Jose, sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut
YOU don’t have to say what you think, Mr Mourinho!
When he took his dream job at Old Trafford he can’t possibly have imagined how tough it would be with two of the club’s greatest rivals upping their spending to such an extent that the Reds go into the new season starting at home against Leicester on Friday as third favourites with Betfred for the Premier League title.
Jose has been moaning virtually all summer, mainly about investment in the squad. But he’s also been critical of the US tour and Anthony Martial’s trip home for the birth of his baby.
City winning the league by an unprecedented 19 points last season – and the way his biggest rival Pep Guardiola was able to pick up silverware with ease by totally outplaying Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday – cannot have improved the tetchy United manager’s mood.
My advice to Jose, which I doubt he’ll take, is think before you speak.
United fans like me just don’t want to hear him complaining every time he speaks. It does nothing to bolster the morale of the players or indeed the supporters looking forward to the big kick-off.
Fergie, for instance rarely, if ever, was publicly critical of his players, but I’m sure that wasn’t the case in the privacy of the dressing room.
The fact is that United have a brilliant squad. Think Lukaku, Rashford, Sanchez, Pogba, De Gea, Lingard. That’s half a team and although we may be lacking a bit in defence and have yet to find good enough replacement for Michael Carrick, we’re not that far off.
There is only room for one Fred in this town but I’m making an exception for Jose’s new boy from Brazil – and I have still not given up hope that Martial will get a chance to rekindle his stop-start Reds career.
Mourinho’s latest pronouncement is to state the obvious that it will be a difficult season.
The latest odds with Betfred reflect that with City 4/6 favourites to retain the title, Liverpool 4/1, United 13/2, Spurs 12/1, Chelsea 14/1, Arsenal 20/1 – with Everton the best of the outsiders at 200/1.
Romelu Lukaku having had a solid enough World Cup in Russia with Belgium is 7/1 to be the top goalscorer in the Prem next season while Pogba – reminding everyone what he’s capable of on the biggest stage of all for world champs France – is a 16/1 shot to be the next PFA player of the year.
And finally, as the summer transfer window is about to close with defensive recruits highly possible at United, what I just can’t get my head around is why are we – as the world’s richest club – not picking from the top of the tree and bidding for players such as Eden Hazard, Messi or Neymar? Absolute superstars to significantly boost our new season prospects.