Will Mourinho become 'The Right One'?
- Jul 21, 2016
- 3 min read
Few eyebrows were raised when ‘The Special One’ Jose Mourinho was finally announced as Manchester United manager in late May. His flirtation with the managerial role had become more than just a rumour, and despite Louis Van Gaal’s FA Cup success, Mourinho's predecessor left Old Trafford in a cloud of distrust, dishonesty and disgust at his treatment thus allowing aptly named ‘The Chosen One’ to step into the fire. Questions seem ever rife, is he the right man for the job? Will he bring success? What are United’s chances this season? Who will be in the starting XI? Full Time takes a look at the potential of the Mourinho era.
Jose Mourinho has long been waiting for this moment. No manager with his charisma, over confidence and magical aura would doubt his capability to manage arguably the world's largest football club, Manchester United. Despite his Chelsea ties, the Portuguese manager has forever had an unspoken affinity with the club. His respect, on and off the field for United, has never been questioned, and he will have truly believed as he walked through the entrance to Old Trafford the day he began his tenureship as manager, that he was born for this moment. However, the real question is, can he actually succeed? Well, with his reign only a few months old, and with just a solitary pre-season game played, it would be foolhardy to make a solid prediction at this stage.
In his first press conference, Mourinho batted away various concerns and queries regarding his style and ethos - especially his youth policy - and he remained calm and cool but confident in his new position. It is certainly a worry for many of the United faithful, with clear evidence that Mourinho's previous history does indeed suggest that younger players - the Marcus Rashfords, the Cameron Borthwick-Jackson's, the Adnan Januzaj's for instance - aren't often given opportunities under him. You'd hope Mourinho would understand that youth and younger players are ingrained in the club's remit, but judging by the squad of players taken to play away at Wigan on Saturday, he's taken that small detail on board.
What is key for Mourinho is goals and creativity this coming season. United struggled going forward last season under Louis Van Gaal, but were defensively solid and rigid. There must be a balance between the two, and with Mourinho likely to maintain his 4-2-3-1 formation with United, there is a basis for him to build upon. When it comes to the starting XI, new signing Eric Bailly is expected to be paired with Chris Smalling in the centre of defence, and you'd also assume Luke Shaw will be the main left back, with potentially either Matteo Darmian or Timothy Fosu Mensah taking the right back berth.
Likewise, David De Gea is a sure starter in goal, but when it comes to midfield and the wider areas, Mourinho has a wealth of options, if not quality. Michael Carrick would hope to be a starter, but with the possibly arrival of Paul Pogba, his position in the starting XI is a major doubt. Again, Ander Herrera is one you'd expect to play in midfield, but he has competition with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin and potentially Andreas Pereira - who has apparently impressed his new manager in pre-season. In terms of the wider positions, Memphis Depay continues to woefully underperform, while the new man, Henrikh Mkhitaryan seems a sure fire starter on the right wing following his stand out first half display against Wigan. Anthony Martial is another that will expect to be a key player and rightfully so after his exploits last season, while Juan Mata could find his position at the club, let alone in the team, under threat.
When it comes to United's chances of success this season, it isn't an oversight to suggest appointing Mourinho has enhanced their chances tenfold. It became evident during Van Gaal's last season that his style and ethos was fundamentally flawed, and his players misunderstood his way of thinking and his core philosophy. Yet, with Mourinho now in his place the players, the fans and the board now have a man who has brought success, albeit it briefly, at each and every one of his clubs. He may well be a mercurial and divisive figure at times, but you'd bet your life that he'll turn around United's fortunes and find a winning formula that somehow escaped his predecessor. A Premier League triumph is perhaps a little too out of reach though, but with a Europa League campaign ahead, there is an opportunity for United to taste European glory once again, and with the Capital One Cup and FA Cup there for grabs too, this could well be a season to remember for the Red Devils. Only time will tell. Watch this space, United are coming.
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