Manchester United’s Attack Beginning To Click

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has a good problem.

Following Wednesday’s 4-1 win over West Ham in the EFL Cup, with Anthony Martial one of the stars, Mourinho can now conclusively say that each of his main attacking players has produced a superb performance this season.

As a result, there is the question as to who he should exclude at Everton this Sunday. Wayne Rooney, in very fine form of late, will be absent through suspension, but Paul Pogba is again available and Juan Mata has a strong claim to re-enter the starting lineup.

If there is anything that we have learned from Mourinho at Old Trafford so far, it is that he is not particularly interested in continuity. This was evident when he made several changes to the lineup following the 4-0 Europa League win over Feyenoord last week, a move which arguably interrupted their rhythm and led to the 1-1 draw against West Ham a few days later.

Yet Mourinho can also claim he is beginning to get it right, and that the lack of complacency he has encouraged in his squad is now paying off. Against West Ham, Martial looked as good as he has in months, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been outstanding in his last two starts.

It is unclear whether this degree of rotation is what Mourinho envisaged back in August, but given some of the recent performances he may be encouraged to take it forward. For United fans, this is nothing new. After all, their best teams have been characterised by a quartet or so of decisive forwards — looking, for example, at the squad that featured Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer — and it seems like Mourinho’s attackers are finally finding their shooting boots.

They will need them against Everton. The home side have not fared particularly well in their last five league games, losing three of them — yet, with the exception of a 5-0 thrashing against a magnificent Chelsea, those defeats have come by a single goal.

In many ways, Everton have the same problems as United — a stuttering strikeforce who fail to convert the ample chances their colleagues create and a defence that has too often given way at the slightest provocation. These similarities are reflected both in their league positions — United, in sixth place, are only a point ahead of Everton — and the fact they have conceded the same number of goals, with United having scored 18 to Everton’s 16. The difference on Sunday is likely to be that, in these last few days, United look to be growing in confidence. Their performances, frustrating as their results have been, bear some evidence of an upward trend.

United’s defence has looked a little sturdier in recent games, thanks to the surprisingly good form of Marcos Rojo, while Everton’s — as shown by their 1-0 defeat against Southampton — is highly vulnerable to being attacked at pace.

Antonio Valencia’s industry down the right flank will again be crucial, while Mourinho, that most reactive of managers, may be tempted to keep Mata on the bench for this reason. Everton also struggled to retain the ball against Southampton, which makes the case for Ander Herrera’s continued inclusion ahead of Marouane Fellaini. Herrera has finally become — or has been allowed to become, given the frequency with which he has been benched — an essential part of United’s midfield, his ceaseless energy a fine contrast with the apparently laconic but equally effective approach of Michael Carrick.

Everton lost to Southampton by conceding in the opening minute, and United have proven both victims and aggressors in the opening minutes of their last two matches. They conceded very early against West Ham in the Premier League, and then scored very early against them in the League Cup.

Neither United or Everton are teams who settle well, and so the opening exchanges of their encounter may be critical. The inclusion of Mkhitaryan from the start will be vital in ensuring that United begin the game at a high tempo. The Armenia playmaker moves the ball on more promptly than any of his fellow attackers, as evidenced by his cup outings against West Ham and Feyenoord, and it is that intensity which should prove to undo a defence as uncertain as Everton’s.

Ronald Koeman’s men were also strikingly timid against Southampton, managing only one attempt in 90 minutes, and though they are likely to be more bullish at home, United should be encouraged to be very aggressive early on.

Romelu Lukaku, their main goal threat, has been notably isolated, and United’s strength in midfield — particularly if Pogba returns to the team — should again be overwhelming here. If Martial, Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are again handed starts in attack, with Mata and Marcus Rashford waiting in the wings, that should be enough to beat an Everton side currently low on confidence.