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No man splits opinion in the football quite like Jose Mourinho. He has been described as a genius and at the same time he has been described as a maniac. He is an enigma. He can be frustrating to work with, but he can also be the best shield from criticism one can have as a player. Whenever the players under-perform, he comes in the media and deviates the attention away from the performances on the field to off-field matters like himself, the opposition, the fans or anything and everything.
A proven winner at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Porto, he has been at Manchester United for two seasons. He has enjoyed mediocre success at Manchester United so far, with a Europa League, and League Cup title in his maiden season. His second season was disappointing as Manchester United went trophyless. The third season approaches, and you are left wondering if this might be his final season at the club. It rightly should be.
#1 Excessive spending
Mourinho has started his mind games for the season by taking aim at Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, who are among the favourites for the Premier League title after their extravagant spending. This is true as Liverpool have signed several players at massive amounts, but it is hypocritical coming from a man who has dished out £392.55m on players since 2016.
Liverpool on the other hand have spent £411.5m but they also received £289.65m in fees, mainly from the sale of Philippe Countinho. This leaves Liverpool with a net spend of £121.9m. Manchester United on the other hand have received only £85.3m in fees and have a much higher net spend on £307.25m. Manchester United haven’t got their money’s worth in terms of player quality, performance or results, which lays the blame solely at the feet on the manager.
#2 Youth development derailed
Under Alex Ferguson, Manchester United were renowned for their development of world stars from the academy, and players signed at a young age. Mourinho has a history of derailing academy and youth programs at all his previous clubs, instead relying on more experienced aged members of his squad consistently.
Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw have all been sidelined for older heads and their development has been stunted. These are players who have the potential to be world beaters and need to be encouraged and given minutes.
#3 Lack of silverware
Jose Mourinho has always asked the public, media and fans to not expect much in the first season and to expect a lot in his second season. This has rung true in all his previous clubs. Yet, at Manchester United, he won the EFL Cup and Europa League in 2016-17 which is a good feat but failed miserably in 2017-18.
Mourinho didn’t win anything in 2017-18, failing on all fronts despite massive spending. He soon ran out of excuses and started laying blame on his players. It is a fact that at every club, the third season is a season of implosion. The results worsen, and the team and club turn against him. This looks likely here.
#4 Lack of identity
Jose Mourinho is a manager renowned for his tactical prowess and game management. He is a manager who believes in the importance of the midfield. All his previous teams have identities. They had their styles with mostly counter attacking football and midfield dominance.
At Manchester United, there is no such style. You look at Pep’s City or Klopp’s Liverpool or even Wenger’s Arsenal, you can understand that there is a game plan and style of play. At Manchester United, there is no coherent style which is unlike all Mourinho’s other teams. There leads to confusion among the players and affects results.
#5 Player management
Mourinho has terribly mismanaged players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. Martial is one of the hottest properties in modern football and has all the qualities to excel yet, he has been poorly used. Paul Pogba, who recently starred in France’s World Cup triumph is another player who is badly used by Mourinho.
Lukaku also had a very good World Cup, and even excelled as a winger but has struggled at United. David De Gea is being courted by Real Madrid, and if they miss out on Thibaut Courtois, they will come for him again. If he leaves, it will spell disaster for United. Mourinho has failed to extract the best out of his players and it looks like he has lost the plot.
