Mour’s nice guy act darkens
Defeat shows that no amount of niceties will provide a quick fix at Spurs
JUST as he has been ever since returning a fortnight ago, Jose Mourinho was on a charm offensive. He strode through the gates of Old Trafford’s players’ entrance and made a beeline for the nearest security guard, clasping hands and exchanging grins.
And shortly after, he found Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, greeting him with a clasp of the face and an ever-soslightly condescending pat on the back of the head.
This is the new Mourinho, the reenergised Mourinho, the Mourinho looking to build bridges, desperate to prove he has changed.
It was the Mourinho who now resembles one of those motivational Instagram accounts, misattributing quotations to historical figures and celebrities in his press conferences, insisting that the world is actually fine if you just think positively and are nice to people.
Who knows? Maybe he means it this time. Yeah, maybe. But you imagine that after suffering his first defeat as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur, that sunny disposition will darken.
There is no piece of Nelson Mandela wisdom that can easily explain this strangely limp Tottenham performance.
This was always likely to be a battle of two burning wreckages and though Mourinho’s arrival appeared to douse the flames in north London, defeat to a side as limited as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United showed that he has plenty of work left to do.
This is a monumental week for Solskjaer, one which started badly with Sunday’s draw against Aston Villa and could end worse with Sunday’s Etihad Manchester derby.
Yet his side have a knack of saving their best performances for the biggest opponents and these three points will buy him a significant amount of time, barring an absolute mauling against Manchester City.
The spectre of Mauricio Pochettino still hangs over Old Trafford, though it does not haunt Solskjaer as much as it did before kickoff yesterday. But the ghost has not been entirely expunged from Tottenham either.
The lack of a reliable rightback continues to be an issue but it was in the midfield where
Tottenham lost this game. The pairing of Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks failed to exert any control over proceedings.
Eric Dier’s reputation has taken a hefty hit over the last few years, but Tottenham missed his presence. Fred has rarely, if ever, had as much time and space to show why his employers paid north of £50m (RM 274m) for his services two summers ago. This was his best display for United.
Despite his smiles, laughs and grins, Mourinho will be aware that this squad still needs work.
At fulltime, Solskjaer returned to favour and celebrated United’s victory by patting Mourinho on the head. And with that, you imagine, there will be no more Mr Nice Jose.