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It looks like the turbulent start Jose Mourinho had this season might be behind him. We look only a couple months back to when he embarked upon his third season at Manchester United, it did seem then, and for quite a while after, that his troubles had surrounded him left, right, and centre. I don't even remember a moment when there wasn't a single negative headline about something he had done.
Mourinho had entered his third season with Old Trafford, and for many Manchester United fans, the issue wasn't even the “curse” that came with that milestone.
You see, the “Mourinho third season curse” usually comes after a great second season. In Manchester United’s case, the eccentric manager had nothing to show for his second season.
Don't get me wrong. We're looking at Jose Mourinho here. Any manager would have had a perfect season if they came 2nd in the Premier League, and brought home both the League Cup and a Europa League title. But Mourinho isn't any manager. By his standards, everyone expects him, ironically, to exceed expectations.
Remember, when Rafael Benitez won the Europa League, Jose Mourinho arrogantly stated, “I don’t want to win the Europa League. It would be a big disappointment for me. I don’t want my players to feel the Europa League is our competition.”
Less than half a decade after, he and his players competed in that same competition. It is also interesting to note that winning the Europa, which would have been his big disappointment, became his achievement of the season.
So, you can agree with me that his second season in Old Trafford was certainly his worst second season in at least a decade. History, it seems, forgot to repeat itself.
And true, the League Cup is a solid trophy to win, but Mourinho has eyes only for the Champions League. It is his ability to win the most coveted trophies that makes the best clubs vie for his signature. They expect nothing less, and he delivers, or used to, at least.
For his former employers, he brought home the best silverware and provided himself with a safety net so he could unleash his third season eccentricity.
Now, with Manchester, there is no coveted silverware, and thereby no safety net. How could he start his third season antics if he didn't have a solid second season?
Somehow, Jose Mourinho found an answer to that. He began on a depressive note, whining about everything he could whine about.
He showed public dismay at the club's ”poor” transfer activity. He began that destructive habit of messing with key players. From Anthony Martial to Antonio Valencia, he started his rants. It was rather reminiscent of his time with Real Madrid, where he had major problems with Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas, and even Cristiano Ronaldo.
On the pitch, he lost to Brighton and Spurs and gave everyone reason to believe that his third season curse was truly existent.
However, it seems like things could be changing, and his time with Manchester United could avert his third season trend.
In his former clubs, he always had issues with his players and staff. At Chelsea, it was Hazard not giving a hundred percent. Also at Stamford Bridge, it was Eva Carneiro who cost Chelsea a game by helping an injured player. At Real Madrid, it was Ronaldo thinking he knows everything. Each time, it has heavily affected his position with fans, players, and board alike.
Now at Manchester, it seems like his antics have become overrated and don’t have as much of an effect as they used to. To that effect, it feels like Mourinho could be changing his style.
His comments about Paul Pogba which have seemingly increased tension between both of them have not affected the Frenchman’s game. With four goals and solid displays in recent games, you have to wonder if there is really any tension
Mourinho’s decision to “revive” Luke Shaw’s career has been received well by the supporters. Add that to him referring to Romelu Lukaku as his sergeant and Nemanja Matic as one of his guys. It seems like Mourinho has cleared the air between himself and senior players in the team.
In addition to this, the team’s performance on the pitch has become more notable.
Between a great game against Burnley, keeping Watford’s top form at bay, effortlessly beating Young Boys, and a 1-1 draw with a stronger Wolves, it looks like Mourinho has woken up to the reality of football when you don’t have silverware to fall back on.
It is true that Mourinho can be go-crazy in a moment. That is, of course, how we know him to be. But this bodes well for many a United fan who has worried about his eccentric displays.
Perhaps Mourinho can fix his poor third season trend, and put an end to the curse. The possibility of failure exists clearly, but hope for the Red Devils still remains. For the first time in his career, Mourinho might be doing things differently, and this could potentially paint Manchester red by the end of the season.
