What HAS Jose done to earn his new deal?
WHEN Manchester United extended Jose Mourinho’s contract with a year and a half to run, I was genuinely surprised. What has he done to earn it?
Yes, he has won two trophies — the League Cup and Europa League — and restored United to the Champions League, where they are in the last 16. But this was the man brought in to go toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola. Defeat at Newcastle leaves United trailing Manchester City by 16 points.
They are being left in the shade by City in almost every department. While Guardiola’s best team trips off the tongue, it is difficult to name United’s preferred XI.
Mourinho (below) has done little to improve United’s style of play. Gone are the early-season swashbuckling displays against the likes of West Ham, Swansea and Everton. When United have come up against a fellow top-six side, they have pulled up the handbrake. Mourinho cannot justify those negative tactics with results, having won just one of his nine away games against those teams as United boss.
Guardiola has nurtured and improved almost every player in his first-team squad. While Jesse Lingard has developed under Mourinho, too many players have struggled.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan never replicated his best form at Dortmund before leaving for Arsenal, Luke Shaw has spent long periods frozen out and Paul Pogba looks like a lost boy. Pogba has been heavily criticised but I feel sorry for him. How is it that we still do not know the best position of United’s £89million record signing?
If he was at City, I am in little doubt he would be a star attraction alongside Kevin De Bruyne. Mourinho needs to address this situation quickly or he could risk losing the dressing room.
But the strangest thing about Mourinho extending his stay in Manchester is that he does not seem to have taken the place to his heart.
The fact that he still lives at the Lowry Hotel gives the impression he is not fully committed and that is not a good look for the club. Why has nobody at United convinced him to buy a property in the city like Guardiola? There is always light and shade with Mourinho even at his best. This season, his mood has been gloomy.
The next month is pivotal. Next up are trips to Huddersfield in the FA Cup and Sevilla in Europe. Before their return leg against the Spaniards, United host Chelsea and Liverpool and travel to Selhurst Park in the league. Mourinho’s superb record speaks for itself. He must demonstrate all those qualities that have made him a worldclass coach to ensure that Manchester United end this
season with silverware.