NOT EVEN SECOND CLASS ANY MORE, MOURINHO
Chelsea overtake United too as Saints bring more gloom to Old Trafford
THESE are worrying times for Manchester United. Mediocrity on the pitch, discontent in the stands and the first signs of friction between Jose Mourinho and his employers in the Old Trafford boardroom.
If defeat in the Manchester derby had not already killed off United’s title hopes, three draws in a week over Christmas have left Mourinho’s team locked in a battle just to finish in the top four.
This is not how it was meant to be when he pitched up in Manchester to take on Pep Guardiola.
Whereas the City boss recently purchased his city- centre apartment for £2.7million, Mourinho’s preference for continuing to live at the Lowry Hotel is starting to make some sense after all.
If he’s not careful, the 54-yearold’s reign at United is in danger of unravelling.
In recent weeks, Mourinho has taken issue with his own players, referees, the fixture list and the board. Now he’s blaming plain bad luck.
‘I feel unlucky, yes,’ he said after a demoralising draw against Southampton. ‘But unlucky in football? You have to change, which is what we try to do.’
Mourinho had a point after seeing Romelu Lukaku join Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the sidelines, concussed following an early clash of heads with Wesley Hoedt.
Lukaku is expected to miss two games, Ibrahimovic a month, so United head to Merseyside for a difficult game against Everton today without their two main front men.
They were also unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty for Maya Yoshida’s clear handball in the first half, one of three decisions that Mourinho claims have gone against him in the draws with Leicester, Burnley and Southampton.
But too many players are underperforming in this United team. The system isn’t working and the mood has gone flat. Mourinho can see it and so can the fans. BOOS
rang out at the final whistle and could be heard from those supporters gathered around the tunnel as the manager headed off the pitch.
‘ It’s a frustrating moment,’ admitted Paul Pogba, one of those playing well below par. ‘Something has to change if we are to win.’
What has made it all the more galling for United and Mourinho is the obvious comparison with City and Guardiola across town.
‘ Yeah, it won’t help,’ added defender Phil Jones who acknowledged that United are now fighting for the remaining Champions League places below their neighbours after dropping to third place behind Chelsea.
‘For sure, it’s obvious if you look at the table,’ said Jones. ‘ It’s frustrating for us, frustrating for the fans of course and everyone involved, but there’s no point sulking about it. We’ve got to stick together.’
That could be a problem with Mourinho, a manager who is not slow to blame others and who has recently taken aim at his own board. This, above all, should set the alarm bells ringing round Old Trafford.
Mourinho is a winner and a highly driven manager who does not like losing — especially to Guardiola. When he says that United will struggle unless they match City’s level of spending, Mourinho insists he is not being critical of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and the Glazer family, but there is usually an ulterior motive.
It is understood that the manager has been unhappy with the transfer policy at the club for some time, and is unsure whether an £80million budget to strengthen his squad this month is still available.
The board, on the other hand, are prepared to back Mourinho again but will not make needless signings before the summer when City are so far ahead. The prospect of Mourinho not seeing out the third year of his contract has been discussed for the first time.
For now, he must try to turn things round at Everton today, just 48 hours after his latest disappointment, without a number of key personnel.
United lost another player for three games after the Football Association took action yesterday against Ashley Young for elbowing Southampton’s Dusan Tadic in the stomach when defending a corner.
‘I’m disappointed because you don’t expect that from him,’ said Tadic afterwards. ‘At the next corner I asked him, “Why did you do that?” If you want to push then OK, but an elbow is different.’