What’s happened to José Mourinho?
In 2004, a young Portuguese man who recently had just won the Champions League walks into the press conference room as part of his announcement as Chelsea’s new manager. While everyone is aware that it was the beginning of something special, it was one line that left everyone excited. “I seek I am the special one”.
Fast forward to 2018, and the same characteristics hardly exist. A man who was once at ease with the media is now picking fights with different journalists for portraying him and Manchester United in a negative manner. A man who once had so much belief and confidence his players is now questioning his player’s motivation and attitude in front of the media. A man who is known to be so pragmatic and adopting a “win at all costs” method, is now struggling to keep possession against Derby County and Wolves.
Third season syndrome is in full swing for José Mourinho. Manchester United have only picked up 21 points from 13games, they’re already out of the Carabao Cup, with a negative goal difference, and their best player David De Gea already has one foot out of the door. But, this third season is not just same as usual for José Mourinho. This could mean much more.
Manchester United: The outlier
As pragmatic as Mourinho can be, he’s always been quite predictable in his managerial tenures. First season is all about building the squad and securing top 4. Second season is all about winning the league and signing star players. Third season is when it all comes to crashing down. However, Mourinho’s tenure at Manchester United has been different. In the first season, despite finishing 6th, Manchester United managed to win the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Europa League, securing Champions League qualification. The second season didn’t go to plan after all, if past jobs were any indication, Mourinho should have already won the Premier League by now. Despite finishing 2nd, United finish 18 points behind league leaders and noisy neighbours Manchester City. They lost in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, against a manager who had won a cup final. And in arguably their most important match of the season, they caved in and produced a cowardice display against Sevilla.
The same has happened this season. In arguably their biggest game of the season so far, they were utterly outplayed by Manchester City, where a midfield comprised of players who could play in the NBA being outclassed by small technical dribblers. Perhaps that too is another telling story, how size doesn’t really matter that much in football anymore, and it’s all about what players can do with the feet.
Unlike other clubs where he has managed, there is a standard of football to be played at Manchester United. The very reason United got rid of Louis Van Gaal is ironically the same reason why Manchester United fans want to get rid of Mourinho. Instead of getting the best out of his players and players proving their undying loyalties (as players from other clubs in the past have), they have let him down.
Mourinho in the past had John Terry, Frank Lampard, Sergio Ramos, Javier Zanetti, all players who were leaders, big characters, and always stepped up. He doesn’t have that at Manchester United. At times when his team didn’t need to concede, his centre backs let him down. At times when his team needed to score, his attackers let him down. At times when his team needed to attack and take the game to the opposition, he has let the club and fans down.
The fact that he hasn’t conformed to the fan’s demand show that he is incorrigible. And perhaps much can be said about his tactics. A man so fixated and obsessed on winning and results that he forgets to see the bigger picture. The frame that was once based on defensive discipline is now being moved and displaced, as he simply has not changed for modern football’s tactics.
José Mourinho: The image
The same man that won the Premier League in his first season as Chelsea manager is no longer that same man today. A man who would walk into press conferences and matches with a smile on his face looking to enjoy his own team play football is now a man who often resorts to a frown, and lacks the same confidence when walking down the tunnel. So much has changed in the space of 14 years.
This is a man who had Chelsea had everything around him sorted. The players, the money, the lavish lifestyle of living in London. Mourinho had everything. Now he resides in the Lowry Hotel, a stark contrast from his house in London. While at Chelsea and other places he had his wife and children around him, he no longer does.
A young José Mourinho would walk in with a smile on his face, ready to greet the media, adopting a flirtatious relationship with them. He would crack jokes with them, announce his teams early, and made them feel welcome. Now, he’s cutting his press conferences short, finding excuses for things that are inexcusable, needs to constantly remind others about his success. Anyone who needs to remind others about their greatness is no longer great. Much can be said about Mourinho. A man whose character and ego has caused him to be faced with so much pressure is now being reduced to something he never thought he would be; irrelevant.
What now?
Unless he miraculously turns it around as Manchester United manager, it looks like things for Mourinho are coming to an end. A man who once won the Champions League with FC Porto can’t win successive home games with Manchester United. A man who once has so much belief and confidence in his teams, can no longer say the same now. Mourinho has almost burnt every bridge possible with his previous clubs, is not wanted by many football clubs, and his formula to success is no longer working. Mourinho needs a break.
He needs to take a time off football, take a holiday, and then regroup with his team. He needs to change the way he views football. Football is no longer the sport of which managers set up their teams with strong defensive discipline, but now is a sport all about exploiting attacking space.
And what’s the next most realistic job for him? The Portugal national team. The national team will not only help him revive his career, but also won’t run into issues of getting the right players, continuous player fallouts, and etc. As a national team manager, he has more time to assemble his tactics in between games, a larger selection of players to choose from, and players who are already motivated to play for the national team. This is what Mourinho needs and if there’s any chance of him getting back to his own self, than that’s what he needs to do.
José Mourinho usually succeeds when he has the players he wants and the club wants a quick fix. Mourinho a quick fix, whereas Manchester United is not. Furthermore, Mourinho wants players at their peak, with experienced warriors, yet the board won’t back him with the cash to spend on a defender. So has it been a mismatch from the beginning? It seemed that during Mourinho’s first season when United were playing some great football without an end product that he wanted to go beyond just being the manager, but abandoned halfway through the second season. Furthermore, following the Crystal Palace game, he said that he wanted his team to “attack” from minute one and take the game to Palace, and if the players aren’t following his instructions, than surely something is off…
