The Red Devils Are On A Highway To Hell

The Red Devils are on a highway to hell. At the end of the summer, Paul Pogba — back as a World Cup Winner — was eager to perform the way he did for France. But neither he nor Manchester United have been playing with the caliber they know they can. They're currently seventh in the Premier League (having only won three of six games). They drew with Wolves on Saturday. They lost to Derby in the League Cup yesterday, getting knocked out in the third round for the first time since 2007.

Needless to say, they're having a dreadful start to the season. So why are they playing like such rubbish?

Jose Mourinho on the penalty shootout:

“When I saw Phil Jones walk up, I knew we were in trouble.”

Savage. pic.twitter.com/CmL45fhaQo

— SPORF (@Sporf) September 25, 2018

Tactically, something's off and has to change. But I'm not going to sit here and try to explain why their park the bus tactic is weak or try to analyze what formation would be most beneficial, I'll leave that to the experts.

What I will say is that there's something else wrong with Man United right now as well, something far more flagrant and easier to solve — atmospherically.

Ever see the videos of the French players training during the World Cup? They were smiling and laughing. Not to say that that's why they won, but it definitely helped. Chemistry is crucial, and teams who laugh and have fun together play better. And Man U players haven't laughed in a while. How could they? You don't laugh when you're at war. And that's precisely what's going on — they're at war with Mourinho.

JUST IN!

Frosty footage just in from @ManUtd's training session between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho…

What has been said between the pair this morning? pic.twitter.com/nRiTEgDJlH

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 26, 2018

There's been so much drama and flapdoodle enveloping Man United that it's starting to feel like they've shifted into a reality show with a full camera crew and line prompters following them around rather than one of the best clubs in the world.

The main rift is the huge power play going on between Mourinho and Pogba. They don't see eye to eye (although they did gaze with vehemence and animosity into each other's eyes during training today. Apparently Mourinho was not pleased with Pogba's recent Instagram post where he's laughing, watching Man Utd lose.)

There have been several instances where the two have been seen arguing. When asked about their kerfuffle, Mourinho has said that there are “no problems at all, no fall out.” But he stripped Pogba of his vice-captaincy yesterday, after having given it to him only several weeks ago, which is rather queer. Was this not an attempt to humiliate him and show him who's boss?

Pogba questioned Mourinho's tactics and after drawing with Wolves, Pogba said that they should “attack, attack, attack” and that it was a “mistake” not to.

Pogba didn't play against Derby, and Mourinho insisted it was merely because he was being rested. But whether or not that's true, things are heated right now, but how much further can the kettle boil before it goes off?

It seems like Man Utd is at a crossroad: either Mourinho leaves or Pogba leaves, but they can't both be there anymore. Not if Man Utd wants to start winning.

The problem with Pogba is, sure, he's talented and a great player, but he lacks consistency. Just look at recent games. He scored a banger against Young Boys (which Mourinho was unfazed by), but then against Wolves, he loses the ball, stays on the ground, doesn't get back and Wolves equalize. That's Pogba in a nutshell. One day he'll radiate magic, the next he's Casper The Friendly Ghost.

It would be surprising to see both Pogba and Mourinho with Man Utd come January. Rumors have it that Barcelona is knocking on Pogba's door. It's getting dark, too dark to see…