Let’s put this into perspective.

Manchester United are second in the Premier League, boasting the second best attack and the meanest defence. Yet, all is not well in Jose Mourinho’s world.

From stating that United will not be his last job, to rumours linking him to Paris Saint-Germain and shushing into the camera at the end of the Tottenham game, the Mourinho blues are back.

So given United’s position, why is the Portuguese on edge?

There’s no suggestion here that he is angling for a move away from Old Trafford in the near future but he’s clearly agitated.

Here’s a look at three things that could be gnawing away at Mourinho as he returns to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Sunday.

DOUBTING HIS METHODS

When he took the United job, Mourinho would’ve been made fully aware of the expectations that come with being manager of arguably the most followed club in the world.

One of those expectations are that he deliver attacking football and while he’s done that against the lesser teams to an extent, few have been impressed with his defensive approach to games against the top six sides.

The 54-year-old has always been a result oriented manager and you can’t argue with the success he’s had while abiding by that. However, this is Manchester United and the fact is, he’s spent obscene amounts of money, so why’s the team having to set up like an inferior opposition against Liverpool when their shaky defence was clearly there for the taking?

Mourinho needs to accept that more is expected of United and it will be interesting to see how he approached the game at Stamford Bridge.

INJURIES

Scott McTominay made a fine Champions League debut against Benfica in midweek but it came around as a result of United’s depleted resources in the midfield department.

Paul Pogba‘s lengthy injury spell has been a huge blow to the team. The Frenchman’s absence has coincided with a dip in United’s form as their game play has suffered. His driving runs from midfield and range of passing has been missed.

The unavailability of Mourinho’s go-to option in Marouane Fellaini has also left the United boss short of ideas. While the Belgian’s style may not be easy on the eye, there’s no doubting his effectiveness and Mourinho has done well to get the most out of him.

Further injuries to Michael Carrick and Jesse Lingard have only compounded problems for the Red Devils boss who must dip into his bag of tricks to conjure a result at every hurdle, one painstaking performance at a time.

OUT OF FORM PLAYERS

Romelu Lukaku hasn’t scored in six games but he is very much a striker who relies on the service he receives and it must be said that those supply lines have dried up of late.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been the biggest concern after starting the season in sensational form. The Armenian has drastically fallen off the pace and hasn’t provided an assist in his last 11 appearances. Rather more worrying is his tendency to drift in and out of games.

At times he’s looked as if he’s regressed, struggling to cope with the pace and physicality of the Premier League despite proving his ability to thrive in it earlier on in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Juan Mata has failed to step up in the absence of Pogba as well. The Spaniard usually boasts a fine record with his goals and assists ratio but has dipped in that regard this term.

Ander Herrera has not been at his best either but perhaps Mourinho brought that upon himself having given him the cold shoulder for much of the season before only turning to him now with his options severely limited.