It’s time for Mourinho to stop putting his tail between his legs (making excuses) and start optimizing the talent at his disposal.
It has been two years since Jose Mourinho’s arrived at OldTrafford, but there hasn’t been much to show for it.
Courtesy: Mirror.co.uk
Let’s backtrack and look at how he got there. In 2016, Manchester United fell below par under then United manager, Louis Van Gaal, and David Moyes was sworn in as his replacement. When the team’s poor form continued, the jobless Mourinho wrote a two-page essay regarding his desire to coach the side. It worked. Later that year, Mourinho landed his dream Job.
Because he brought home silverware, his first season was deemed a success. He won the Europa League and the EFL Cup, but United finished fourth in the league table. So far, at least, that year has been the highlight of his tenure.
Even though United spent more money than any other European club during the transfer window, the next year the team finished second in the league and was eliminated by Sevilla in the knockout stages of the Champions League. “We have been hardly done by in this year’s transfer business,” said Mourinho, to excuse himself from the pressure.
United’s squad had a star-studded dressing room with depth but still failed. Consider it. United had Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the most prolific strikers in football; Paul Pogba, who was brought in for a then-World record fee from Juventus; and David de Gea, who ranks among the best goalkeepers in World football.
Just last week, Mourinho said: “It’s our nature, you always want more for your team, but then the club decisions are different and normally you don’t get what you want, which happened during all my career.”
But if United can’t win because they don’t have major signings, why then was Mourinho able to win at Porto, Internazionale, Madrid, and Chelsea?
It’s time for Mourinho to stop putting his tail between his legs (making excuses) and start optimizing the talent at his disposal.
As ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop says, “Mourinho will find an excuse where there isn’t one.” But let’s not forget that football is played on grass, not on paper.
