'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In his heydays, Jose Mourinho might have been one of the best in the business - the Special One. Winning the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan are by no means small feats, rather they are the mainstay of "Underdog Wonders" of this beautiful game we call football. But that is what Mourinho is all about --winning with the underdogs-- that is his speciality, winning matches against all odds and more often than not at the costly premium of style.
"Park the bus" is a phrase synonymous with all Mourinho's successful teams where 10 players including the keeper were inside their own penalty area with a lone target man up front whose sole job was to hold on to the ball for as long as possible. Mourinho's teams have always thrived on that one mistake the opposition made in the whole match but have never gone on taking control of the game themselves and that is what made him a Success story with the small clubs.
However, when it comes to the big clubs his record is found lacking. In 3 years as the manager at Real Madrid, he has only 1 La Liga title to show for his efforts along with a completely broken down dressing room. At United, the only trophy of notice which he has managed to win is the Europa League and that too by playing in all ways possible but the United Way.
Don't let naysayers fool you that Mourinho won a treble in his first season -The Red Devils never ever cared about the Mickey Mouse cup and for Christ sake, Community Shield is not even a proper competition. I won't even delve into the fractious relationships some of the top players have with the manager and who could very well end up on a different team as soon as the January transfer window. The dressing room is in absolute shambles - to say the very least.
With the biggest challenge of his footballing career till date --at United-- Jose Mourinho has at best performed at an abysmally "B-" level. The saddening fact is that the grades do not seem to be heading north in the near future.
Although at United winning is an important aspect of the game but it still does not trump the Attitude, the Aura, the Belief, the Imagination and even more importantly the STYLE of football that United is known for - the Never Say Die attitude.
There was a time when I knew of no United fan who gave up on the game when their team was 2-0 down at halftime during the Fergie Era. Heck, Fergie time has gone on to become a Legend of its own which will remain in the history books forever. And it is easily understandable why people at the Stretford end cringe for football to be played in the right way- the Sir Matt Busby Way.
Those dominant times when oppositions and sometimes even the referee used to fear coming into the Old Trafford. It was an unbreachable fortress where everyone played for the badge and the only thing that mattered was playing football the United style.
And if in the process you end up on the losing side you just go into the opponent's dressing room and say "Well played, lad." knowing fully well that you left every last bit of energy on the field and today was just not your day.
For a very brief moment just let us look at our bitter rivals from the Merseyside -Liverpool. Even they have spent money on certain world-class players in Van Dijk, Allison, Nabi Keita, Fabinho but there is a sense of euphoria of the kind which not too long ago embraced the fans of the most stylish and successful club at Manchester.
Finally, to all those blind haters who say that Ed Woodward did not back Mourinho enough in the transfer market, just let the fact sink in that Mourinho has already spent a sum amounting to upwards of €400 million -- most clubs in the premier league are not worth half that amount.
Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Bailey, Lindelof, Matic, Fred, Sanchez all were part of the Mourinho bandwagon. The only player from Mourinho's wishlist that Woodward did not get was Ivan Perisic and even then that is absolutely an acceptable record. Only if Mourinho could match his performance on the field but then again rather than addressing his own shortcomings he has waged a war on the press. "Respect, respect, respect" he harped on after the loss to Spurs but he tends to forget that respect has to be commanded not demanded.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is an embarrassment of attacking riches at Manchester. It just lacks the right captain to sail the Manchester Ship through rough waters.
The world famous academy at Carrington has a number of raw diamonds who just need the final polishing and soon enough they will shine brighter than the sun. It is high time for the Rashford's, the Martial's, the Shaw's, the Fosu-Mensah's, the Periera's to take over the reign and stamp their authority on the world stage.
Ed Woodward is a shrewd Businessman and when he says he does not trust Mourinho with his money he has definitely made the best business deal of his Manchester reign. It is time for a proper rebuild at Old Trafford where we definitely do not compromise on the morals that we so proudly stand by and give our fans a reason to smile again.
