There just does not seem to be an end to the negative stories coming out of Manchester United at the moment. Clearly, the club have not helped themselves by going through a very poor form, which has seen them take only one league victory in the last five games. The only consolation for United is that early pacesetters like Manchester City and Tottenham have also been dropping points in recent games. As a result, the club remains only six points away from the top of the table, but it may not remain the same if the poor run continues.
Ahead of a match with arch rivals Manchester City, the last thing Jose Mourinho would have wanted is reports of players being unhappy with his training methods. Metro (via Times) has reported that the Portuguese does not stay through the training sessions. Instead, he gives a briefing just before the start of the session and the leaves his assistant Rui Faria to take things under control. Mourinho then watches the training from a distance or returns to his office. Senior players, especially, are thought to be surprised with the approach taken by Mourinho.
The Portuguese has always been known for being hands-on when it comes to his team. It is one of the reasons why he prefers a 25-man squad even when there is room for more. The sudden change in approach comes at a time when Mourinho has been questioned in almost every regard – tactics, personnel, and interaction with the media. It is probably the toughest time in his reign as a manager.
Incredibly, predecessor Louis van Gaal also faced a similar criticism throughout his two years at the club. A highly successful manager at all his previous clubs, Van Gaal found it difficult from the word go and he never recovered from the poor start. Mourinho has always won titles whenever he has been, but his current spell with United will probably rank as the toughest of them all.
One of the biggest changes within Mourinho is the significantly less outbursts in front of the media. Mourinho was always direct in his approach with the media and he used them as a tool often than not. In his second spell at Chelsea, he was comparatively mellowed down and he has gone down a further notch after taking over at United. Sir Alex Ferguson was the best when it came to playing the media, and Mourinho needs to gain a few lessons from the Scot in order to tide over the crisis.
A win against Manchester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night could do a world of good, but the opposition also arrives with a similar mentality.
