Why Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are a match made in heaven

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The memory of a manic touchline dash from Jose Mourinho after Francisco Costinha’s injury time equaliser sent FC Porto through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions league in 2004 still invokes a deep sense of anguish among Manchester United fans.

That night under the lights at Old Trafford is widely considered to be the day Mourinho announced himself to the footballing world. The Portuguese tactician would go on to defy all odds by winning the Champions League that season, further emphasising his potential to succeed at any big club in Europe.

As was expected, he took over the reigns at Chelsea and won back to back Premier League titles proving to be the primary object of scorn for Alex Ferguson and his team.

It has been more than a decade since Mourinho’s initiation on English soil and we have reached a point where United are in desperate need of a fresh face pulling the proverbial strings, and the wily tactician is unemployed and looking for a challenge.

During the last two decades, United fans were unfamiliar with the concept of a managerial merry-go-round. Ferguson announced his retirement after clinching the club’s record 20th league title in 2013 before passing the baton on to his compatriot David Moyes. United finished that season in 7th; their worst since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

The vastly experienced Louis van Gaal took over shortly after and secured Champions League qualification in his first season. But apart from a few decent performances here and there, Van Gaal and his men have delivered little to cheer about. Not a week goes by where the Dutchman isn’t subjected to some arguably deserved scrutiny from fans and the press alike.

His over the top pragmatism and tactical rigidity have produced a quite dire standard of football and his grip on the club and the board is decidedly losing its stronghold.

The club is expected to make a managerial change in the summer and Jose Mourinho is one of the candidates under consideration.

While fans have been divided over the prospect, it makes perfect sense to appoint someone as experienced as him than take another risk just like the Glazers, and more importantly Ferguson, did by appointing Moyes – someone who had no experience of managing an elite club. Talks of Ryan Giggs succeeding Van Gaal reverberate constantly and rumours of Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino keep on persisting.

It is surprising that United have not yet acted to secure the Portuguese’s services. Clubs like Bayern Munich and Chelsea showed how fast decisions could be made at the highest of levels by announcing the captures of Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte respectively, before this season has even ended.

United have been criticised recently for prioritising sponsors over results and nothing would repay the faith that fans have put in the club than appointing a proven winner like Mourinho. Moreover, the club would be foolish to miss out on both Pep Guardiola and Mourinho twice in three years.

Mourinho has often been disregarded for not being a “long term solution”. Often ridiculed for his short stints at clubs, the former Real Madrid manager’s win now, worry later attitude is the antithesis of the dynasty forming outlook that Ferguson thrived on for nearly three decades at Old Trafford. But having managed at the biggest clubs in four different countries, a part of Mourinho must be contemplating of building an empire of his own.

Besides, is the concept of a long term manager still alive at big clubs? One would argue that it isn’t.

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It would certainly fit the narrative if Giggs went on to emulate what Guardiola did at Barcelona, but do United have the time or room for another risk? The notion that an ex-player with no managerial experience will succeed where far more experienced managers have failed is overwhelmingly misconstrued.

Another opinion that Mourinho attracts is the cautious brand of football his teams often display. That rebuke went out of the window when his stellar Real Madrid side – the same team that put a stop to Guardiola’s Barcelona – totaled a record 100 league points, a record 121 goals scored and an incredible goal difference of +89.

There’s a prevalent belief among football enthusiasts that wherever Mourinho goes, success follows. But it’s when he decides to leave that brings in testing times, making it very difficult to pick up the pieces. Inter Milan are still paying testimony to that. But with United’s financial resources and global appeal, it is unlikely that they would face a similar fate. Chelsea won the Premier League and the Champions League in his absence proving that it’s not all doom and gloom that is often associated with any club that Mourinho has been a part of.

With Guardiola now confirmed to lead Manchester City next season, it would be very imprudent of United to look at anyone besides the man who stopped his dominance on European football and do justice to the clichéd phrase that Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are a match made in heaven.

Written by Samiran Mishra.

Featured image: Some rights reserved by In Mou We Trust.