After a shocking Tuesday night for Jose Mourinho and his players, one which resulted in their early exit from the Champions League, the question of whether Mourinho is the right man for the job at Old Trafford has reared its head, more prominently than I, for one, have ever seen.
“He doesn’t play football the United way” is just one of the many comments I’ve seen from United fans following Tuesday night’s game aganist Sevilla.
A clearly lacklustre and unambitious performance perhaps deserves such a reaction, however, is United’s current state all that bad?
After a victory against Liverpool, perhaps their biggest rivals, shows things certainly aren’t at breaking point just yet, not forgetting the previous two fixtures before that game which saw Mourinho’s men come out on top, one of the games against Chelsea, although an out of form Vlues team it must be said.
With a healthy league position and a place in the semi finals in the FA Cup at stake against Brighton at the weekend, Mourinho’s Red Devils still have a lot going for them this season.
However, there’s no getting away from the change in direction within the club in terms of play style. It’s fair to say a United team under Mourinho isn’t going to pass the ball 30 times consecutively then stick in it the back of the next like we see Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side do scarily often.
Mourinho offers a more direct play style which we saw prominently on Tuesday night; look for the long ball and hope that Alexis Sanchez is ready for the knockdown when either of United’s Belgian giants wins an aerial battle.
This is the problem the ‘Mourinho Out’ers’ have with the manager, he certainly doesn’t play the ‘United way’.
As a neutral, I understand the argument on both sides and I think we shall all enjoy a very interesting watch on Saturday as Mourinho’s men return to Old Trafford to try and change the minds of some rightfully disillusioned fans by securing yet another trip to Wembley.
