On 15 December, Manchester United were held to a draw away from Crystal Palace.

On December 18, Manchester United visited West Brom again for the 17th round of the Premier League.

Manchester United are all in the squad and Jose Mourinho will be hoping he can win their final game before Christmas.

Ibrahimovic, Rooney, Xia Xing, Pogba, Carrick and other main players all appeared, and the tactical arrangement was almost unchanged.

The only adjustment is the arrangement of Xia Xing and Pogba.

Before the game, Mourinho talked to Xia Xing alone.

"Xia, you were a little out of line in the last game, what was the situation? Need to take a break to adjust? ”

"Coach, I'm fine. Maybe I was a little tired a while ago, and with the rush to present the Golden Globes, my physical fitness was somewhat affected, but I have no problem. ”

"Well, that's good. But I still hope you can use these two games to adjust. The opponents in these league games are not strong, I want you to lean back and play a few games in the central midfield position, and let Pogba play the attacking organization, what do you think? ”

"Everything is arranged by the coach."

The last game was a little poor, and Xia Xing was also very clear.

And Mourinho's adjustment this time is also reasonable, and Xia Xing didn't think much about it.

After all, he also played for Pogba at the beginning of the league.

After all, Pogba is also a world-class midfielder, and his playmaking skills are also top-notch.

For a whole season, the two alternate supports, and that's no problem.

After all, when he was at Leicester City, he also played a few auxiliary games for Drinkwater.

No problem!

Seeing that Xia Xing agreed, Mourinho nodded secretly.

Okay, that's it!

Away to West Bromwich Albion, United went on the attack.

In fact, Mourinho hopes that the team can stabilize and ensure the defense before pursuing goals.

However, with Xia Xing in the backfield, the defense is stable enough.

Pogba was very active up front, frequently getting to the vicinity of the opposition penalty area.

The continuous firing put West Brom under great pressure.

However, Pogba's long-range shot did not help United find the back of the net.

Instead, because of too many shots, he robbed his teammates of the opportunity to fire.

The first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, he changed sides and took Mourinho's instructions, and Pogba began to pass the ball more.

However, under the strict defense of West Bromwich Albion's players, Manchester United has not been able to find the back of the net.

In the end, the game ended 0-0.

Manchester United drew again.

In the face of media interviews, Mourinho's expression was calm.

'We defended well today and our players were good, but we lacked a bit of luck.

Although Mourinho said so, many media people were a little puzzled.

Is it really just a lack of luck?

Manchester United's attacking line was in poor form in this game.

Pressed again, Mourinho still said so.

Fortunately, Manchester United is still leading by a large margin in the Premier League, and no one cares too much about Manchester United's two consecutive draws.

A week later, on 26 December, Manchester United hosted Sunderland in the 18th round of the Premier League.

Mourinho still discharged the full main squad in this game, after all, after a week of rest, everyone was in good fitness in this game.

Unfortunately, United were unable to win this game.

A huge 0-0 scoreboard left Old Trafford extremely frustrated.

The Manchester United players did well in this game, and the attack in the midfield was still fierce.

Multiple shots were a threat and they were just one step away from finding the net.

However, in the face of Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Manchester United's attacking group was collectively dumbfounded.

The 22-year-old Sunderland academy talent goalkeeper kept the ball clean with his excellent save.

In the end, Sunderland walked away with a draw.

To get a point at the top of the league is very satisfying.

However, the United players were also in a bad mood.

In particular, Pogba, who was very active in this game, was very unhappy in the face of reporters' questions.

"Pickford was an exaggeration in this game! I even wonder if there's something wrong with him? ”

As soon as this sentence came out, it instantly caused a great adverse reaction.

What's the problem?

Did it mean that Pickford took contraband?

Pogba didn't say it explicitly, but that's what he meant.

Sunderland FC protested publicly, and Pickford even directly presented the results of the post-match urine test to the media.

The Manchester United club spokesman also came out to explain that Pogba didn't mean that, he just expressed his unbelief at Pickford's heroic performance, and he just didn't have good English.

This explanation, while not entirely convincing, is plausible.

After all, Pogba didn't say what was wrong.

But because of this, Manchester United FC has severely criticized Pogba within the team!

Even a direct fine of 100,000 euros!

"You almost caused big trouble for the club!"

Losing and losing, although Pogba was in a bad mood, he could only admit it.

After all, if it weren't for the club to help him out, maybe the follow-up of this matter would be more troublesome.

However, it is worth mentioning that before and after this incident, Mourinho did not come forward to make any comments.

Neither helped Pogba to speak, nor did he criticize Pogba from the club's point of view.

It was as if these things had nothing to do with him.

Five days later, in the 19th round of the Premier League, Manchester United hosted Middlesbrough.

It is also a team in the middle and lower reaches, and the strength is not good.

In this game, Mourinho's lineup was the same as in the previous games, Xia Xing dragged the main defense, and Pogba mainly attacked.

Unlike the 0-0 in the previous two games, United scored in this game.

However, they still failed to win.

Shortly after the break, Ibrahimovic opened the scoring.

This time, it was Xia Xing's ball on the left side, attracting the defense and creating an opportunity for Ashley Young to cut forward.

Ashley Young broke through to the bottom line and crossed, and Ibrahimovic poked into the net from inside the box.

1 to 0!

Manchester United scored first!

In the 33rd minute of the game, this time it was the cooperation of Mkhitaryan and Rooney, and finally the captain of Manchester United made the final decision on the penalty line!

2 to 0!

With two goals in hand, Manchester United fans finally see hope of winning!

But I didn't expect the situation to change in the second half.

As soon as the game began, Middlesbrough's right winger Traore suddenly went berserk!

Sprinting quickly on the right side, this time directly using speed to bypass Xia Xing's defense!

Just now Pogba stepped forward to attack, leaving a gap in the middle, Xia Xing is organizing defense in the middle, and he has no time to help defend!

Traore picked up speed again, squeezing Ashley Young away with a buffalo-as strong body!

In the penalty area, kick up and shoot!

The ball hits the net!

2 to 1!

Middlesbrough pull a goal back!

In the 79th minute of the game, taking advantage of a counterattack opportunity, Middlesbrough striker Negredo received the ball and stabbed it into the net in the penalty area!

2 to 2!

Middlesbrough equaliser!

And this score was maintained until the end!

Manchester United once again reluctantly accepted a draw!

There was even a slight boo at Old Trafford at the moment!

Fans are unhappy with the team's recent performances!

At this moment, in the VIP room above the court, a man in a suit and leather shoes with a blue face rang his mobile phone and received a new message.

"How about such a game and the result?"

(End of chapter)