United’s Struggles: Does Mourinho deserve the heat?

Manchester United’s mercurial manager Jose Mourinho has long been in the hot seat, and as reported here earlier, he was close to getting the pink slip last July. But the Red Devils’ spirited fightback against Newcastle has bought the multi-titled Portuguese some time — time enough for him to see United get drubbed by bitter rivals Manchester City.

The Citizens pounded the listless Red Devils in early November, turning the always-intense Manchester Derby into a one-sided affair. Mourinho, though, remains defiant, unfazed not one iota by the lopsided loss and United’s uncharacteristically low place in the Premier League standings. The long-tie manager even pointed out that his club will not be relegated, conveniently overlooking the fact that after United’s Derby loss, only 12 points separated them from 18th-ranked Cardiff. He may have overlooked, too, the fact that the last time the Red Devils lost 4 of their first 12 games was back in the 1990–1991 season.

Much of United struggles have been blamed on Mourinho, but is this indictment even warranted in the first place? The pundit Chris Sutton certainly thinks so, especially after that lopsided loss to City. Sutton particularly laments the excuses Mourinho has repeatedly made, notably the club’s reluctance to give him money to sign the players he wants. Then again, Sutton points out that the temperamental manager doesn’t deserve a shot at another spending spree since his recent signings have not exactly panned out. In fact, Mourinho himself has been unimpressed with the guys he had signed — Fred, Eric Bailly, and Victor Lindelof. Mourinho’s lack of trust in Bailly is particularly ironic as the Portuguese had trumpeted the Ivorian defender as potentially one of the world’s best. Expectedly, United’s top brass have made it clear that they will likely stay put during next January’s transfer window.

Tactically, Mourinho has been quite subpar, with United so far surrendering a negative goal difference on account of a porous defence and an atrocious offence. There are simply no wrinkles to United’s defence, and there are no nuisances to their offence, even to their set pieces. What’s more, Mourinho seems to have lost control of his locker room, and long stretches of uninspired play is unquestionable proof of it. In short, the Red Devils don’t seem to be responding to their current manager, and it is showing on the pitch game in and game out. And in the top-level Premier League, such lack of effort can spell the difference between winning matches or losing them. As for United, a few more losses will mean relegation to the English Football League (EFL), which is a rung lower than the Premier League. If that happens, it would be an embarrassing fall from grace for the Red Devils, which have copped the championship in half of the 26 Premier League seasons. Just in case, it would be the first time that United will be relegated to the EFL — a failure that will surely force the hand of the club’s owners.

So, does Mourinho deserve all this blame? Yes, he does. And barring a dramatic turnaround, he will likely be out at season’s end.

AUTHOR BIO:
Konstantin del Prado is a freelance sports writer who has a particular fondness for football. He closely follows football leagues across Europe and hopes to one day make it as a correspondent in the next World Cup.