DISCONTENTED DISAPPOINTED DISUNITED
Brooding Mourinho is fighting battles on all fronts and the cracks are beginning to show, leaving him and the club on the brink of a crisis
THE season is two games old, yet already the wheels have come off for Manchester United.
Their abject 3-2 defeat at Brighton had been coming after a summer of discontent and rancour between brooding Jose Mourinho and the club hierarchy.
The cracks began to appear on the pre-season US tour, when Mourinho made clear his discontent with the perceived lack of support in the transfer window from executive vicechairman Ed Woodward (right).
He was angered over Woodward’s failure to deliver the five transfer targets he identified months ago, with Sunday’s events at the Amex Stadium serving to endorse the United manager’s stance.
Yet Mourinho has spent almost £400million over five transfer windows and the board – led by Woodward – were reluctant to pay more inflated fees on players who were not a guaranteed upgrade.
The cooling of the relationship between Mourinho and Woodward and the latter’s decision not to bend to his manager’s demands as he has done in previous windows, represents a significant development at United.
It suggests the reverence Woodward felt towards Mourinho when he appointed him in 2016 has been stripped away and replaced by the galling realisation he may not be the man to take United back to the top.
There is a feeling among the United hierarchy that the Portuguese should have the team performing on a more consistent basis and defeats such as the one at Brighton – or to Huddersfield, Newcastle, West Brom and the Seagulls again last season – cannot be blamed solely on a lack of financial investment.
Rather it points to faults with Mourinho’s own approach and managerial style, as well as his recruitment.
On Sunday, two players who were arguably most culpable in the defeat were Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof, both signed by the 55-year-old.
And while Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino have built vibrant, exciting, attacking sides with a clear identity, United look ponderous by comparison and are still searching for one under Mourinho.
His surly demeanour throughout his Old Trafford tenure is also starting to wear thin.
Managing a club of United’s stature and global fanbase should be a privilege, but Mourinho has managed to make it seem like a burden he is forced to endure.
That negative tone set by Mourinho has unquestionably filtered down to his players, many of whom are said to be disillusioned at his perceived lack of public support and ‘tough love’ man-management, while the thorny issue of his complex relationship with Paul Pogba continues to cast a shadow.
United are not yet in the vice-like grip of a full-blown crisis, but all the ingredients for a classic Mourinho implosion and dramatic mid-season exit are there, ready to ignite, just as happened at Chelsea in September 2007. Up next are Tottenham at home on Monday, followed by a trip to Burnley on September 2.
Failure to win either of those games will increase the pressure, with a significant number of fans who had previously backed him now starting to question his position. Of course United’s current issues are magnified by the sense of euphoria at local rivals City, who are showing no signs of easing up on their record-breaking title win last season. When United hired Mourinho and City appointed Guardiola in the same summer, Manchester seemed set for an absorbing rivalry.
But while Guardiola has taken City to new heights with football of balletic beauty, Mourinho has dragged United down with his rudimentary approach.
It is up to ‘The Special One’ to prove that is not the case, before United make that decision for him and start looking for their fourth manager in five years.