Ahead of the midweek visit to South London for Manchester United, we had a chat to Red Devils fan and friend of TEB Dr Mayur Joshi.
Q. What were your hopes and dreams for the new season before a ball was kicked?
My main hope was that we would see a vast improvement in the quality of football. Given the level of investment in terms of transfers I think that was the bare minimum. Obviously, as a fan you always look at the season with optimism and hope that things gel and come together sooner rather than later. I was hopeful of a title challenge and dreamt of a return to the top but results haven’t been good enough even if the performances have been much improved.
Q. Was it a successful transfer window for the club or are there areas that still need improving?
I think both. It was a successful transfer window but it’s almost impossible for a new manager to come in and comprehensively overhaul the side in his own image. It always takes more than one transfer window to do that and depending on the state of the squad it can take three or four windows. We’ve brought in some real quality in areas that needed it and the spine of the team looks strong (even if Zlatan is a short term signing). All four signings have shown their quality at various points throughout the season. The aim now is to get them all doing it together and consistently.
I don’t want to talk about all of them individually but I feel it’s important to mention Paul Pogba. There was, and still is, a lot of hype around the French international but it was always going to take time for him to settle, especially in such a key position in the side. That being said, he’s a quality player who absolutely oozes class. He’s still young and the team as a whole are still finding their feet so he hasn’t been as consistent as we all would have liked but there is no danger of him being another Juan Sebastian Veron, for example. He’s the real deal and will be a huge success at United for many years. Once he finds his consistency I think United will have a player of the level of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Bryan Robson. Not in terms of playing style (they’re all different) but in terms of influence at Old Trafford and the world stage.
Q. How has life under Jose Mourinho gone since his appointment?
I think most United fans would say they’re disappointed with the results in general. I think Jose Mourinho may have underestimated how ingrained some of Louis van Gaal’s “philosophy” was. It’s taken time but in the last two months or so the perfromances have been really very good but we seem to have lost our killer instinct in front of goal. We’re creating chances but our conversion rate has been diaboloical which represents a reversal of our fortunes under Van Gaal and David Moyes where we created very little but had a phenomenal conversion rate. I firmly believe this will eventually even itself out.
One major concern is the soft underbelly that we seem to have which means we’ve dropped seven points from winning positions with goals in the latter stages of the game. This points towards a mental gap in the side and, at times, poor substitutions from Mourinho. It’s a surprise because he’s known for his organisational coaching and has, in the past, been very astute with his substitutions. Again, I think he’s learning about this side a lot and there will be major changes in January.
As a note, one thing that truly baffles me is the continued use of Marouane Fellaini. That’s three managers that have trusted him now and I cannot, for the life of me, see why he is anywhere near our side.
Q. Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived in the Premier League with a huge reputation but has he lived up to the hype?
I was never one who bought into the hype surrounding Zlatan. I saw him as a self-promoting, overrated, flat-track bully. When we signed him and I voiced my opinion that I wasn’t sure of him, a LOT of people explained why the hype is real.
I have to say that I am yet to be convinced. Despite the statistics (13 goals in 22 appearances), I haven’t been too impressed. He’s missed some really important chances that have cost us points and his general all round play has been disappointing at times. He hasn’t really turned up against the big teams aside from a volleyed goal against City and I’m hoping that he can justify this huge reputation sooner rather later. That being said, he seems to have found his form in the last few games and with Mkhitaryan running off him we have the potential there for a very fruitful partnership. He’s also on track to score between 25-30 goals this season if he carries on at this rate so some people might suggest that I’m being overly critical.
Q. What are your thoughts on the new rule changes for this season?
The main issue I have with the rules is a lack of consistency and the fact that referees are given the licence to interpret them in their own ways. The rules themselves aren’t really an issue for me as everyone has to play by the same rules. The problem is the way in which referees apply the rules and the inconsistency with which they do. In my opinion, they should be following the letter of the law in every situation without opinions and interpretation in order to provide some level of consistent refereeing.
Of course, referees are human (mostly) so they will undoubtedly make mistakes but I think players, managers and fans can see when a referee has tried to be consistent over a season and when they have made a genuine mistake.
Q. Even though Leicester City managed it last season, it is looking increasingly difficult for an un-fancied team to break into the top six this season but if you were to pick one, who would it be?
If I had to pick one it would be Everton. Especially if, as rumoured, they sign Memphis and Schneiderlin in January.
Q. Perhaps you could share your views on Palace as a club, how we did last season and our start to this season?
If I’m honest I expected a bit more from Palace. The signings on paper seem to be excellent but they haven’t quite clicked yet. Palace are one those sides using the television money well in terms of attracting some excellent footballers starting with Cabaye last season. I think he’s disappointed a little bit given the quality that he has and this season I was expecting the team to have enough about them to support that quality and mount an impressive challenge, perhaps for the European spots.
The problem lies at the back. With the likes of Zaha, Townsend, Benteke, Cabaye, Remy etc, Palace are a top heavy side. If they were able to sign some players at the back to match the quality up front I think they’d quickly move up the table.
The other issue is Pardew. I can’t quite work him out. He goes through phases of doing well and then at other times he comes across like your weird, perennially single uncle at Christmas who acts like he’s 22 yrs old and drinks everything in sight before giving you life advice and eventually offending everyone in the room with a racist joke about Jimmy Saville. Nope? Just me then.
Q. Name one player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about?
The obvious one for United to keep an eye on is Benteke. With 10 goals in 16 appearances for club and country it seems he’s found his mojo after a disappointing spell in Liverpool. He has the tools to cause United problems but I’m hopeful that Eric Bailly will continue his excellent form and keep him quiet.
I’d love to say that United have a plethora of dangerous players for Palace to be worried about but in truth we just haven’t clicked properly in the league. We potentially have quite a few players that can hurt you. Zlatan, Pogba, Mata, Martial, Rashford all have the ability to win matches. However, I just wanted to highlight Mkhitaryan. After a difficult start to his United career he’s now starting to show the form that made him German Player of the Year last season and one of the best attacking midfielders in the business. If he hits top form we won’t have any more problems with the attacking side of things. I’ve been waiting for Jose to unleash him and hopefully we see him at his best sooner rather than later.
Q. Prediction?
A repeat of the cup final… 1-2
Q. And finally, the floor is yours to promote any projects that you are currently working on mention any fan sites that are worth checking out.
No specific projects. Thanks for asking me to answer your questions.
