Mourinho may be a winner, but the Theatre of Dreams expects more than just trophies
Jose Mourinho’s courtship with Manchester United has been a very long one. It certainly didn’t begin in the last couple of weeks, or even at the turn of the year when he was sacked by Chelsea. It started more than three years ago when Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge.
Mourinho was manager of Real Madrid at the time and came to Old Trafford for a Champions League tie with a quarter final place at stake. Real won on the night and that proved to be Ferguson’s final European act as United boss.
Mourinho’s demeanour in Manchester then was transparent. His pre-match media conference was the most public job application I have ever witnessed. We saw none of the combative Mourinho, the man who’d had so many ill mannered run-ins with United while in charge of Chelsea.
He praised Sir Alex, he praised the club and its traditions and when Real went through, all Mourinho would say was that the better team had lost.
He knew Sir Alex was on his way and he wanted his job.
But the charm offensive didn’t work.
There were those in the Old Trafford hierarchy at the time who did not believe Mourinho was the ‘right fit’ for United, both in personality and because of the style of football he favoured.
So what has changed? United or Mourinho?
United’s two managers since Ferguson, David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal, have come up way short of making a success of one of football’s most coveted jobs.
In Van Gaal’s second year, despite an FA Cup win, United just missed the bench mark of any big club - a Champions League place and because of that, alongside his deteriorating relationship with many senior players, he had to go.
Perhaps as damaging was the style of football the team has played under the Dutchman. While Van Gaal can be credited latterly for introducing some youngsters into the team, United’s way has been dull, defensive and unimaginative.
Possession without purpose is another way of looking at it.
Take any number of statistics, whether goals scored or shots on target, and they will tell you that watching United this season will not have got the heart racing. It is not the fast, spontaneous and risk-taking excitement United fans had grown used to under Ferguson.
So is Mourinho the remedy? Well, the facts don’t exactly scream “yes.”
That terrible football cliché “parking the bus” has probably been used to describe a Mourinho performance more times than it has been applied to any other modern manager. He likes big, muscular teams who are defensively minded first and everything else next.
He also does not have a reputation for encouraging young, academy talent, he’s more a buy-the-finished-article-off-the-shelf type of manager.
And then there’s his personality. What are we supposed to deduce about his appalling behaviour over the Chelsea doctor, Eva Carneiro, and his subsequent treatment of her?
A tribunal will soon decide the outcome of that episode, although I suspect a deal will be done to prevent anything unsavoury becoming widely known.
Nevertheless, Manchester United have undoubtedly now signed themselves a big personality which clearly plays well with the American owners.
In public Mourinho can be a mass of contradictions. He’s feisty, yet charming but can be sullen or very bad tempered.
He’s happy in front of the cameras and will laugh with members of the media but won’t hesitate to attack them when he feels the need.
Apart from his latter days at Chelsea (the second time) he is also fiercely protective and loyal to his players.
But above all else he is a winner and has the medals to prove it.
Remind you of anyone?