How Diego Maradona would cope as Manchester United manager in 2019/20

How Diego Maradona would cope as Manchester United manager in 2019/20 – according to Football Manager
Perhaps no game encapsulates the genius and madness of Diego Maradona so perfectly as the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England.Maradona showed the world he possessed both traits, which are intrinsically linked according to Aristotle, in both of his goals.

Diego Maradona wants to be considered for the Manchester United job

His first came after he punched the ball over the despairing leap of Peter Shilton and into the back of the net. The Argentina captain even had the audacity and arrogance to celebrate his ‘Hand of God’ goal in front of the same linesman who failed to see the infringement.His second was a work of art, rightly described as ‘The Goal of the Century’ as he slalomed through the English defence before netting.Given he made a career out of raising eyebrows, it is no surprise to see the 58-year-old throw his name into the hat to be the next Manchester United manager.

Director Asif Kapadia talks about his new documentary feature film on Diego Maradona Current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer endured a tough end to his first season in charge and is currently preparing to battle his first summer transfer window as a Premier League manager.But the man known as ‘El Pibe de Oro’ (Golden Boy) believes he would have the Midas touch in Manchester.

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Maradona puts Peter Shilton on his backside at the 1986 World Cup

Thanks to Manchester Evening News journalist Nathan Bliss, fans can see just how Maradona would get on as United boss.He diligently simulated an entire season with the football legend in charge on popular computer game Football Manager.Here’s how he got on in his first season at Old Trafford.

Football Manager 1913

Diego Maradona’s manager profile on Football Manager

After appointing the Argentine, Bliss started the game and began the simulation.He also made sure to make the correct transfers, manager changes, promotions and relegations, to make the simulation as realistic as possible, using a third party editor file.

Manchester United Transfers

As expected, the Argentine was given a sizeable transfer budget by the board in order to improve the squad he inherited from Jose Mourinho.Totalling a whopping 160.75million (rising to 186.5million), Maradona was not afraid to splash the cash. Here’s who he spent it on:

Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) – 97million (January)
Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina) – 47million rising to 69million
Mario Gaspar (Villarreal) – 16.75million rising to 20.5million (January)
Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain) – Free Transfer

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Adrien Rabiot, Mauro Icardi and Federico Chiesa were signed to bring silverware to Old Trafford

The former Barcelona forward signed PSG midfielder Rabiot and Fiorentina winger Chiesa in the summer window, but spent 133.75million in the January window, signing fellow Argentine Icardi from Inter and right-back Gaspar from Villarreal.

Manchester United 2019/20 individual performances

Top goalscorers:

Football Manager 1913

Alexis Sanchez was top scorer for the Red Devils under Maradona

Top assists:

Football Manager 1913

Despite contract discussions and speculation, Juan Mata was a creative force for United

Top rated:

Football Manager 1913

Mata and January signing Icardi were the star men for United

Maradona managed to get Alexis Sanchez out of his slump and into the goalscoring charts as the Chilean scored 18 times as well as grabbing eight assists.But it was Juan Mata who starred for the Red Devils, despite him being in the last year of his deal. The Spaniard achieved an average rating of 7.53 over the course of the season thanks to his 10 assists and 10 goals too.

Style of play

Despite his South American heritage, Maradona preferred to play a direct style of football at United, averaging just 51 per cent possession over the course of the season, just above the likes of Leicester and Everton.

Alan Brazil and Lawrence Dallaglio discuss Pogba insisting that he won't change his personality or playing styleHe did, however, manage to shore up a porous defence. United conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League, conceding just 33 goals in 38 games.The Red Devils scored 70 goals under Maradona, five more than they scored last season, but still 12 fewer than top scorers Liverpool.Here’s how the Argentine liked to line up his side…

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Mata and Sanchez excelled as inverted wingers

Manchester United’s 2019/20 cup competition record

Europa League:

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United crashed out at the semi-final stage of the Europa League

FA Cup:

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Bitter rivals Liverpool knocked United out of the FA Cup

Carabao Cup:

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Spurs knocked them out of the EFL Cup at the quarter-final stage

Premier League finish

Football Manager 1913

United lost the Premier League title race by ONE GOAL

According to Bliss’ simulation for the MEN, Manchester United were top of the league by two points over Liverpool and level on goal difference on the last day.But, incredibly, Maradona’s side could only manage a 1-1 draw away at Leicester on the final day, whilst Liverpool beat West Ham 2-1 at home.That means they missed out on their first Premier League trophy since 2013 by ONE GOAL.While Maradona’s first season as Manchester United boss was ultimately trophy-less, it would be hard to describe it as a failure.

Football Manager 1913

Perhaps Maradona could be onto something…

Thanks to the MEN’s hard work, we can see that Maradona actually got the Red Devils playing once again for top honours.He managed to unite the squad (no pun intended) and did so whilst maintaining an extraordinary 73 per cent win ratio.The signing of Mauro Icardi proved to be a shrewd one and fans also finally got to see the very best of Alexis Sanchez at Old Trafford.Perhaps employing him wouldn’t be so mad after all, and it might turn out to be a genius move.

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Diego Maradona's manager profile on Football Manager After appointing the Argentine, Bliss started the game and began the simulation. He also made sure to make the correct transfers, manager changes, promotions and relegations, to make the simulation as realistic as possible, using a third party editor file. Manchester United Transfers
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He diligently simulated an entire season with the football legend in charge on popular computer game Football Manager. Here's how he got on in his first season at Old Trafford. Diego Maradona's manager profile on Football Manager Football Manager 19. After appointing the Argentine, Bliss started the game and began the simulation.
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Diego Maradona's manager amount on Football Manager Football Manager 19. After appointing the Argentine, Bliss started the game and began the simulation. He also made sure to make the correct transfers, manager changes, promotions and relegations, to make the simulation as realistic as possible, using a third party editor file.
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