It's a line that's been trotted out almost ad nauseam for the last four-and-a-half years, but Manchester United have clearly lost a lot of the attacking intent and creativity that made them such an irresistible force under Sir Alex Ferguson.
And while the legendary Scotsman was no stranger to grinding out a result here and there over the course of his 13 Premier League title victories, five FA Cup triumphs and two successful Champions League campaigns at Old Trafford, he preferred to attack teams, deploying either a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 to outscore opponents at will.
In the four years since Ferguson's retirement, however, the likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and now Jose Mourinho have failed to replicate the dynamism that so often lit up Old Trafford between 1986 and 2013.
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Mourinho has actually got United scoring with much more regularity, this season, with the Red Devils finding the back of the net 43 times in their opening 20 Premier League games. Only Manchester City and Liverpool have scored more, this term.
Mourinho's United have been scoring a lot more this season, but have still struggled to impress a lot of fans. Images: PA
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But it is performances in big games, such as October's dour 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield and this month's 2-1 defeat to City in the Manchester derby that have drawn the most attention, with Mourinho once again accused of 'parking the bus'.
Such tactics were not uncommon in big games during Ferguson's era, as Barcelona fans with painful memories of the 2008 Champions League semi-finals will tell you, but they have become a recurring theme of Mourinho's reign at Old Trafford and are proving to be incredibly unpopular.
Former United favourite Dwight Yorke, who won three Premier League titles, a Champions League, FA Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his time with United under Ferguson's stewardship, has recently revealed what his former manager thinks of Mourinho's more pragmatic tactics.
Speaking to beIN Sports, the Trinidadian striker said, via the Mirror, "He's done that type of stuff as a manager throughout his career.
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"He's been very successful doing it this way. I had this conversation with Sir Alex last week, and he can't see him changing because if you're successful this way, why would you want to change?"
Despite Mourinho's tactics, United are still second in the league, albeit 15 points behind leaders City. The Red Devils also comfortably qualified for the second round of the Champions League, after topping their group with five wins out of six games, scoring 12 goals along the way.
(H/T The Mirror)
Topics: Football News, Jose Mourinho, Football, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, dwight yorke, Premier League