Jose Mourinho is still renowned as one of the top managers in world football but he can still learn a trick or two from other managers in world football. Last night Gareth Southgate proved he could get the best out of two of Man Utd’s attacking players in Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard.
The difference in the two players’ performances was clear to see, especially Marcus Rashford who was a constant threat down England’s left-hand side. Rashford looked back to his old self and was constantly running at the Croatia backline causing them all sorts of issues throughout the game.
One key point for Marcus Rashford was the fact he was left with very little defensive responsibility, with both Ben Chilwell and Fabian Delph covering England’s left flank defensively. That left Rashford with the freedom to stay up the pitch and simply focus on getting at the Croatian backline which he did superbly.
At one point during the second half, he skinned Luka Modric which left United fans in awe at his talent. Mourinho simply must learn from Southgate here and let Rashford play his own game whilst going forward. He must release him from his defensive duties and get him flying at defenders once more, as Southgate did v Croatia.
With Jesse Lingard, we saw the best of the Manchester United man. Off the bench, Southgate turned to him to change the game and he did just that. His industry and quality on the ball in the centre of the park refreshed the England team and Jose should take note of his positional play.
Too often for United, he has been wasted on the right wing, where he is too often missing from big games. He doesn’t have the electric pace to beat a man and is often left out of the game when on the right wing. Mourinho should take note of Southgate's tactics and use Lingard to fix United’s central midfield issues.
