Man Utd Boss Jose Mourinho Reveals Which Quality He Wishes to Emulate From Chelsea
Manchester United's manager Jose Mourinho has spoken out on what he wishes his team can emulate from his former club Chelsea during the upcoming season.
In an article by Give Me Sport, the United boss revealed an envious attitude over the Blues' tactics last term, especially the effective use of the 3-4-3 formation which lead to Antonio Conte's team winning the title, a formation which he would like to employ himself during the 2017/18 campaign.
Pre-season is a time of adapting tactics, experimenting with new lineups and bringing in new players. Man Utd have certainly ticked off the objective of securing important transfer deals, but Mourinho has now hinted he will use the interlude before the big kick-off to develop a similar 3-4-3 system to that of Chelsea's for his side.
Speaking to MUTV via Goal, the Portuguese coach said: "It's the difference between playing with three in the back or four in the back.
SANDY UT- JULY 17: Head coach Jose Mourinho of Manchester United takes the field before their game against the Real Salt Lake during the International friendly game at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 17, 2017 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
Gene Sweeney Jr./GettyImages
“When you play with three, you project with the wingers and you need the central defenders to drive and to come with the ball.
"When you play with four in the back, if you project with the right-back and the left-back, you only have two defenders and they have to share (the workload) and keep their position more."
A key component of Mourinho's potentially Chelsea inspired game plan could be the Red Devils' latest defensive addition, Victor Lindelof.
Benfica's Swedish defender Victor Lindelof (L) heads the ball during the Portuguese League football match Sporting CP vs SL Benfica at Alvalade stadium on April 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA (Photo credit should read PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty Images)
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/GettyImages
He later elaborated on the Swede by saying: “His (Lindelof’s) quality of passing is always very good, he's technically very good but obviously with three in the back, he has more freedom to attack spaces in midfield."
The Swedish defender, who recently arrived from Benifica, played 45 minutes of United's 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Monday, but expect him to get much more game time ahead of August if Mourinho is serious about shifting formation.
