5 Reasons why Manchester United were right to sack Jose Mourinho

Mourinho's time at Manchester United is finally over
Mourinho's time at Manchester United is finally over

The signs were there and there was a feeling that the D-day would eventually arrive. It seemed impossible that Mourinho would continue to be at the helm of things at Old Trafford by the end of the season. It was inevitable that Manchester United would eventually sack him. The disturbing results, the press conferences, the rumours of player-manager rifts all indicated that Jose Mourinho would not last to build a dynasty at Old Trafford. And eventually, the events unfolded as predicted at Old Trafford.

Also Read: 4 Signs that indicate that Mourinho's Third Season Syndrome is underway at Manchester United

Manchester United lost to Liverpool on Sunday at Anfield, with the game ending with the final score 1-3. It ultimately proved to be the final straw as the club announced on Tuesday that Mourinho had left the club. It was also announced that a new caretaker Manager would be appointed till the end of the season, while the process of selection of a new manager would continue.

The bold decision of the Management at Old Trafford has generated mixed reactions. While sacking a manager in the middle of the season has its risks, here are 5 reasons why Manchester United were right to sack Jose Mourinho.


#5 Poor Style of Play

Pogba's talents were misused by Mourinho at United
Pogba's talents were misused by Mourinho at United

Mourinho bought Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Mkhitaryan in his first season. Baring the Swede, who can actually fit into any team, the rest two were continuously underutilized by the Portuguese. Last season, he bought Lukaku and Sanchez, and while the Belgian did have a moderate season, Sanchez was surplus to requirements, when the team was crying out for a right winger.

Even though he had some of the best attacking talents in the team, Mourinho opted for a stale, stagnant style of play, where Manchester United started playing boring, defensive football. It was neither attractive nor effective.

While the best teams of the world progressed to a more intense, intricate play with lots of passing and possession, Mourinho took United backwards, relying on stone age tactics of soaking the pressure and trying to catch the opposition off-guard with long balls. This was having a negative effect on the players as well as the fans and as such, by parting ways with Mourinho, United have actually averted further damage.

#4 Negligible Player Development

Andreas Pereira should have started more often for Manchester United
Andreas Pereira should have started more often for Manchester United

The fact that Manchester United went backwards with Mourinho at the helm is evident from the fact that good players seemed to lose their touch and abilities with time under the Portuguese. Marcus Rashford is perhaps the biggest example of this, as the teenager has looked like a shadow of himself recently. Even older, established players failed to develop themselves due to Mourinho's tactics. Players like Pogba and Lukaku started this season well, but seem alarmingly short of confidence at present.

On the other hand, Fellaini has continued to feature in Mourinho's plans, limiting the chances for promising young talents like Andreas Pereira. Bailly and Lindelof, players identified by Mourinho himself, were suddenly not good enough for the Portuguese anymore. Bailly's absence this season has been shocking, especially since he was rock solid last season. No academy graduates moved up the ranks to make their mark in Mourinho's team and this was also a big problem at Old Trafford.

What made matters worse were the reports of Player-Manager tussles. There were rumours of building differences within the team and also the management's reluctance to indulge in Mourinho's choices in the transfer market. Ultimately, there were too many problems associated with the Portuguese and United were correct to seek a fresh start by breaking free from Mourinho.

#3 No Signs of Improvement this Season

Tottenham Hotspur gave early signs of Manchester United's problems this season
Tottenham Hotspur gave early signs of Manchester United's problems this season

United started the season with a nervous win against Leicester City at home, but lost the next two games - away to Brighton and at home to Tottenham. It was a slathering assessment of the gaps present in Mourinho's team and also a sign of things to come.

Since then, Manchester United have failed to win more than two games on a row in the league. They have scored 29 goals, while also conceding 29! They have slipped down on the table and only a miracle can secure a top 4 spot right now. However, it was the fact that there were no signs of improvements with each passing game that made matters worse.

Mourinho has always been bullish in the wake of criticism and it was also evident during this season. He made silly mistakes and refused to learn from them. He made team selections based on his opinion of players, rather than their forms and abilities.

There were only a handful of games this season when Manchester United actually looked like a United team of the old and it was clear that United were already out of the title race. After the loss at Anfield, Manchester United are 19 points off the top spot, the same gap by which City won the league last season.

They are 11 points off the coveted 4th place. There are still 19 games left in the league!

United have already lost 5 games in the league so far, and Mourinho just could not be trusted anymore. Manchester United, thus, did the correct thing and parted ways with the Portuguese.

#2 The Ever Increasing Gap with Rivals

Mourinho had failed to compete with United's rivals
Mourinho had failed to compete with United's rivals

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have been miles ahead of United this season in every department. Manchester City have scored 19 more goals while conceding 19 less. Liverpool have scored 8 more goals, but they have conceded far fewer goals - 22 less than United! Chelsea have scored 6 more, but they have conceded 15 fewer goals.

These three have been the standout performers of the league so far, they have set a steep benchmark this season and unfortunately, United do not match up well with them. They have already lost to Liverpool, City and Tottenham this season, conceding 3 goals in each of those games, while the games against Chelsea and Arsenal have ended in draws.

On the other hand, the difference in the approach of the clubs is also strikingly evident now. The fact that Manchester City managed to tackle De Bruyne's absence this season, shows a presence of intense long-term planning. Chelsea and Arsenal had new managers come in and perform exceptionally well.

The Blues, for the record, have benefited from the revolutionary Sarriball and already look far stronger than United. Liverpool, like City, have embraced their manager's attacking philosophy and it might actually be their year this time. Manchester United are a long way behind the competition so far.

In Europe too, where United are expected to dominate by default, Mourinho's team have hardly matched up to the elites and the manager is largely at blame for it all. It is for the best that Mourinho was asked to leave, before the Red Devils fall further behind to their rivals.

#1 Manchester United losing its Charm

Manchester United Press Conference
Manchester United Press Conference

Old Trafford is also known as the Theater of Dreams. It is the place that has been synonymous with attractive, attacking football, that entertained the masses and almost always gave moments that took our breath away. It was a fortress that attracted trophies and was considered to be the dream destination for all the top footballers in the world.

It was where budding talents were nurtured and turned into the best in the world. Visiting teams considered a point as good as three and a loss for the away team was not considered a bad result. Sadly, under Mourinho, Old Trafford was anything but the place that it used to be.

Teams actually came to Old Trafford now knowing that they could easily sneak away a point. The gameplay and the tactics were so bad that the crowd had to resort to chanting "Attack, Attack, Attack". Such has been United's record that big players are sceptical about making the move to Old Trafford, with the other club in the City slowly turning into the preferred destination, something that was unimaginable even a few years ago.

Players like Mkhitaryan, Sanchez, Pogba, Bailly, Lindelof and even Lukaku have failed to flourish and under Mourinho, Old Trafford had begun to look like a place where talents faltered and degenerated. This recent damping of the Club's image and stature in the world is perhaps the biggest reason why Manchester United were correct to sack Jose Mourinho.

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Edited by Sripad