4 reasons why the current Man United crisis is not Mourinho's fault.

Manchester United v Newcastle United - Premier League
On his way out?

Man United overturned a two-goal deficit against Newcastle United to grab victory as they rallied at Old Trafford in the second half. This broke a winless run of 4 games for them but is also being considered as Mourinho's final game at the club.

According to reports, the Portuguese manager was to be sacked in spite of the result against Newcastle. While he still is at the club at the time of writing, that may not be the case for too long.

Whatever remains the case at the Manchester club, one thing is by far evident that post Ferguson era, the team has been on a downward spiral and have never truly recovered. Three managers have followed the great Scotsman and have failed to deliver the Premier League title- a competition that the club has dominated since its inception.

Jose Mourinho came at the club with a reputation of being a serial trophy winner while also known for his defensive tactical style of play and his combative attitude in general with the players and the press. If this indeed happens to be the end of his career at the club, it will definitely be on an underwhelming note. The question, however, is that would it be right to attest on him the current problems that the club is facing? Here are 4 reasons why that should not be the case.


#4 He was never truly backed in the transfer market

PSV Eindhoven v FC Internazionale - UEFA Champions League Group B
Perisisc was just one of the many players that Mourinho wanted but never got.

Jose Mourinho as we know has a very distinct style of play, which demands players of a certain style that fit into his system. So it was obvious that he would be turning the squad inside out upon his arrival. He got Pogba, Ibrahimovich Bailly and Mkhitaryan to kick off his first season which was good enough to land the team a Europa League championship.

The problems began in the second season. It was painfully evident that the team needed a natural winger in the side, someone who could be the creative force from out wide, someone like Ivan Perisic, who Mourinho reportedly wanted to be at the club. The transfer didn't go through much to the ire of the manager as the United board refused to pay the asking sum for the Croatian. As a result, Man United lacked a much needed creative force from the wings and could not compete with the likes of Man City in terms of attacking capability.

This was nothing compared to what happened this season. After grabbing midfielder Fred early on, Mourinho stated the need for two more signings. One being crucial in the form of a center back. As a result, the club was involved in one transfer saga after another being linked to every big name defender imaginable. In the end, spectacularly they failed to sign anyone, leaving the manager fuming.

It has proved a big blunder as evident after the season began that how much the team needed a quality defender among their ranks, shipping in goals after goals, after being the second best defence in the league last season.

#3 His predecessor made a bigger mess than people realise

Manchester United v A.F.C. Bournemouth - Premier League
Van Gaal's time at the club had its own share of drama.

The memory of the Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal has faded a bit in the minds of the Man United faithful. Those who believe that it is bad during Mourinho's times have indeed forgotten how much worse it was during Van Gaal's.

The Dutch tactician created a side akin to his footballing philosophy which put emphasis on keeping possession and limiting the intensity of games. It led to dour matches lacking any real cutting edge where spectators had to wish for an attack to ever be created. Sideways low-intensity passing was the norm, the team rarely put the ball in the box and counter-attacking, which has been in the DNA of the club was rarely ever seen.

Mourinho's though a defence-minded manager, lets his teams be direct and counter-attacking.

But the bigger problem that Van Gaal perhaps created at the club was to spend too much money and getting nothing of it. There were an ample number of big-name players signed during his time, most of whom turned out to be a failure at the club. Players such as Di Maria, who was a then-record signing, Falcao- whose wages alone were worth a big name transfer, Memphis Depay, Schneiderlin, Blind, Darmian were just some of those names.

To have a more in-depth read of the club's transfer failures, read the 5 biggest recent failed transfers at Man United. It perhaps made the board more wary of wasting any more money on players who they thought wouldn't bring any success to the club.

While also failing at the transfer market, Van Gaal also offloaded many of the core Man Utd players who had been at the club for years and had been a part of its success. Players such as Chicarito, Da Silva brothers, Van Persie, Nani, Welbeck, Kagawa were all bitterly shown a way out of the club. It was part of his arrogance, perhaps to stamp his new system, but these players were proven success stories at the club and might still have helped the team if managed correctly.

#2 The board is prioritising money over football

Sunderland v Manchester United - Premier League
Woodward is currently not a man liked too much at Old Trafford.

One thing after the result was clear, the fans at Man Utd were behind Jose Mourinho, chanting his name all the while but had turned on the club's vice-chairman Ed Woodward. The club's current boss was seen with a rather straight face while the fans rejoiced after the comeback win. This didn't go well with the supporters many of whom have questioned the way Jose's reported news of sacking is being leaked out to the press.

Woodward allegedly not backing the Portuguese in the transfer market this season was also a cause of criticism. Many supporters feel that the board gave up even before the season began as they did not give the manager the players that he needed to get a decent campaign. This has obviously led to a bit of sympathy and backing for Mourinho from a major section of the United faithful.

What is more concerning is that the board is being accused of not being too keen on the footballing side of things. A statement earlier this year by Woodward claiming how the club's profits do not depend on the results on the pitch, in fact, raised many eyebrows. It has led to questions whether the board is prioritising the club as a brand rather than as a football club. A club which used passion as its key ingredient and not profits.

#1 Let down by his big players

Manchester United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Stories of Mourinho and Pogba not getting along have no doubt created a divide at the club.

Mourinho has acquired an infamous reputation of publicly taking names of his players who he doesn't bode well with. Although he has a good reputation with many of his squad, rumors of players turning on him have stayed at nearly every team that he has managed.

While at Man United, Mourinho might just have a reason to not be happy with his players especially the big names that came in and didn't perform anywhere near expectations. The first one to irk him was Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian was found painfully underprepared for the physicality of the league when he first came to the club. His best performances came only in the Europa league before he was offloaded.

Another player who came in with a lot of expectations but is yet to settle into the Premier League is Victor Lindelof. Eric Bailly has also declined after a promising start to the club, which has left Mourinho short of reliable defensive options this year.

In attack, Martial has not been consistent enough to warrant appreciation. Same is the case with Alexis Sanchez, who has looked a shadow of his former self upon arriving from Arsenal.

The biggest problem, however, has been with United's record signing Paul Pogba, who is yet to be a consistent performer at the club. Even though his quality is there for all to see and a some of his performances have been on another level but is yet to do it on a regular basis to lead the team like he was supposed to.

Not even counting the reported off-field problems between the two, it would have served Mourinho so much better had his midfield superstar perhaps had lived up to his billing as Zlatan and Matic did so effortlessly. He perhaps has been United's best player this season after Luke Shaw, but it may just be too late for Mourinho to turn things around now.

As Gary Neville stated emotionally this week, that the Portuguese looks tired and beaten. His stint would probably be remembered as a failure and perhaps, most of it was not even his fault.

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Edited by Ben Roberts