Man United – Wolves: The battle of two Portuguese coaches

Leaving behind the difficult start of August, the Red Devils have risen strongly in September. They have won all of this time in both the Premier League and Champions League. Instead of the dull opening stage of the season, people see MU players happy on the field, training and living.

Young and energetic guests

The “Red Devils” have won 4 out of 5 matches against the “wolves”. Photo: Internet

Their opponents this week are the newly promoted Wolves, who are just behind, just 1 point behind MU, led by coach Santo. The Portuguese coach has led Wolves since May 2017 after leaving Porto. In the past, Mr. Santo won the Portuguese championship 4 times with Porto in the seasons 2002/03, 2003/04, 2007/08, 2008/09.

In his first year, the 44-year-old strategist made his mark by helping Wolves win the 2017/18 Championship, thereby winning a ticket to play in the 2018/19 Premier League. Santo is expected to continue to help the Molineux team create surprises in the most attractive tournament in England this season.

Immediately after joining the Premier League, Coach Santo brought in two prominent names: midfielder Joao Moutinho from Monaco for 5.6 million euros, and goalkeeper Rui Patricio on a free transfer. In addition, Wolves also bought winger Diogo Jota from Atletico Madrid for 14 million euros, and central defender Willy Boly from Porto (12 million euros).

Wolves are almost a miniature Portuguese team with 8 talented players such as Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Ivan Cavaleiro, Ruben Neves, Helder Costa, Diogo Jota, Pedro Goncalves, Ruben Vinagre.

Alongside them are Mexican international Raul Jimenez, two young Spanish stars Adama Traore and Jonny Castro, and Brazilian player Leo Bonatini.

That force is superior to the Red Devils in terms of technique and fighting spirit. With a 3-4-3 formation, Raul Jimenez plays as a center forward, Adama Traore and Diogo Jota on the wings will really threaten Jose Mourinho on the field at Old Trafford. This team nicknamed the Wolves is expected to cause a surprise when facing the Red Devils tonight.

The homeowner revived

Expected lineup of MU and Wolves. Photo: Internet

The secret to Man United's revival lies in the spirit. MU fans have seen their beloved players on the field playing like warriors. A typical example is Nemanja Matic in the match against Watford, fighting left and right to protect the score. Even Paul Pogba knows how to put aside his conflicts with coach Mourinho to fight for MU's honor..

During the away match against Young Boys in the Champions League, the French midfielder scored twice to help Man United win 3-0. After the match ended, Pogba himself affirmed the spirit that made the Red Devils strong: "Every player feels like they belong here. We have a strong spirit and MU will of course play well."

In terms of expertise, MU no longer put too much pressure on Romelu Lukaku but applied pressure from many directions. Not counting the midfield, defenders Chris Smalling and Ashley Young also joined the attack and threatened Watford's goal many times last week. Sanchez showed his role in the ball and Pogba showed his world champion class with smart runs, appearing and disappearing in the penalty area.

It seems that after the “center-back disaster”, Mourinho has found his favorite center-back pair Lindelof and Smalling. Both play simply, focusing on defending high balls and pushing the opposing strikers away from De Gea’s goal. Meanwhile, Rashford and Matic are suspended and Jones, Herrera and Rojo are absent due to injury, so Fed has the opportunity to enter the field. After several games on the sidelines, the Brazilian midfielder must have understood that this is an opportunity to compete with the young Portuguese stars and he cannot afford to lose.

At the beginning of the season, perhaps no one believed that Wolves would be close to Manchester United and only lose to their opponents by 1 point. Few people thought that MU players would lack confidence and lose to Brighton and Tottenham in the first matches of the season. Will the youth of Wolves or the courage and experience of the host MU prevail? The story will be revealed when this match ends.