Antonio Conte is being talked up as the next Man United manager, though it won’t be plain sailing for everyone…
All the gossip right now suggests Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on his last legs as Manchester United boss. One more bad result here, one more slip-up there and it could be goodnight Vienna for our Baby Faced Assassin.
Whether we like it or not, Antonio Conte is the hot favourite to replace Solskjaer. Personally, I feel like his tactics are too Jose Mourinho-esque. Too defensive. Too negative for a club like United. That’s an article for another day completely.
Living in reality, Conte is probably going to come in and some point in the not too distant future. That got us thinking about who would succeed under his tutelage. Also, who would struggle? Well, there were three standouts for us in that regard…
Jadon Sancho
The Englishman’s start to life at United has been anything but plain sailing already. Sancho has drifted in and out of the team on a game-by-game basis, playing without the confidence and fluidity he displayed week-in-week-out at Borussia Dortmund.
What better way to further ruin Sancho’s early United career than by hiring the most defensive manager out there who gets his width from full-backs rather than wingers?
Unless Sancho is going to transition to a striker, then beat out the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford, the former Dortmund man could well be further out in the cold if this hire actually does happen…
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Ah, Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Everyone’s favourite defensive full-back. The Spider as he’s known by teammates, would also struggle under Conte.
Although the pair share a love for the defensive side of the game, that’s about the only thing they have in common. Conte needs his full-backs to push on and deliver genuine quality into the box game-in-game-out. Wan-Bissaka is still a little raw in that aspect.
Thus, I reckon if Conte was hired, the first thing he’d look for is a new right-sided defended who bombs forward more.
Mason Greenwood
Last but not least, we have probably United’s best-performing player in this season (so far anyway). Mason Greenwood has lit up the league with his pinpoint accurate shooting. However, he’s also been playing as a winger. A position that would cease to exist under Conte.
The Italian gaffer is also like Mourinho in the regard that he tends to avoid playing younger players. Greenwood would have to bide his time, sit on the bench for a year or two and watch the likes of Cavani and Ronaldo operate. Is that really best for his development right now?
The verdict
I get it, different managers use different tactics. I just feel Conte’s style is so far away from the ‘United DNA’, that this one is a complete mismatch. It’d take a few years for Conte to build a squad that suits his style and by that point, it could be too late.
Conte may deliver a trophy or two before the eventual teardown. I just hope we look for a manager with the long-term in mind. Conte definitely isn’t that man.
Would Antonio Conte be a good hire for Man United? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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