How José Mourinho Is Killing Manchester United
The Red Devils cannot survive much more of this.
Sir Bobby Charlton warned Manchester United about rebounding from the Louis Van Gaal fiasco by getting in bed with José Mourinho, but no one listened and now the Red Devils are stuck in another miserable relationship that quickly needs to end.
Sure, it started off well with a swift return to the Champions League by way of winning a silver pot with slightly more prestige than the Carabao Cup, yet after a torrid start to the 2018/19 Premier League campaign, the Mourinho-United liaison has become an unsalvageable mess.
As with Real Madrid and Chelsea, Mourinho is mostly to blame for yet another affair ending badly in the third year. Players have been blamed for not trying and the media has been accused of being disrespectful, but it’s Mourinho who has been killing Manchester United with his lone-wolf mentality, rash mouth, and outdated tactics that are anti-football.
By demanding respect for past achievements which have nothing to do with Manchester United, Mourinho has never understood the proud history and attacking philosophy which makes Old Trafford the home of the biggest football team in the world, and it’s about time the board step in and remove his grip from the club’s throat.
5. Wasting Money
Supporters who have watched too much Arsenal Fan TV can contribute to the circus surrounding Manchester United by flying ‘Ed Woodward Out’ banners over stadiums, but the unpopular truth is that Woodward has done his job better than Mourinho has being manager.
As a businessman, Ed Woodward is tasked with making sponsorships that are beneficial to the club to maintain its world-wide status as the biggest football team in the world. With Man United officially ranked as the second most valuable sports club behind the Dallas Cowboys, it’s impossible to say Woodward deserves to be sacked rather than given a promotion.
Where Woodward has failed is wasting mountains of cash on signings demanded by Mourinho. It wasn’t Woodward who wanted Bailly, Lindelöf, and Lukaku, nor was it him who wanted to do everything it took to acquire a Chilean nearing 30-years-old so Manchester City couldn’t. It was all Mourinho.
Woodward and the United board shouldn’t have given Mourinho an extension on his contract, yet it’s hard not to side with the CEO refusing to give Mourinho another £200 million when the former Chelsea manager wanted to buy more 30-year-olds like Willian for illogically hefty fees.
A lot has been made about Manchester United needing a director of football, and while it would help, they would first need a manager who promotes youth and looks beyond the present.