The Red Devils' revival starts with retaining Mourinho

Finally, assistant coach Rui Faria also expressed his opinion: "Raphael Varane's ability is beyond doubt, and I also prefer him to start in my heart, but we need to see that he has not recovered from the injury in the 30th round of the Premier League, and his recent state has not been particularly ideal; so I recommend Harry Maguire and Ruben Dias to form a central defender combination.

Harry Maguire's air defense and confrontation advantages are very prominent as Silvino said. In addition, I want to emphasize one point: our captain's mental attributes are first-class! Although Ruben Dias is not as tall as Harry Maguire, he is more flexible and maneuverable. In defense, Ruben Dias can move quickly to make up for Harry Maguire's slow turn.

At the same time, Ruben Dias's offensive awareness is also good. When the team gets a corner kick or a set piece, he can actively participate in the offense and create more scoring opportunities for the team. The two of them can play an important role in both defense and offense."

After the three assistant coaches finished speaking, the conference room fell into a brief silence. Head coach Mourinho listened carefully to the analysis and suggestions of the assistant coaches on the starting central defenders, weighing the pros and cons of different combinations.

After a long time, Mourinho said, "First, focus on following up on Raphael Varane's physical condition data, and we will observe for a few days to decide who will start."

Next, the focus of the discussion shifted to the midfield.

Mourinho first asked Giovanni Serra, "How is Rodrigo Hernandez's recovery?"

"He has resumed training with the team, but his current physical condition is not particularly ideal. If he recovers beyond expectations in the next few days, he probably won't have the physical conditions to start."

Mourinho sighed after listening to Giovanni Serra. Rodrigo Hernandez is a player he relies on very much, and he has performed well in previous games, but there is really no better way to deal with the impact of injuries on professional players.

"Put him in the roster first, and see how he recovers in the next few days." After saying that, Mourinho turned to the crowd and asked them, "Who do you think is more suitable for the three midfield positions?"

Everyone has a relatively consistent opinion on the selection of organizing midfielders. Marco Verratti is the best midfielder in Manchester United this season. He has a broad passing vision and excellent organizational ability. He can control the rhythm of the game in the midfield. At the same time, he has strong creativity and creates more scoring opportunities for the forward line. Like most games this season, Marco Verratti has become the only choice for this position. As assistant coach Scholes said, "His presence can make our offense more diverse and bring more pressure to Porto's defense."

In the position of defensive midfielder, if Rodrigo Hernandez's physical condition allows, he has been Manchester United's only choice in this position since January, but now that he is in poor physical condition, this position has become a competition between Jesse Lingard and Aurelien Chuameni who are more defensive, Bruno Fernandez who is more organized, and Dani Olmo who is more explosive on the midfield wing.

Assistant coach Scholes introduced the characteristics of the four players to the coaching staff:

"Let's look at Jesse Lingard first. He has a tenacious fighting spirit and a positive defensive attitude. On the defensive end, he always runs tirelessly and can press and interfere with the opponent's offensive players. He has plenty of physical strength and can maintain high-intensity defensive pressure throughout the game. Moreover, Jesse Lingard has a good sense of position and can retreat to the defensive position in time to assist the back line in defense. However, his offensive ability is relatively weak. Although he can occasionally have a flash of inspiration, Jesse Lingard is still lacking in organizing offense and creating scoring opportunities. In some key games, he may not be able to contribute to the team's goals. Provide sufficient support for the attack.

Aurelian Tsoumeni is a defensive midfielder with great potential. He is physically strong and has strong confrontation ability. In terms of interception and steals in the midfield, Aurelian Tsoumeni performed very well. He can effectively disrupt the opponent's offense and win the ball for the team. At the same time, his passing ability is relatively stable, and he can quickly transfer the ball to the offensive end after a successful defense. However, Aurelian Tsoumeni is still young after all, and his experience in the game is relatively insufficient. When facing some complex game situations, there may be misjudgments. Moreover, his offensive participation is relatively low, and he is more focused on defensive tasks.

Bruno Fernandez asAs a midfielder who is more organized, he has excellent creativity and passing vision. He can control the rhythm of the game in the midfield and send accurate passes to his teammates. Bruno Fernandes' long-range shooting ability is also very outstanding, and he can often break the deadlock for the team at critical moments. However, Bruno Fernandes has relatively little investment in defense. Although he will also participate in defense, he may seem a little overwhelmed when facing the opponent's strong attack. Moreover, he sometimes pursues offense too much, resulting in some risky situations in passing choices.

As a player who is better at blasting on the wing of the midfield, Dani Olmo's speed and breakthrough ability are his biggest advantages. On the wing, Dani Olmo can break through the opponent's defense with his quick start and flexible dribbling, creating offensive opportunities for the team. The quality of his cross is also very high, which can provide strong support for the center forward. However, Dani Olmo's contribution on the defensive end is relatively small. He focuses more on offense, and may not return to defense in time when defending. Moreover, his state is sometimes not stable enough, and he may perform abnormally in some games.

These four players have their own advantages and disadvantages. According to the characteristics of the opponent Porto team and the needs of the game, I personally tend to recommend focusing on Dani Olmo and Bruno Fernandes to attack at the beginning. If we can take the lead in the first half, we can replace them with Jesse Lingard or Aurelien Tsoumeni in the second half to strengthen the team's defense. "

Mourinho and other members of the coaching staff nodded their heads and approved of Scholes's suggestion.

The last offensive midfielder, the attacking midfielder, caused some controversy. Assistant coach Scholes recommended Juan Mata. He believed that Juan Mata had more experience and his performance in major competitions was more stable. We need him to control the rhythm in the midfield and provide support for the team's offense. But most assistant coaches prefer Scott McTominay. Everyone thinks that he has better offensive ability, excellent dribbling and breakthrough ability, and an excellent long-range shooting ability. Playing Porto, especially breaking dense defense, is more effective than Juan Mata.

After some discussion, the head coach decided to let Juan Mata start, using his rich experience to control the rhythm of the midfield and provide support for the team's offense. Scott McTominay was used as a surprise player in the second half.

Finally, everyone began to discuss the candidates for the forward line. Mourinho asked everyone: "In the 433 lineup, we need two wingers and a center forward. Who do you think should start? "

Assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy first recommended the center forward: Erling Haaland will start, he is strong, has aerial advantage, and is fast, which can put a lot of pressure on Porto's defense; Romelu Lukaku will come on as a substitute around 70 minutes into the second half, and his physical advantage will be more obvious when facing Porto's central defenders. We need him to hold his position in the penalty area, contain the opponent's attack at the last moment, and create opportunities for his teammates, while also being able to shoot and score himself."

Van Nistelrooy continued, "There is no controversy about the right winger. Edinson Cavani has comprehensive skills. He can break through the right side and cross, and he can also cut inside and shoot. His presence can make our offense more three-dimensional. He is also the top scorer in the Premier League this season and the second in the Champions League, and he has been in the top scorer list in the last few games. His form is also very good, and he is the best choice for this position. Jamal Musiala can be used as a substitute for this position. This young player has scored in three consecutive games, is in hot form, and has his own characteristics in offense. "

"For the left winger position, it should be a situation where Cody Gakpo and Marcus Rashford choose one. I personally tend to choose Cody Gakpo as the starting player. His speed and dribbling ability are very good. He can break through the opponent's defense on the left and create opportunities for the team. And his cut-in shot is also very threatening, which is a sharp weapon on our offensive line. "

When he was a player, Van Nistelrooy had the reputation of "King of the Small Penalty Area". After joining the Manchester United coaching staff, he was responsible for training Manchester United's forward line, so everyone believed in the forward trident personnel he recommended and expressed their approval.

After determining the starting lineup, the coaching staff began to discuss specific tactical details.

Head coach Mourinho said: "The core of our tactics is to exploit Porto's weaknesses and play quick counterattacks. When defending, we must maintain a compact formation and not give them the ball in the midfield."There is too much space for the players. Once the ball is stolen, we must quickly launch a counterattack and use our speed advantage to catch them off guard." Assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy added: "When attacking, we must give full play to the role of the two wingers. They must constantly break through and cut inside to attract the opponent's defensive players and create opportunities for the center forward. At the same time, the midfielders must actively move forward and participate in the attack." Assistant coach Silvino Rulo emphasized the importance of defense: "We can't just focus on offense, defense is also crucial. We must strengthen the pressing in the midfield and cut off their passing routes. The back line must remain highly alert and be ready to respond to their attacks at any time." Giovanni Serra, who is responsible for tactical analysis, also made his own suggestions: "We can make some targeted adjustments in the game according to Porto's tactical characteristics. If they adopt a high-pressure pressing tactic, we can break through their defense through quick short passes. If they shrink their defense, we can use the opportunity of set pieces to break the deadlock. "

As the discussion deepened, the coaching staff's ideas became clearer and the tactical plan became more and more perfect. Finally, head coach Mourinho concluded: "This game is a huge challenge for us, but I believe our team has the ability to defeat Porto. Everyone should convey the tactics discussed today to the players so that they can be fully prepared. In the game, we must remain calm and execute according to the established tactics. I believe we will be able to win. "

After the meeting, the coaching staff members took action to make final preparations for the upcoming game. Come to a wonderful game.