Mourinho and Pogba’s relationship has received wall-to-wall coverage in recent months (photo credit: Getty Images).
Is ‘player power’ papering over bigger cracks at Man United?
By Ryan Conway
Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba seem on a collision course which will end in tears for one party. The tug-of-war between manager and player has Manchester United’s season in early disarray. It looks increasingly likely that one will no longer be at Old Trafford next season but the rift has divided many with the latest video circulating suggesting the former Chelsea boss is concerned with Pogba’s activity on Instagram.
Defenders of Mourinho have lambasted the player power rife in football today, demanding that Pogba shape up or ship out. On the other side of the fence, the argument is being made that Mourinho is yet again picking fights with his players and airing his grievances in the public domain while being out of touch with today’s footballer. The issues has dominated sports talk shows, punditry and social media.
Yet the question yet to be asked is: Is ‘player power’ an easy excuse to hide behind when a manager fails to control a team? Or is it an issue which is now holding the sport hostage?
JUST IN! ?
Frosty footage just in from @ManUtd's training session between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho… ❄️
What has been said between the pair this morning? ? pic.twitter.com/nRiTEgDJlH
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 26, 2018
Of course, ‘The Special One’ is not the only Manchester United manager lock horns with a player. Sir Alex Ferguson’s bust-ups with Roy Keane, David Beckham and Jaap Stam will go down in infamy as all crossed a line which would not be tolerated by the Scot. All left the club shortly after the respective falling outs. In later years through a series of interview, books and other outlets all sides of the story have come to light.
Fergie famously would not bow to the demands of players, a trait that was so ingrained in him it was a shock to the system when he gave Wayne Rooney the new contract he desired after threatening to quit the club in 2010.
Perhaps the most infamous power play in the Ferguson era had critics asking not if player power had got the best of the great Scotsman, but if the manager famed for his disciplinarian nature had gone soft.
Ferguson was afforded the luxury of not having to navigate social media and the pitfalls that come with that in the modern game. Also in his favour was David Gill. The former Chief Executive and United boss had a close relationship with both parties pulling in the same direction.
Synchronicity between the pair allowed for disruptive players to be ousted from the club before issues had a chance to manifest into uglier situations.
The Man United of 2018 is a far cry from the club once praised for its stability and consistency. Battle lines have been drawn between manager and player as well as board members. The relationship of Mourinho and current Chief Executive Ed Woodward has also been under the microscope with reports of conflicts regarding the incoming and outgoing personnel.
Oops ? https://t.co/dVBYJNbKPM
— Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) August 12, 2018
United’s current model pales in comparison to their arch rivals. Across town Pep Guardiola made his concerns clear about Benjamin Mendy’s use of social media. The French left-back’s rebuttal was typically lighthearted – but the former Monaco man understood the message. However, Guardiola and City understand the importance of social media and fan interaction in modern football, as showcased by their All or Nothing docuseries. All parties pulling in the same direction.
The social climate which football is entrenched in has brought with it the lifting of the lid on players as more than athletes. Pogba fits that mould. A medium which has allowed fans to get closer than ever to their favourite athletes and, in turn, allowed athletes to pull back the curtain on their lives off the field, has spawned a culture centered around focusing on their off-the-field activities rather than their performances on the field.
Invariably, when performances are not to a satisfactory standard the same arguments are rehashed and the athletes used as cannon fodder to protect the sanctity of football. Manchester United have long been a club setting the trends, not this time. United’s instability at all levels has manifested itself on the pitch, but until that conflict is solved it is always easier to blame ‘player power’.
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