From defence to Sánchez, where did Mourinho go wrong? | Jonathan Wilson

David de Gea has been left increasingly exposed, as has José Mourinho’s reliance on Marouane Fellaini as a battering ram

There was a time when the prevailing attitude to José Mourinho was it might not be pretty but he got the job done. At Real Madrid that began to change. Why was he so obsessed by playing his “trivote”, his block of three holding midfielders, even against lesser sides? But still, the problem was at the back of the team: Mourinho sides did not concede goals. This United did: 29 in 17 league games this season, the fifth-worst record in the league. But the situation is even worse than that. David de Gea is widely considered to have surrendered his crown as the Premier League’s best goalkeeper but he has still made more saves than all but three. In other words, that defensive record could easily be even worse.

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