20Feb

Are Mourinho and Man Utd really such a good fit?

by James McManus

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Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest assertion that he would like to depart Old Trafford on a winning note in “two or three years” has to be taken with a pinch of salt given his record on the matter. However, it once again brings into stark focus the club’s biggest priority: the nature of the great Scot’s successor. With José Mourinho the assumed frontrunner, it begs the question – are the Special One and Manchester United really such a good fit?

I will not be the first, nor will I be the last to harbour a degree of scepticism about whether Mourinho would be a lasting success at Old Trafford. We are in somewhat unfamiliar territory here. Managers aren’t supposed to stick around one club for this long. Ferguson, much like Wenger to an extent, is a relic from a bygone era, when clubs were formed entirely in their manager’s image. Stepping into their shoes is an unenviable task.

It may take someone of Mourinho’s force of character and stature to be able to carry the burden of Ferguson’s departure. This is the man, after all, who has slowly but surely changed the face of Real Madrid, a club world famous for dispensing with fantastic playing and coaching talent simply because their faces don’t fit in with the club’s ‘brand’.

The job on hand after Ferguson departs, though, is not one for the faint-hearted. It’s my theory that Ferguson cannot retire fully and successfully until he has properly replaced Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. There are no question marks left in terms of domestic and European success; just the safe passing on of the baton remains.

But Mourinho is a manager that deals in short staccato-like spells at the helm. His personality simply isn’t built for the long haul. Like George Clooney in Michael Clayton, he’s a ‘fixer’ of the very best kind. José isn’t a manager that comes in and completely overhauls a squad; he tweaks where his predecessors went wrong and inspires his charges to new heights.

It’s also worth noting the relative paucity of success his sides have enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of his departure. José doesn’t do smooth transitions – he usually builds one great squad and then rides off into the sunset with his reputation enhanced even further, if that’s at all possible.

His record on facilitating the elevation of youth to the first team is still questionable, with no tangible success since Davide Santon. His style of play still lacks the panache that the terraces will inevitably demand in time, and he more often than not demands a great deal of movement in the transfer market in moulding squads that suit his will, something that the Glazers have been seemingly reluctant to do thus far.

The one remaining bugbear about this uneasy fit is the fact that Mourinho often chooses clubs in dire need of his services. This level of gratitude grants him a degree of freedom that he may not experience at Old Trafford. This is the crucial difference: Manchester United don’t need him, they desire him, which is a different thing entirely.

Mourinho would almost certainly guarantee short-term success. That’s what he does and he’s the best around at it. Hoping and praying for another Ferguson to breeze in through the saloon door is both impractical and unrealistic.

The achingly sycophantic Mourinho love-in alone will almost surely guarantee the job to the former Chelsea boss if he wants it. Self-serving red-top types in dire need of a personality and a headline will champion his cause. As we have seen with the Redknapp-like ascension to the England throne, all alternative opinions will be stamped out with Pravda-like efficiency.

‘Brilliant manager takes over huge football club‘ isn’t the best headline around, and although Mourinho to Manchester United on a basic level makes sense, dig a little deeper and football is rarely ever about what makes sense on paper. Choosing to conveniently brush over the differences in philosophy and personality can only end one way – in a messy divorce.

Posted by Man Utd fan James McManus

Follow James on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

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