The Red Devils lost the UEFA Super Cup final in Skopje against Real Madrid 1-2. The Jose Mourinho’s players played very well, but Los Blancos were the better team.

In the very beginning of the game, Manchester United looked better than Real Madrid. However, the Zinedine Zidane’s players managed to take the initiative and created a lot of goal-scoring chances before the end of the first half. Firstly, they hit the bar after a corner kick. Eventually the midfielder Casemiro sent the ball into de Gea’s net in the 24th minute. The goal was very controversial, because it looked like the midfielder was in an offside position.

Jose Mourinho tried a different approach in the second half, but Isco scored a nice goal after a one-two pass with Gareth Bale in the 52nd minute and probably decided the game. Just a few minutes later, the Welshman appeared on a good position in the box, but his shot reflected of the bar.

Romelu Lukaku should regret for the biggest miss in the game. The Belgian forward had the chance to find the net immediately after the second goal of Real Madrid, but his shot from several metres didn’t went into the net. Lukaku, then, scored from a similar position in the 62nd minute and brought United back in the game.

Maybe the biggest mistake of Mourinho was the decision to play Marcus Rashford. The youngster performed really bad. He missed in an one-on-one chance a few minutes after Lukaku’s goal. Then, Rashford took several free-kicks, which were more than terrible.

Cristiano Ronaldo went on the pitch for the last 7 minutes of the regular time, but the Portuguese star couldn’t score against his former team. The forward had the chance to shoot from a free-kick in the added time, but his shot went wide.

The trophy is the 4th for Real Madrid in the history of Los Blancos. That was the 3rd lost final in the competition for Manchester United.

Nemanja Matic decided to continue his career at Old Trafford. The ex-Chelsea midfielder was on of the crucial Antonio Conte’s players and had a key role in the Blues’ success last campaign. However, it looks like he prefers working with Jose Mourinho. The Special One is probably the main reason for the move of the Serbian defensive midfielder to Manchester United.

The Red Devils paid about £40 m. to Chelsea to have the two-time English champion in the squad. Nemanja Matic took part in 35 of the 38 Premier League last season, which goes to show how important he was to Antonio Conte.

The Serbian defensive midfielder has scored 7 goals for Chelsea in 155 appearances in all competitions. He won The Premier League twice (2014-15 and 2016-17), The FA Cup (2009-10) and The Capital One Cup (2014-15). He has won 32 caps for his country and has scored one goal. However, that stats can’t show how important Matic is to the team, because as a defensive midfielder he must be invisible on the pitch.

To continue with, Jose Mourinho knows very well what players need to be signed by Man United, The Red Devils to become the main contenders for the title! The Portuguese manager already signed Romelu Lukaku of Everton and Victor Lindelof of Benfica. With the signing of Matic, Mourinho has secured the needed depth in the squad and a person, who he can rely on when it’s up to defending and keeping the sheet clean.

I think that the actions of Mourinho clearly show his intention to win the title in The Premier League and to be competitive enough in The Champions League. Surely, with that type of players in the squad – this task is getting more realistic!

In conclusion, the battle for the title will be very fierce. The teams of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur look strong enough to make an attempt to win the most competitive division in the world – The English Premier League.