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This season has not quite gone to plan for the self-proclaimed "Special One". Wednesday night's defeat to Bristol City piled more misery on Mourinho and he cut a forlorn figure at full-time. With a huge summer outlay on the squad and this being his second season in charge, big things were expected of United this season. While they have not quite lived up to expectations, all is not lost for Manchester United or for their manager.
Here, we take a look at 5 things Mourinho definitely has to do to stay on for a third season at the Old Trafford managerial hot-seat.
#5 Keep hold of the dressing room
Wednesday's disappointing defeat to Bristol City will have done nothing to make the United faithful back their manager. It was not just the defeat but the manner of the defeat that will lose Mourinho the fans' trust as well as the players.
Lethargic movement and silly defending aside, Bristol City Manager, Lee Johnson, was right when he said that they and not Manchester United looked like the Premier League team in the match. Mourinho is not the man-manager he once was, wherein players were ready to put everything on the line for him.
He has lost the dressing room in his last two clubs and Mourinho will not want a repeat of what happened in his last season at Chelsea. Player power is important nowadays and Mourinho cannot afford to lose the team like he did at Real Madrid and Chelsea.
#4 Wise additions in the January transfer window
Mourinho moved fast in the summer transfer market and did almost all his shopping at the start of the window. It made for a terrific start to the season for United wherein everybody knew their roles well.
The January transfer window can break or make seasons and it will be interesting to see how proactive Mourinho and in turn, Manchester United are. They would also have to move for players who are not cup-tied.
The January transfer window is usually more over-priced and Mourinho has to also decide whether some targets have to wait until the summer. A good transfer window and Manchester United have the opportunity to have a good end to the season.
There has been talk of a move for Mesut Ozil or Willian. While Ozil will definitely be an astute buy at a cheap price while at the same time increasing the creativity of the side, Willian will be cup-tied for the Champions League and it may serve Manchester United best to wait till the summer for that move.
#3 Finish 2nd in the league
While Mourinho has defiantly stated that he would be holidaying now if he thought United weren't competitive enough, even the most optimistic red devil fans will concede that Manchester City are winning are title this season.
With the huge outlay of the transfer, 2nd is the lowest Mourinho can afford to finish. With Chelsea hot on their heels and lackluster performances from his squad, Mourinho will be hoping for a strong finish to the League season with automatic Champions League qualification a necessity.
#2 Win the FA Cup
Mourinho needs a trophy for the season to be considered successful and with the league and League cup out of reach, the FA cup presents United's best chance of silverware this season.
Mourinho will be fully aware of this and we can expect United to be thoroughly pragmatic while dealing with each round of the FA Cup. No one is better at preparing a football team to win a one-off tie and Mourinho will need the cup to make up for what has been an otherwise disappointing campaign.
#1 A good run in the Champions League
It has been some time since Manchester United won the Champions League. They won the Europa League last season but now they need to prove that they are truly back and ready to fight toe to toe with the continent's best.
While winning the Champions League needs a combination of luck and skill, Mourinho certainly got the luck going when his team were drawn to face Sevilla. A tricky opponent but one they are expected to beat.
Failing to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League with the draw that Manchester United have might just put the writing on the wall for Mourinho at the Theater of Dreams.
