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After Manchester United were knocked by Sevilla in the Champions League, Jose Mourinho was widely criticised for playing such a negative style of football. That's not the first time Mourinho has come under scrutiny this season.
Although United currently sit a very credible 2nd in the Premier League, their season has been hampered by a series of poor performances, such as that against Sevilla which saw them dumped out of the Champions League. That means that United can now only the FA Cup this season and that's not guaranteed considering Spurs and Chelsea are still in the competition.
Understandably, Mourinho has been under increasing pressure this season, amid numerous falling outs with players and reports of dressing room unrest. This is nothing new to the Portuguese however as, despite his unquestionable success as a manager, his spells at clubs often end in acrimony.
In Spain, when he managed Real Madrid, Mourinho eventually got sacked after falling out with the board, which also happened in his two spells at Chelsea. It is possible that Mourinho may be sacked at the end of the season, should the Reds finish the season trophyless.
With that in mind, this article lists the 5 main reasons Jose Mourinho could be sacked as Manchester United manager at the end of the season.
#1 Poor Performances in Big Games
Though United have a much-improved record against the 'Big Six; this season, they have still played poorly in a number of big games.
In the defeats to Spurs (2-0) and Manchester City (2-1), United offered very little going forward. At times in these games, it felt like more of a friendly such was the lack of attacking threat from Utd's players.
They were particularly abject in the defeat to Spurs, meekly surrending after they conceded 2 calamitous goals. In the defeat to City, despite playing at Old Trafford, United adopted such a defensive approach that they were like the away team. This would never have happened in Sir Alex Ferguson's time at the club.
The players have to take some of the blame for the poor results, but Mourinho is arguably even more culpable. His negative tactics stifle the attacking players which also erodes their self-confidence. This lack of confidence was painfully evident against Sevilla.
#2 Playing a boring style of football
Mourinho has been criticised for his negative, boring style of football which has infuriated fans and pundits alike.
At times Old Trafford has been deathly quiet and it does feel less fun to watch the Reds these days. The free-flowing attacking football United used to play has been replaced by a more controlled, defensive style of football. This sort of football should be used in cagey Champions League ties, not in every single game.
That's why it's hard to envisage United improving from their current position with Mourinho in charge because his tactics are so limiting and painfully defensive. He seems more interested in keeping the score down rather than scoring loads of goals and entertaining the fans.
His approach is very similar to Louis Van Gaal's who was sacked after 2 years at the club and a similar fate could befall Mourinho.
#3 Confusing tactics
Several times this season United have gone on a run of winning games and just when you think that they've turned a corner, they suffer another embarrassing defeat. A perfect example of this is how impressive wins against Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace were followed by a poor defeat to Sevilla.
Again Mourinho has to take some of the blame for this. In the wins against Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace United were at their best when they were on the front foot, playing an aggressive, attacking style of football. Yet bizarrely Mourinho chose to revert to a more defensive style of football against Sevilla and paid the price for it.
If this was a one-off bad performance, it wouldn't matter so much. Unfortunately for United fans, we've seen plenty of terrible performances this season ie vs. Man City, Chelsea, Bristol City, Huddersfield Town, Southampton, Burnley, Basel, Leicester to name just a few.
With Mourinho adopting such a defensive style of football this has blunted the promise of players such as Marcus Rashford and this could lead to his departure.
#4 Not challenging for the Premier League Title
Mourinho does deserve credit for improving the Reds with it looking increasingly likely United will finish 2nd, which is a huge improvement on the woeful 6th place finish last season in the league. Nevertheless, the Premier League was Man City's a long time ago.
The ease with which City have won the title has been particularly frustrating for United fans. Admittedly they've been very impressive but United have not put up enough of a fight. They've never looked remotely like winning the league in Mourinho's 2 seasons at the club.
Furthermore, as previously stated, the playing style and number of bad performances (particularly against the bigger sides) have angered fans. United's sterile brand of football pales in comparison to the attacking riches of Manchester City.
Undoubtedly the United board will have noted Guardiola's success at City through playing attacking football and it is possible that they will eventually employ a coach willing to do that at Man United, which Jose Mourinho is certainly not willing to do.
#5 Creating a bad atmosphere at the club
Mourinho has always been a divisive figure in his managerial career, rather like Sir Alex before him. In a sense, this has been a key ingredient of his success as sometimes it doesn't pay to be nice. However, Mourinho's negativity has at times created a toxic atmosphere at the club.
He's fallen out with plenty of United players during his time at the club, including Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba, both of whom have been publicly criticised for their attitude. In part, Mourinho has been justified in making these criticisms, but you've got to wonder about the methods of a man who has fallen out with so many people during his career.
Louis Van Gaal lost the dressing room at United (probably for boring the players so much) and Mourinho could be heading the same way. There have been signs that things just aren't right at the club and the United players never seem to play with a smile.
Mourinho might well stay beyond the summer but if he doesn't win the Premier League next season, it is a near certainty that he will be sacked. Hopefully, he can prove his critics wrong but it remains to be seen whether he can.
