In the three years since his retirement, the state of the Manchester United squad that Sir Alex Ferguson left behind has been a hot topic. Consisting of declining greats, youngsters performing beyond their abilities and lacking truly stellar names - barring Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney - some view Ferguson’s final Premier League title as one of his greatest triumphs.
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It may not be remembered in the same way as the famous treble in 1999, but few - if any - of the Scot’s contemporaries would have been able to guide that largely ordinary side to the Premier League title, making relatively light work of their biggest rivals, Manchester City, in the process.
But more important than the quality of the squad they inherited, it’s the sheer quantity of players that has created a sticky wicket for Fergie’s successors. Manchester United are now into their third in the form of Jose Mourinho, but seemingly as far from the Premier League title as ever - currently 13 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea.
Ferguson was renowned for his ability to rotate with world-class efficiency, picking out players he’d left on the sidelines for weeks to perform crucial, specific roles in vital games, and that’s evident in the statistics, never sticking with the starting XI for more than two matches in a row during his final two campaigns at Old Trafford.
But that has created the myth of Manchester United being a club that needs a big squad, and is further amplified by their unparalleled emphasis on bringing through young players.
That might not quite be true in real terms, but Ryan Giggs’ declaration of chances for academy graduates after his only home game as caretaker manager in 2014 epitomised the faith in the theory at Old Trafford - and undoubtedly influenced some of Louis van Gaal’s selections.
"I would just like to say, keep supporting us, you have seen a little glimpse of the future, and this is what this club is about.
"It never stands still, we always give youth a chance and we try and play attractive football.
"Sometimes we don't win, but we give it our all. Keep supporting us and the good times will come back soon."
- Ryan Giggs
In turn, all of Fergie’s successors have faced a triumvirate of factors forcing them to the accept the narrative of United and large squads going hand-in-hand.
Firstly, the need to judge the quality of the large squad already at their disposal; secondly, the responsibility of involving youth players developed by the academy; and thirdly, making new signings that will not only improve the squad but also bring it towards the coach's own footballing philosophies. The lucrative, long-term contracts dished out at Old Trafford haven’t helped in attempting to reduce the squad by moving players on, either.
Of course, some might argue a club of Manchester United’s stature requires a vast squad. They’re expected to be competitive in every competition - including the energy-sapping Europa League this season - and have the financial resources to forge a team blessed with depth unrivalled in England.
But that’s not necessarily the case; from the six seasons in the above graphic, Arsenal are the other only Champions League-qualifying club to feature in the top five for players used in the Premier League during any of the given campaigns. Indeed, the relegation-battlers, who often land a raft of January signings in hope of avoiding the drop, are far more common company.
Likewise, large squads come with inevitable negatives as well as positives and a particularly simple yet devastating one plagued David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and now Mourinho: that of having no idea what United’s strongest starting XI actually is.
[ffc_insert title="Don’t believe the Nietszche quotes" image="https://www.footballfancast.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Joey-Barton-3.jpg?admin" link="https://www.footballfancast.com/scottish-premier/rangers/dont-be-fooled-by-nietzsche-references-joey-barton-is-a-fraud" link_text="Joey Barton is a fraud" ]
After nine months at Old Trafford, the Scot was still scratching his head, regularly switching centre-back partners, strike-forces, engine rooms and wide options in the hope of eventually finding the right formula - the only consistency was David De Gea’s presence between the sticks.
Van Gaal appeared more willing to rotate of his own accord rather than being obliged to do so, ranking first and second throughout the Premier League for players used during his two campaigns in the dugout.
But if that was an attempt to replicate Ferguson, then the Dutchman clearly fell for a fallacy; whilst Fergie rotated his XI as frequently in 2012/13, it was from a selection of just 25 players whose games he understood exceptionally well - the 14th fewest amount in the top flight that season - rather than having a vast cohort at his disposal.
Van Gaal, on the other hand, changed formations at will and seemingly decided on a new youth protégé every few months. It was a case of too much tinkering, although uncertainty over United’s best XI certainly played a part as well.
Mourinho won’t suffer from the same misgiving. The Portuguese has often discussed the importance of having just 23 first-team players at his disposal and his reluctance to rotate was seen as one of the reasons Chelsea’s title bid began to run out of steam in the second half of 2014/15 - not to mention their title defence the year after imploding in the most spectacular of fashions.
In comparison to his predecessors, Mourinho has already sought to trim down, reducing the number of players used from 33 to 24 and United’s Premier League rank has already dropped from second to sixth in the process. That’s still above the division average, but injuries and involvement in the Europa League have forced Mourinho to use to extremities of his squad already.
Nonetheless, the United gaffer is still coming to terms with the same dilemma of what United’s strongest XI actually is.
Some selections remain rather baffling; such as Jesse Lingard’s near-ever presence in big games despite United already surrendering eight points to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, Juan Mata’s irregularity in the starting XI despite ranking second throughout United’s squad for league goals and created chances, not to mention Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s almost constant absence in the Premier League before last weekend.
That’s all evidence of Mourinho still trying to find the right balance - as is the sheer number of players he’s used in each position already this season - and you’d expect a manager of his proven calibre to stumble across it eventually.
Yet, there remains cause for concern; David Moyes’ favoured XI was still undecided by the time he received his marching orders in April 2014 and as Chelsea’s form plummeted last season, the changes Mourinho made seemed to only exacerbate his side’s problems. He's fantastic at structuring squads over the course of several transfer windows, but the current task is to make the best of what he's already got.
Whether it’s the perfect XI or simply one that just about works, Mourinho needs to find it sooner rather than later. A failure to do so eventually destroyed his two predecessors and one need only look at the selection consistency of the last two title winners, Jose’s Chelsea and Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City, not to mention the Blues’ eight-game run under Antonio Conte this season, to see how important it can be when aiming for a Premier League title. The objective this season may have already reduced to simply Champions League qualification, but Mourinho is expected to claim United's 14th Premier League title at some point during his tenure.
A January cull could be in order.
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