Abhranil Roy
With every passing day, the rumours seem certain to turn into a reality: Jose Mourinho is all set to take over Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager. The Portuguese, who had also been previously to the job after Sir Alex retired in 2013, has been without a club since Chelsea sacked him in 2015. Although PSG are also rumoured to be courting him, yet Ed Woodward and United’s boards are certain that he will not refuse their offer. So if the Portuguese do comes in, what can we expect from him? Here are the pros and cons off appointing the former Inter Milan manager:
Pros:
1. He brings a proven winning pedigree
Let’s face it, Jose Mourinho brings trophies wherever he goes. He has won the league title thrice in England with Chelsea, and also the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup. United have not win the league since 2013, and the Old Trafford faithful are dying to see the League trophy back home once again. Van Gaal has prepared a great base for Mourinho, and one hopes the former Treble winner can lead United to dizzying heights once again.
2. He is intensely passionate
Sir Alex Ferguson was well known for his ability to play mind games with opposition managers, and even referees and match officials. More often than not, his tactics yielded positive results for the club, and Mourinho will bring the same mentality to the club. He will hound the officials, play with the media and show great passion, which United fans love. The former Real Madrid gaffer is quite the character, and he is the kind the Red Devils need to charge up a distraught dressing room.
Cons:
1. Fails to build a long term team
Mourinho excels at fulfilling short terms goals, but so far he has failed to deliver on a consistent basis for a considerable duration. His Porto and Inter teams, which won the Champions League in 2004 and 2010 respectively, have failed to replicate this success since then while his Chelsea and Real Madrid teams have been vastly altered since then to maintain credibility in their respective leagues. Stability is something Mourinho has miserably failed to provide so far in his career, and United fans should not expect him to develop long-term sustainable projects at the club.
2. Does not really promote youngsters
Manchester United have had a proud tradition of producing excellent youngsters from the academy, but Jose does not have a rich history of bringing out the best from young stars. At Real Madrid, he ended up selling Pablo Sarabia and Sergio Canales, while at Chelsea he sold off Kevin de Bruyne because they weren’t as hardworking as he demanded them to be. Mourinho is better in buying established stars and slotting them together to make a good team, but he isn’t good at moulding teenagers, something Fergie excelled in.
