The idea of Jose Mourinho taking over at Manchester United was seen as a non-starter only a decade ago. The Portuguese boss was in charge of Chelsea and was probably one of the most hated men – outside of Chelsea supporters – in the United Kingdom football scenario back then. However, United have ultimately gone to the Portuguese sensing that he is probably the best bet at the moment to get the club back on track. Even though the club has only gone three years without a league title, it is a crucial moment in the history since there is a danger of United doing a “Liverpool”.
Mourinho, though, knows the art of winning the league titles. Even though he has publicly admitted only one of his objectives at United, it is understandable that he will have three top priorities.
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Winning the Title
United are desperate to win the league title once again and get a monkey off their back. After having enjoyed two decades of glory under Sir Alex Ferguson, the club are in danger of falling off a cliff if they do not win major trophies soon. At this moment, United are able to sign top players – even though they are not in the Champions League and unable to fight for the league title – largely because of their reputation and immense fan base. The club has to recover quickly before their reputation takes a hit. Mourinho guarantees instant success, although it may come at the cost of style.
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Developing Youngsters
One of United’s biggest strengths has been developing youngsters, who have gone on to become superstars like David Beckham. The arrival of Louis Van Gaal was expected to help immensely in this regard; it indeed was the case with several promising youngsters like Marcus Rashford coming through. However, there is a danger in the Mourinho era that this aspect may be completely overlooked in the hunt for trophies.
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Bringing Back the Style
There were numerous occasions in which the crowd was least pleased with Louis van Gaal’s style of football. There was growing frustration especially since the defensive mindset did not yield results. Mourinho is unlikely to change his priorities, but making United more attractive to watch under his regime will be on the agenda for the future. Mourinho’s teams have never been as entertaining as a Pep Guardiola or Ferguson-managed outfit and United cannot afford to this tag due to their history.
