Mourinho waves to the local camera during his side’s pre-season tour
Make or break campaign for Mourinho and Manchester United
Last season:
Premier League: 2nd
FA Cup: Runner-up (Lost vs Chelsea)
Carabao Cup: Quarter-final (Lost vs Bristol City)
Jose Mourinho is entering his predictably difficult third season at the helm of a club. The usual irritated barbs from the Portuguese have been emanating from most of his interviews and press conferences.
Pre-season has been problematic. United were thrashed 4-1 by rivals Liverpool in the United States and failed to register a single shot on target in a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in a performance which was pitiful at best. A 0-0 draw with San Jose Earthquakes inspired little confidence either.
The uneasy relationship off the field has transferred to on the field and affecting the performance. Manchester United looked disjointed at times last season and, throughout pre-season at least, that problem is persisting.
The 13-time Premier League champions will need drastic improvement if they are to bother Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who dispatched Chelsea in some comfort in the Community Shield.
More challengers threaten them this term, too. Liverpool recruited heavily to add strength in depth as they mount a title charge. Arsenal are being overhauled in their first season without Arsene Wenger since 1996, they could yet be surprise contenders under Unai Emery or at least upset the apple cart slightly. Meanwhile Chelsea and Tottenham are undergoing more drastic changes of their own.
Extra reinforcements could yet arrive in the shape of a new centre-back but Mourinho’s discontentment has become apparent. Such behaviour usually spills into the league campaign and the additions of Fred and Diogo Dalot haven’t quietened the grumbling.
The board find themselves in a tricky position. They have a plethora of wonderfully talented players, but a great orchestra needs a great conductor. Mourinho’s style seems ill-fitting for players such as Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba. Ed Woodward could sell the players in the hopes of short-term gains from Mourinho or dig in his heels and insist the future of the football club must remain.
Mourinho and United feel like they are on a collision course in a pivotal third year. Another piece of silverware is a must, yet even that may not save the former Chelsea manager’s job, though the gravitas of the cups collected will determine that.
Supporters of the red half of Manchester can be forgiven for fearing the worst. This situation often gets worse before it gets better.
C’est l’amour. Pogba kisses the Jules Rimet
Photo: Getty courtesy of FIFA.com
Player to watch: Paul Pogba
(Also see: French World Cup Champion Paul Pogba has the whole world in his hands]
Its seems obvious. A six-foot-three frame striding through the middle of the park is hard to miss. Yet this season is a chance to see if Pogba and Mourinho can concoct the formula that made the Man United midfielder one of the stars of the World Cup.
Passes of various techniques and distance, mixed in with driving runs from deep, reminiscent of when Patrick Vieira dominated the same position for France all those years ago, all displayed what the 25-year-old is capable of.
Should Pogba find his tournament form on a consistent basis for the Red Devils, it could spur on a mission for United’s first Premier League crown since 2012/13.
Last season the former Juventus man logged six goals and ten assists. The performances still weren’t there on a completely consistent basis, but one can feel they are coming. Pogba’s finest hour in a United shirt came in April when his brace sparked a Manchester Derby two-goal comeback. They would go on to win 3-2. A World Cup winners’ medal could be the catalyst to push the midfielder to the next level.
Predicted place: 3rd
Players out: Michael Carrick (retired), Joe Riley (Bradford City, Dean Henderson (Shrewsbury Town, loan), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Daley Blind (Ajax), Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Scunthorpe United, loan), Joel Pereira (Vitoria Setubal, loan).
Players in: Diogo Dalot (Porto), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Lee Grant (Stoke)
