Zidane at Manchester United

Introduction

With speculation beginning to surface around the uncertainty surrounding Ole Gunnar Solskjær and whether or not he keeps his job as Manchester United manager, there have been calls by a large section of fans for his removal.

I have no shame in admitting that I am one of those people. For me, when Ole was given the 3 year contract as Permanent Manager, it was done so on the basis that he would act as a transitional figure whereby he gets rid of all of the players that shouldn’t be playing for the club, bringing in better players but more importantly creating a positive atmosphere after Mourinho’s tenure ended quite sourly.

In that regard, Ole has done a sensational job. I can’t give him enough praise for the work that he’s done with a lot of the younger players (like Rashford, Greenwood, Martial) as well as how we’ve been able to play somewhat decent football.

However, I believe now we are at a stage where we need to be ruthless as a club. We need to show some ambition and a desire now to be successful, as while Ole has done a great job at steadying the ship, ultimately I feel that he’s taken this current crop of players as far as he can.

We have brought in some super players over the recent transfer window including Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. There really shouldn’t be any excuses as to why we can’t compete for any meaningful trophies.

However, there’s evidence to suggest that it is unlikely we will be successful with the current squad and manager, due to inconsistency with results and a lack of silverware won under the Norwegian.

At the time of writing, United sit 4th in the Premier League, two points from first place. While that may seem like a positive, in all honesty it isn’t as it provides a false narrative. We’ve yet to play a “top 6” side and since the Leeds demolition on Matchweek 1, Manchester United have yet to dominate a game.

Sure the game against Newcastle on Matchweek 4 was a good result, particularly with Cristiano Ronaldo making the headlines. But we really didn’t look that good. It was the same story that had been evident over Ole’s tenure; dominate possession against a low block but ultimately not able to break it down. Only 33% of our shots were on target after 21 attempts. We also looked incredibly vulnerable on transition.

Following that thumping, we weren’t able to pick up maximum points at our next two home fixtures in Aston Villa (1–0 loss) and Everton (1–1). If United were really looking to challenge for the title, we should’ve won our first 7 games, as they were favourable fixtures. But we didn’t.

Manchester United now head into the international break with 14 points picked up out of a maximum of 21 points. While it’s not that bad, it’s not a good look when you consider our next 7 fixtures in the league;

• Leicester (A)
• Liverpool (H)
• Tottenham (A)
• Man City (H)
• Watford (A)
• Chelsea (A)
• Arsenal (H)

As a fan that wants our team to do well, I do not feel confident heading into those games. I also feel now is the right time, particularly being the international break that we bring in a new manager, but not just any manager.

The manager that we should look to bring in, should be similar in a sense to Ole, in that we’ve got a squad that would flourish best with an attacking style of play. But more importantly, whoever comes in should have a CV that includes trophies won.

So, I’ve heard calls for Antonio Conte. I agree that he’s an incredibly successful manager and one of the best in the last 10 years. He would also be a smart decision, due to his availability but also his experience in the Premier League including a title win in his first season. However, I have doubts that he would look to implement a complete change in style but also, look to pursue short term success over long term.

I’ve also heard shouts for Erik ten Hag. I like this guy. At Ajax, his team has played some magnificent football and the manager himself seems tactically astute. I also believe that he would work well with our squad considering how well he worked with Ajax’s squad in the 2018/19 season, where he took them to the Champions League semi finals, beating many huge sides including Juventus and Real Madrid. He also has an impressive CV, winning the Eredivisie twice. However, I don’t see him leaving Ajax for us mid-season.

Mauricio Pochettino. It seems like this man will always be linked to managing the club, no matter what’s happening. When it became clear that Mourinho was going to be dismissed at Old Trafford in 2018, Poch would’ve been my first choice. He’s done some incredible work with Tottenham, including developing some of England’s best talents including Harry Kane and Kyle Walker. He could potentially be available as PSG don’t seem to have complete trust in him. My only concern with bringing him in, is that he’s yet to win a league title, but also, I don’t know if he can handle the big egos and pressure that is associated with managing a big club. I guess we’ll know more come the end of this season.

Zinedine Zidane

I think it’s pretty clear who should be replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjær, should the club look to do so during the international break. Zinedine Zidane is a manager, who in today’s game, gets nowhere near the amount of respect he deserves.

There’s always going to be people that doubt Zidane, as he’s only managed at Real Madrid. However, the doubts that are circulating around whether he actually has tactical knowledge or whether he can be successful without Ronaldo are completely absurd.

In both of those regards, he’s been able to prove those doubters wrong.

I believe he would be the best option to replace Ole, with the first reason being that he’s available. It’s not often that you would get a manager of Zidane’s quality not being employed at the present moment. We had an opportunity to bring in the Frenchman before, in 2018, however the project didn’t really appeal to him.

Now we’ve got an enticing project and a squad that really looks tailor made to Zidane and his style. Zizou is similar in a sense to Ole in that his style of football is one that is an attacking style. We’ve got some incredibly technical players in our squad that would really flourish under him.

Bringing in Zidane could also lead to players committing their future long term to the club, with one in particular being Paul Pogba. It’s no secret that Pogba has wanted to play under Zidane and for Manchester United, the best scenario would be to keep Pogba happy by bringing in the iconic manager in.

Starting Eleven

So for me when Zidane is creating his starting eleven, there will be certain elements that will need to be fulfilled. In this mock starting eleven, I will be including some transfers, as there are currently players or not enough players that could fulfill the stylistic qualities Zidane would want in certain areas.

Goalkeeper — David De Gea

I think there would be no change with the goalkeeper situation, as De Gea has now returned to his best, particularly after that penalty save against West Ham. Zidane would like De Gea due to his shot stopping ability and his improved ability in possession.

Left Back — Alex Telles

Now just hold on a second before you shoot me. I like Luke Shaw. I think he’s fantastic both defensively and offensively. But I feel that Zidane would probably opt with Telles due to the Brazillians higher offensive output. Telles would probably play that Marcelo role of linking up with the left winger and delivering crosses into the forwards.

LCB — Matthijs de Ligt

Now, a similar situation to Shaw. I think if Zidane didn’t really feel that CB was an ultimate priority, then he wouldn’t strengthen there. But I think for the partner of the next defender, Zidane would want some pace so that he can bring the defensive line higher up and not be exposed in wider areas on transition. Harry Maguire could still be the Frenchman’s first choice, although I think Zidane would like de Ligt, as the young Dutch defender is a leader, composed on the ball but he’s also quick, a quality Maguire doesn’t possess.

RCB — Raphaël Varane

No surprises here, surely! Varane has been solid so far at United and he is a defender that Zidane loves. He’d be one of the first names on the team sheet and deservedly so.

RB — Diogo Dalot

Shoot me, another controversial call. Yet, if you think about it, it’s really not. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a decent right back, but he’s not that good. Defensively he’s decent, due to his positioning and tackling, but offensively he’s poor. The fullbacks when in possession are a critical element to Zidane’s style of play, which is why I think Dalot would be given the nod ahead of Wan-Bissaka. The Portuguese is similar to Dani Carvajal in that they’re both good offensively and defensively, they’re similar to a degree from a statistical comparison.

CDM — Aurélien Tchouaméni

Ok, this would be a signing I would be quite certain Zidane would make. For one, Tchouaméni is French, he’s young, but more importantly he has the potential to be one of the best CDMs in the world. From a statistical comparison, Tchouaméni is similar to Casemiro, particularly from a defensive viewpoint. The midfielder isn’t afraid to tackle, he’s very good in the aerial duels and he’s excellent at blocking the ball. Albeit it would be a risk to sign a young player to play a crucial position as holding midfield, but I think he would have Zidane’s full trust and he could fulfill the position well.

LCM — Paul Pogba

Dear me, this is such a frustrating player. He could be one of the best CMs in the world if he was a little bit more consistent. But I think should Zidane come, his performance output will improve significantly. It’s no secret that Paul idolises the Frenchman and would’ve gone to Real Madrid to join him, should the deal have concluded in 2019. Pogba under Zidane will be electric, I can guarantee that.

RCM — Bruno Fernandes

No surprises here either. Bruno is one of United’s best but more importantly consistent players. His creativity and attacking output is incredible, and I think under Zizou we will see Bruno reach another incredible level.

LW — Marcus Rashford

This is an interesting one, as I wouldn’t be surprised if Zizou opted to go with Martial instead of Rashford. But I think Zidane would probably see more in Rashford, due to the Englishman having a much higher potential and the fact that he would offer a lot more than Martial has. Rashford’s speed and improved heading ability will help with Zidane selecting him.

RW — Jadon Sancho

Sancho under Zidane has the potential to be seriously scary. The speed at which Sancho possesses, as well as the quick change in direction would be characteristics that Zidane would love. Sancho also has the ability to create from wide areas, which would really benefit the team when it comes to creating chances in the final third.

ST — Cristiano Ronaldo

No surprise. Simple as that. Ronaldo under Zidane was a machine and the two have a very good relationship. I’d expect similar results to occur.

Zidane’s lineup

I believe this team could go on to achieve incredible feats should Zidane and this starting line up eventuate. It’s balanced defensively and offensively, which will make Manchester United an incredibly hard team to beat.