After saying goodbye to Louis van Gaal, the entire football world is waiting for an official announcement that Jose Mourinho will replace him as the coach of "Manchester United". Before this coaching change, the portal Goal.com presented ten reasons why the Portuguese is not suitable for this position.
1) Outdated tactics. Since taking over the coaching position at Real in 2010, Mourinho has not improved tactically. Although his use of the 4-2-3-1 formation is still popular in the Premier League, it is not used by teams like Barcelona, Bayern, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, or Atletico. Mourinho's tactic with four flat defenders and two holding midfielders has become predictable and overly pragmatic.
2) Anti-football. Not attack-oriented football. One of the reasons Van Gaal was fired was because he used sterile ball possession-based play. It is somewhat ridiculous that to bring excitement back to Old Trafford, United chose a defensive-minded coach who advocates playing counterattack. Against stronger opponents, Mourinho's teams almost always opt for destruction instead of trying to create opportunities themselves. This approach may not be the right path to victories for Manchester United and its fans.
3) Negative attitude towards youth players. Jose Mourinho is notorious for not integrating young players into the team – it simply doesn't happen. Would players like Jesse Lingard, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Marcus Rashford, or Timothy Fosu-Mensah have made it to the main United squad under Mourinho? Highly unlikely.
4) Complete change of playing style. Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola are coaches hired to continue and improve the playing styles already applied at Chelsea and Manchester City. Mourinho's tactics are not at all similar to those used by Louis van Gaal, so the team will have to start everything from scratch tactically.
5) Lack of classiness and diplomacy. Regardless of how we assess the moral values of the United team, it is easy to understand why club legend Bobby Charlton did not want Mourinho to take over from Alex Ferguson. He clashes with other coaches, played a significant role in the end of a referee's career, and is not known for getting along with staff members, such as the club doctor he fired from Chelsea. Charlton stated that although Ferguson respected Mourinho, he did not like him. This opinion is certainly not unique.
6) Relationship with Jorge Mendes. One of the most powerful football agents worldwide is a close friend of Mourinho, to the point where he had his own office at Real when the Portuguese was coaching there. This certainly led many of Mendes's represented players to join Mourinho's teams. However, will this help Manchester United? The laughable loan deal of Mendes's client Radamel Falcao to Chelsea last summer demonstrates that such relationships can also bring problems.
7) Short-term flashes of success. Immediate success is everything Mourinho is hired for, but it is not the path that was followed under Ferguson in developing Manchester United as a club. Talks of creating a club dynasty and continuous improvement will be cast aside, and everything will revolve around the next match, the next victory, or the next trophy.
8) Power struggle at Man United. It is believed that United's transfer head Ed Woodward was the architect of Mourinho's acquisition, but several key figures in the club's board, including Ferguson, supported the Portuguese's arrival. If Mourinho's appointment as coach does not work out, those who backed him before they really see his coaching might trigger additional pressure and conflicts between those who wanted him at the helm and those who didn't.
9) Poor results against Guardiola. One of the main tasks for Manchester United next season will be to compete with Manchester City and their coach Pep Guardiola. Although Mourinho hasn't always lost to him, and his success in the 2010 Champions League best reflects his ability to overcome the Spaniard, his performances against Guardiola's Barcelona and with Real were not the most impressive.
10) Mixed results in the transfer market. Since Ferguson left the team in 2013, United has already spent over 300 million pounds on players like Memphis Depay, Marouane Fellaini, or Angel Di Maria. However, Mourinho also cannot boast of always making the right transfers – he has repeatedly spent on expensive and underperforming players, including Ricardo Quaresma, Amantino Mancini, or Nuri Sahin. The Portuguese has also failed to recognize the potential of selling players like Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, or Arjen Robben at affordable prices.
