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With the international break currently ongoing, Manchester
United and Jose Mourinho are trying to salvage most of their time to rebuild
themselves. The club’s gradually making wholesale behind the scenes changing
and reporting trying to plan for life post Mourinho who time at the club may
have gotten shorter with the series of losses, draws and near scrape victories
and numerous bust-ups with senior players, club officials and of course, the
media.
The manager faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford and reports
suggest that the club are searching for a potential successor in the international
break. With training ground disputes, questionable on pitch decisions which don’t
make sense, no team structure and no club structure, United are in the current state
of limbo where the hierarchy consisting of the rich Glazer family and the chief
executive, Ed Woodward controlling the club like a business rather than a world
class footballing family with the football part just run on its own with no
proper communication between the manager and a club hierarchy with footballing
knowledge. We are not far away from that time when the club may follow the
footsteps of the likes of Chelsea who sack their manager every 2nd
or 3rd season. Some may argue at least they won titles. No one of
the main reasons was that there was at least some footballing know how in the
club with Michael Emenalo and Marina Granovskaia controlling the transfers,
football operations and maintaining the core values and style of the club.
United for 26 years didn’t require a technical director with
Sir Alex around as he created the values of the club. His leadership qualities
and ideologies didn’t require an upper hand as he created all the ethos of the
club and understood the need for the importance of youth which Sir Matt Busby
and Jimmy Murphy created at the club. The Glazers were busy securing sponsors
during Sir Alex’s final season and didn’t seem to think about life after him
and who would run the club after the man spearheading the football operations
and managing the team retires. There was no one to stop David Moyes who was
busy targeting the likes of Phil Jagielka and Marouane Fellaini. The club didn’t
try to sign Toni Kroos as the Glazers knew that Moyes would work under a budget
and spent the money on who knows what and numerous sponsors after that.
They knew that Mourinho has a history of authority issues in
his previous jobs and signed him. It was a good decision but they knew that
Mourinho is a winner because he got what he needed always, financial backing and
to get the player he requires. Mkhitarayan, Zlatan, Pogba and Bailly in the first
season won them the Europa and EFL Cup but, Lukaku, Lindelof and Matic couldn’t
do the trick in the second year as United missed out on Perisic as the club
refused to play few extra million, failed to sign Bale and didn’t get a left
back and a quality and experienced centre back for two whole seasons. There is
no stability as the manager asks for targets suiting his defensive style and
knowing Mourinho is not a fan of youth and attacking football, he prefers experience
and the heads prefer youth because of their marketability and not their skill as
there is no one to tell the manager as there no Director of Football. There is
always going to be a clash of ideologies where in the club owners don’t even
have a footballing ideology.
Mourinho is free to play his own style of defensive football
because there is no footballing brain in the club to keep an eye on him and the
owners don’t financially back the manager as they don’t believe it makes sense
via a business point of view and don’t know the main footballing point of view
as there is no one to tell them and the manager is always under fire when the
club haven’t supported him at all and don’t understand the football behind
Manchester United FOOTBALL Club.
Mourinho is also to blame in all this mess as he is taking
all the frustration out on the pitch on all the players making amends with what
he has with him. Playing Scott McTominay in defence, playing strength and defensive
players like Fellaini, Matic and Herrera who slow the game down, wherein United
have a history of fast and high-octane attacking game play. No doubt Mourinho
is a great manager, but he will continue playing his ‘Dinosaur’ football when
there is no one to stop him. For three whole seasons, United haven’t got a
solid defensive pairing and still haven’t. Eric Bailly arguably the clubs best
centre back is not being selected and being substituted off in hardly 20
minutes. There is no stability in defence and Mourinho is tying to add salt in
wounds as he wasn’t given proper medication to treat the wounds in the form of
an experienced centre back and a world class right winger and attacking
midfielder. Playing Sanchez in the wrong position and public criticism of Pogba
is the definition of playing the Jose way and the not United way.
Mourinho is a serial winner and I will support him to till the
end. Not suggesting that United should sack Mourinho, but saying that given the
state of things and without a Director of Football United aren’t winning a
major title. These constant disputes with the board and clash of ‘Ideologies’ aren’t
going to get the club anywhere even if they have of the best managers on the
planet and not even backing him via the footballing point of view. Mourinho
will not be able to mentally do his job properly and take his anger out in the
ways we are currently seeing as he has lost the confidence of senior members of
the squad already. He is unintentionally harming the club’s reputation, stature,
image and values all because of an ignorant board and no footballing mind to
look after him.
Not saying that United should sack Mourinho, sacking him will
not make sense as the same situation is going to happen with the next and then
the next and then the next manager who takes charge. But given the current situation
it would be the best for the club would be to appoint a Director of Football
before January as he who knows the values of the club could reduce the burden
and guide Jose so that he can plan for the future. But given the attitude of
the board, fixtures against Chelsea and Juventus would make or break Jose’s United
future which is not looking good for him. He is a helpless man as he hasn’t got
the backing and due to the board’s negligence Jose would be sent packing just
to cover the Glazers tracks. A technical director would instil attacking
football into the club which how much Jose tries he isn’t going to be capable
as it is nit his style.
United are not a modern FOOTBALL club and not a stable club,
they should follow the examples of the likes of Inter Milan, Ajax and Roma who
have former player who know the values of the club are successful due to the same
season as the values of the club are in place and implemented. I won’t mind an
attacking minded manager, but no sense of him unless a Director of Football is
hired who would select the best candidate for the job. As of now, Jose Mourinho’s
time at Manchester United may be coming to an end. But, in Jose I trust till
the end!
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