The real test
Spurs visit Old Trafford this weekend
Tottenham’s arrival at Old Trafford on Monday night was meant to be the first real test of Manchester United’s title credentials this season. The team that finished second to champions Manchester City last campaign against the team that finished fourth and the club that provided the most players of the final four teams at this summer’s World Cup.
That’s not the way things have panned out. The hosts are in disarray after their meek loss away to Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, with Paul Pogba’s injury-time penalty adding underserved gloss to the scoreline.
The single goal margin did not reflect what happened on the pitch at the Amex Stadium where the supposed title challengers lost vital ground in the title race, even at this very early stage, and they will struggle to make it up, based on their surrender on the south coast.
The blame
The question of where the blame for this situation lies is the subject of debate. There are three camps: the manager, the players and the club’s board. It can be brought down to three figures: Jose Mourinho, Pogba and Ed Woodward.
The knives are out in the press and in the stands, with reports that a plane protest is planned for next weekend’s game away at Burnley. The “Ed Out – LUHG” message, with its Love United, Hate Glazer payoff, would have flown on Monday but for the evening kickoff preventing the flight.
The game, the third of the season, is being seen as win or bust given the fractured nature of behind the scenes at Old Trafford. Publicly the messages are of support but Mourinho has issues with both his players and his employers despite Mourinho being handed a contract extension in January – a decision questioned by many – and having spent nearly 400 million pounds ($515 million) since taking over in 2016.
Mourinho has made his case clear. He wanted new defenders in the summer, with Harry Maguire at the top of his list. The board’s stance was “Varane or nothing” and they won out. Two Mourinho signings started in central defense last weekend but as if to prove him right, both Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof were at fault for Brighton goals.
The Brighton game was further proof that the club and its manager have lost their aura. Teams are no longer scared of facing Manchester United and players are no longer playing for the Portuguese, while even the press are losing their taste for the “Special One” and his increasingly unpredictable antics.
Mourinho has kvetched and groused all summer long, making much of his players being away during their preseason tour of the US and final warm-up game against Bayern Munich in Germany.
He has also been keen to point out he asked for more players than the three he got: Fred, Diogo Dalot and backup keeper Lee Grant. It all comes on top of criticism of young players Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial, and the most backhanded of compliments for his World Cup winner Paul Pogba.
No assistant
A lack of recruitment in the dugout might be more telling. Longtime assistant Rui Faria, a key figure in his backroom over the last decade, departed and he has not appointed a new assistant manager.
Sir Alex Ferguson went through several during his tenure. Brian Kidd was replaced by Steve McLaren, then Rene Meulensteen, Carlos Queiroz and Mike Phelan. Mourinho is now unmoored without the man by his side at Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and United.
The club have made clear that they will be appointing a director of football in the coming months. Who that is will likely prove problematic for Mourinho – everything seems to – and could lead to an ultimatum. Whoever comes in after – and the Portuguese will leave at some point – will be appointed with the new hierarchy in place.
The board needs to take some blame for unambitious appointments, in the sense that they have not employed a manager that goes out to win matches. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Mourinho are defense first and despite the relative successes of the latter pair – Van Gaal won the FA Cup before being sacked, Mourinho has delivered the League Cup, Europa League and an FA Cup final in his two seasons following the Dutchman – it’s been less than across town at the Etihad, while Liverpool have been to both the Champions League and Europa League finals in the last three years.
More importantly, at those clubs, as at Spurs and now Chelsea under Mauricio Sarri, the game is entertaining. Sadly for the Old Trafford faithful, the swashbuckiling days of Ferguson seem a long time ago and it looks like they won’t return while Mourinho is in charge. That’s not affecting the profits for the owners. United posted a record high on the New York Stock Exchange days after Woodward admitted that the club doesn’t need to win on the pitch to continue to dominate off it.
Support of the crowd
While some prepare the plane for Woodward and the owners, Mourinho still has the crowd, just. Many of those who believed him to be the right man for the job when he was appointed are still of the same belief but the dissent is rising in the stands, both home and away, as the soccer and the results continue to disappoint.
A lack of effort last weekend is not going to be tolerated.
Apologies from Pogba and Jesse Lingard on social media show that the players understand but they look as frustrated as the fans watching on from the stands.
“Second season syndrome” was avoided but it remains to be seen how long Mourinho will be at United and there are suitors – Ryan Giggs, Zinedine Zidane and Laurent Blanc – all of whom look to be a departure from the safety first attitude that has defined the postFerguson era.
Until then the greatest tragedy since Shakespeare will play out every other week at Old Trafford. Will Spurs be the latest to twist the knife?