Friday 28 April 2017 12:01, UK
A battling derby draw saw Manchester United extend their unbeaten league run to 24 games, but Pete Hall wonders whether Jose Mourinho's stifling tactics will be good enough for United fans craving more excitement.
Louis van Gaal's time in Manchester will be remembered predominantly for two things: plentiful colourful soundbites and a brand of football that was greeted by a chorus of groans around Old Trafford week in, week out.
Jose Mourinho isn't exactly known for is high-octane, exhilarating attacking football either, but United fans have been keen to get the message across that the Portuguese has got United playing "the way they should" nonetheless.
While there has been more attacking impetus this season, Mourinho has remained fundamentally more negative in order to earn a draw against a top six side away from home, nullifying his opponents with a well drilled, solid system. Thursday's stalemate at the Etihad was no different.
"They definitely played for that," Frank Lampard said post-match in the Sky Sports studio. "They [United] didn't overcommit players at any time. [Anthony] Martial played like a left-back at times. When you look at the table, maybe you see why they played for it, as the top four is in their hands still."
That final statement from Lampard certainly rings true. A place in the top four is in United's hands after the draw at the Etihad, but with a little more endeavour shown in east Manchester, just enough to snatch a victory, a spot in the top four would, for now at least, have been theirs.
Marcus Rashford showed City defenders a clean pair of heels on a few occasions early on as United looked to catch City on the break, but as the game wore on, United sat deeper and deeper, committing very few bodies forward, more content with a point as the minutes ticked by.
A look at the average position of the United players shows just how conservatively Mourinho had set his side up to play. Only Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Rashford finished with an average position over the halfway line, with neither anywhere near the City defenders too often.
For all Van Gaal's moribund football, even he masterminded 1-0 victories at Anfield and the Etihad last season. This time around, United could only manage a meek two shots on target in 180 minutes against their great rivals combined.
"Step two is to go and score a goal," Sky Sports' Gary Neville said post-match. "In 12 months' time if I was sat here, if Jose Mourinho was sat here, he would say the next stage is to go on and win those games. He did it at Chelsea with that resilience, robustness, that tough mentality. Twenty-four games unbeaten is a fantastic achievement, but the next step is to go on and win those games, and that seems to be a little bit further away."
A mini league of the top six gives us a clearer view of the positives and negatives for United this season. Mourinho has made United so much more formidable, as no team in clashes between the top six teams have conceded fewer goals than United, but on the other side of the coin, Mourinho's men have scored just six goals in eight fixtures against sides in the top six - three fewer than anyone else.
United missed Paul Pogba's ability on the ball in midfield. No United midfielder finished the game with a passing accuracy of over 77 per cent, but it was further forward that Pogba's absence was telling. The France international produced 47 passes to players in the opposition's half in the win over Chelsea and 33 against Burnley at the weekend. Ander Herrera had the most at the Etihad of any red with 21 - the same as David de Gea.
Late in games used to be when United teams of old would often snatch a dramatic, often undeserved winning goal to pick up another crucial three points in their respective title tilt, enthralling travelling United fans in a way only late drama can. At the Etihad there was no danger of that happening; United completed seven passes in the final third in the second half, compared to City's 117.
"Their problem all season has been scoring goals," Sky Sports' Thierry Henry said post-match. "They are doing the defending but not the other side of it. They are going to White Hart Lane where a point may be a great result, but it might not be enough."
Mourinho eluded to the fact that the draw at the Etihad is a good one post-match, and could prove vital at the end of the season but, as Henry points out, with margins in the top-four race so tight, one win over a rival could make all the difference.
With trips to Arsenal and Tottenham still to come, there is still plenty to give in the top-four race. A win in either of those could be the difference between another season in the Europa League and a return to Europe's top table. Will Mourinho stick to his guns? United fans need entertaining. Another 0-0 may sway their attitude towards the Portuguese.
