Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho
When Jose Mourinho joined Manchester United at the start of the season, there was a feeling that he would finally be the manager who would be successful in succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Portuguese boss would be the one who could bring the glory days back to a club having being failed by its predecessors.
The ‘Chosen One’ David Moyes only lasted 10 months, leaving the club seventh in the league with four games left.
In came Louis Van Gaal, who despite winning the FA Cup, and finishing fifth domestically, also failed to satisfy the board and was sacked after two years.
So what would the ‘Special One’ do differently at Old Trafford?
Mourinho was a manager who had failed Chelsea so dramatically in 2015, despite winning the league the year before.
This was a manager who had caused a rift so big between his players at Stamford Bridge that they were sitting just a point above the relegation zone when he was no longer required by owner Roman Abramovic.
However, his CV was still one of the most impressive in the world and if anybody could turn the club around then surely he was the man.
Mourinho was given a £150 million war chest to sign Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, not forgetting the money needed to pay the wages of free signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Their season now depends on one game
Fast forward one year and Mourinho is openly admitting that the whole of Manchester United’s season depends on their Europa League final with Ajax on Wednesday.
But, could United’s season still be deemed disappointing even if they beat the Dutch side next week?
Yes, they will have achieved Champions League football next season, but there are other areas that are deeply concerning for fans.
No league improvement
The Red Devils will finish as the sixth best team in England no matter what happens in their final Premier League game on Sunday.
Notably, this is is no improvement on where Moyes or Van Gaal finished in the table during their time at the club.
Considering Mourinho spent £150 million on his team in the summer, this league position just isn’t good enough.
Manchester United should be challenging for the title considering the team and the money they have splashed, not struggling to get anywhere near the top-four.
Questionable tactics and tepid displays
With the players the manager has as his disposal, he has somehow pummelled the Red Devils into a place where they are playing unattractive football in order to grind out results.
Fans are frustrated with the amount of draws they are witnessing at Old Trafford. Mourinho can’t even state his tactics are winning games, because they aren’t.
10 stalemates from 17 games is absolutely unheard of for a team of Manchester United’s stature and reputation.
Away from home they are not much better. Uninspiring tactics have seen the club line up with a back-six on occasions, playing Juan Mata and Mkhitaryan as full-backs.
Surprisingly, this is a team who have scored the same amount of goals all season as Bournemouth.
This style of play will make it extremely hard to attract the best players in the world, and even AS Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe has said recently he wouldn’t want to join the Red Devils due to their style.
Failure to get the best out of his players
One of the worst problems that is so apparent this season is Mourinho’s inability to get the best of his players.
Paul Pogba arrived for £89 million from Juventus where he was arguably the best player in that team. However, since he has worn a united shirt, he seems a shadow of his true self.
This season was tipped to be Marcos Rashford’s time to make a real name for himself after he broke on the scene under Van Gaal. But, he has been limited to rare chances due to Mourinho’s failure to find a place for him in the team.
Other players such as Wayne Rooney, Mata, Mkhitaryan and Luke Shaw have failed to make an impact and some have even drawn public criticism from their manager for their supposed lack of interest.
Next season could be make or break for Mourinho
Fans of Mourinho will point to a season of transition for Manchester United. They will say that Mourinho will have been a success if they win the Europa League along with their already claimed League Cup.
But, United should be doing more, and their fans deserve more.
Their poor season shouldn’t be blanketed if they manage to win the Europa League
It’s a big, big week for Manchester United, and Mourinho, but their season may still be disappointing, even if they beat Ajax on Wednesday night.
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