Jose Mourinho and Manchester United do not believe that they belong in Ukraine on Thursday nights, playing Zorya Luhansk in freezing conditions. A manager like Mourinho andÂa club like United, are accustomed to glitzy Champions League fixtures against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Instead, the wreckage of the last few seasons is surfacing periodically onÂThursday nights.[ffc_insert title=”Cantona: The Iconic and the Ironic” name=”Golden Goal” image=”https://www.footballfancast.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1997-04-23T000000Z_1_MT1ACI148037_RTRMADP_3_ENGLAND-SOCCER-MNU.jpg?admin” link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/manchester-united/golden-goal-king-eric-and-a-story-of-delicious-irony” link_text=”Cantona’s greatest moment” ]Troubles in Ukraine have forced Zorya to play far away from their home ground, in the Black Sea port town of Odessa. League fixtures have been played 300 miles away from Luhansk – in Zaporizhia– but their makeshift home for league games doesn’t meet UEFA requirements forcing Zorya to playÂ600 miles away from their home (where they have not played since 2014). Exiles far from where they belong, much like their opponents tonight.It is hardly a home game for Zorya, but the conditions will be all the more alien to Manchester United. Jose Mourinho has already questioned the virtues of playing a game in southern Ukraine in mid-December. Heaters will soften the playing surface as the bitter winter temperatures createÂunderfoot conditions unbecoming to a game of football. The temperature will be comfortably below freezing as Mourinho’s Red Devils head deep into Eastern Europe for a shot at redemption.Such weather cannot be a distraction for Manchester United. A draw is required to guarantee progression for Mourinho’s side, as their league form continues to falter, Europa League elimination could be far costlier than it would have once seemed. These games are a necessity in their season, they cannot be written off as a minor Europa League affair considering Manchester United’s poor league form. As it stands, lifting the Europa League is the best chance Mourinho has of taking the Red Devils back to where they belong.
While Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester (nope, still can’t quite believe it either) are gazing at the glamour of the list of potential Champions League opponents, United are travelling into the depths of Europe to face a team that finished fourth in the Ukrainian top flight last season.
This is, thanks to years of mismanagement, United’s current standingÂin European football. For all their financial might and world-renowned stars, the club cannot escape where they are situated in the on-field European order. Performances under Mourinho are yet to suggest that they can change their fortunes dramatically, but this chilling experience on the Ukrainian coast will only improve the squad.
Nearly 2000 miles from the luxuries of Old Trafford, this could be a game that is remembered for years to come. Failure to perform, regardless of adverse weather conditions, will be a headline. The task for Mourinho is – as hard as he finds it – to limit the headlines that this game creates. Some players may not fancy the cold, others may be under physical strain on a defrosting surface. With the artillery of excuses already locked and loaded, it is easy to let this game slip and drift away in the knowledge that an ugly temperature reading will remove the pressure.
If Manchester United want to return to the fine dining of the Champions League, however, these are experiences they must endure. Players, staff and fans must accept that this a necessary means. It will not be a pleasant experience, nor will it be the most fluent 90 minutes, but this is a signal of where the club is at presently.
Their irritating siblings, Manchester City and Arsenal, may have their own concerns at the moment, but even a glance at their fixtures in Europe this year show the gap between the clubs.
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