José Mourinho, without a shadow of a doubt, has been one of the best managers of the past 15 years…
When José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix introduced himself to the world of football in 2003, his methods were a breath of fresh air. He achieved the unthinkable with Porto by winning the UEFA Champions League – and did so with his own unique brand of football. His teams defended deep and hit the opposition with rapid counter-attacks; a strategy which allowed The Special One to succeed in practically every country he stepped into.
Even so, there have always been questions over his style-of-play – but they’ve been overshadowed by his praiseworthy record. This invincible aura has been shattered over the last few years, and Mourinho has been found wanting on multiple occasions.
Football is a game of change and modifications are always on the cards – with players and managers having to adapt accordingly. If we assess Jose’s reign as Manchester United manager, we see that despite securing some silverware, he has not been anywhere near his best. Not long ago, he was seen as charming, great in front of the cameras, brilliant at man-management, and extremely protective of his players. However, the defining habits of his time with The Red Devils have been grumpiness and a willingness to throw players under the bus.
During this time, there have also been quite a few underwhelming performances. As we go along, a few freakish results spring to mind, with United’s defeats to the three newly-promoted sides topping the list. The League Cup exit at the hands of Bristol City is up there too, but the most prominent one has to be Champions League last 16 defeat to Sevilla FC. Mourinho put an emphasis on stopping the opposition rather than exploiting the wealth of attacking talent he had at his disposal. All these factors indicate that Jose is struggling to cope with the footballing world’s transition to a more high-tempo attacking style.
This is the first time in Jose Mourinho's managerial career that he has failed to win a trophy in his second season at a club.
The Special One's special formula runs out. pic.twitter.com/AXE9d7gOd7
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 19, 2018
Jose Mourinho hasn’t exactly become a bad manager overnight, and is arguably still one of the very best. However, he is treading a thin line on which things can go either way – unless he tweak his methods and takes the shackles off. Sir Alex, for example, kept altering his staff and retained his knack for success even as football around him kept on changing. On the other hand, Arsène Wenger refused to do so, which brought a sad end to his glorious reign as Arsenal manager.
It seems these thoughts are already revolving in his mind, as his long time assistant Rui Faria has left his coaching staff. There have been talks of Mourinho promoting a coach from within the club, which might have a productive effect on team’s style-of-play. These decisions are crucial as next season will likely be make-or-break for him as the manager of Manchester United.
He mus try to blend his ideals with the “Manchester United Way”. Who knows – it might just be the perfect recipe for success for both Manchester United and Jose Mourinho.