Size matters. At least it may do in the Premier League this season. Much has been made of the cost of Jose Mourinho’s revamp of Manchester United but not its sheer physical dimensions. Much like Professor Simon Peach, played by Benny Hill in The Italian Job, Mourinho likes them big.
Of the four players he bought this summer, three are giants: Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly. United had two in David de Gea and Marouane Fellaini already. Some felt United lost their aura after Sir Alex Ferguson left but, lining up in the tunnel, this team are now an intimidating sight.
Mourinho knew, some months out, that there was a chance he would be managing at Old Trafford this season. He watched their games with special interest, particularly Fellaini’s performances. ‘He’s not Maradona,’ he told friends, ‘but he’ll be awkward to play against.’ Mourinho said Fellaini was one of those players who hurt opponents by accident.
His knee would clatter into yours in a tackle, and you’d limp for 10 minutes. His arm would fly out as you jumped, and make your ears ring.
Coincidentally, this was exactly what Wayne Rooney said about Pogba. In training, he bruised you. He didn’t mean to. It just happened. He was all sharp edges and hard surfaces.
There was one moment in Friday’s win over Southampton when Pogba’s athleticism drew gasps.
He had blundered with his first touch, given the ball away a few times, but then went into an aerial challenge with Dusan Tadic. The Southampton man is not the tallest, but at 5ft 11in he is not short, either.
Pogba outjumped him by the length of his torso.
Pairing him with Fellaini in midfield, there is no doubt Mourinho intends making a meeting with Manchester United memorable.
Ibrahimovic has already beaten Wes Morgan of Leicester and Simon Francis of Bournemouth — both club captains and the defensive rocks of popular cliche — into submission.
Bailly is making Manchester United fans forget the imposing influence of Nemanja Vidic.
If playing United becomes the biggest physical challenge of the season, teams will take that memory into the return games.
Bruising teams and players intimidate even before the whistle. It is no coincidence that Arsenal lost much of their fear factor once Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva left. For all their skill, the Invincibles were a huge team in central defence and central midfield.
Arsene Wenger complains about the brute force used against his players now, but contemporaries argue he was the originator.
Everyone had to get bigger because of Arsenal and it was not a point lost on Mourinho. Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Nemanja Matic — Mourinho made sure that no rival could bully Chelsea.
He has transferred that philosophy to Manchester United. It isn’t the money that will make Old Trafford such a painful place to visit this season, more the size of the project.– Daily Mail