary. Jose Mourinho ended up fumbling for formations, scrambling for solutions to a problem that has stalked him all season – finding a team with an attacking potency to make them a real force. With his resources, his experience, his self-proclaimed talent, he should have done it by now.
Instead, a reliance on that late equaliser against an Everton whose demonic effort looked like collecting an unlikely win after an unlikely Phil Jagielka goal, was typical of Mourinho’s debut season. All a bit laborious. And this was meant to be a refreshed United, that is if a 35-yearold’s return can refresh.
Wherever he drifts on a football pitch, possession is pulled to Ibrahimovic, like water to a plughole, but he knows only one position and that is the centre of attention. The only surprise was one of his first touches on a return from suspension was not a scoring one, unusual hesitancy allowing Williams to lunge and block.
Ibrahimovic had been blowing hard on his own prematch trumpet but while his season has undoubtedly
been eventfully productive, there is a theory he can stall United. They were certainly laboured in the early stages against an Everton team clearly peeved by post-derby pelters.
Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley were more convincing in the opening quarter than in the entire meeting with Liverpool.
As a unit, Everton were far bolder and way braver in possession than at Anfield.
United’s defence is tested so infrequently at home any attacking ambition from opposition outside the top six at least has a slight shock factor.
So it proved, Jagielka jabbing Everton ahead with a goal that was marshmallow soft. From United’s standpoint, it is hard to know where to start. With Marouane Fellaini for watching Williams peel away to meet a corner? With Marcos Rojo for admiring the way the mistimed header floated downwards balloonlike? With David de Gea for allowing the slightly bizarrely hooked effort to pop through his legs?
It was a smart piece of improvisation from Jagielka, not widely renowned for his improvisation, but it was still a defensive shambles.
At least it was one that quickened a pedestrian game into an enjoyable canter, Everton’s continuing ambition giving Mourinho’s men plenty of counter-encouragement and it needed two excellent pieces of resistance from Joel Robles to preserve a half-time lead.
Robles was another on Anfield go-slow but he denied Daley Blind with a brave postclattering save before Ander Herrera shook the crossbar with the loose ball.
From outside the area, Herrera then allowed Robles to prove he does do fullstretch.
Full stretch was the theme of the second half, Everton at it trying to resist a foe now featuring Paul Pogba and United at it to close down counter-attacks.
And it was Pogba’s instinctive header that gave the Everton bar another rattle. When the bar was not having its say, the assistant referee was, Ibrahimovic no more than a top-knot offside when he headed in with 20 minutes left on the clock.
By then, trying to preserve the most uninspiring long unbeaten Premier League run imaginable, Mourinho had shuffled, reshuffled and shuffled again.
He even sent on Luke Shaw. It smacked of desperation, but when Shaw shot, Williams leant and blocked with an arm. Ibrahimovic ensured he ended matters as the centre of attention.