Jose Mourinho’s eventual exit was expected but the general belief was that Manchester United and Ed Woodward will wait until it was mathematically impossible for the Red Devils to qualify for the UEFA champions league; by which time United would not be required to pay Jose Mourinho’s full compensation of £24 million, the price they just had to pay for relieving him of his duties earlier.
From preseason, Jose Mourinho gave a hint of what is to come. He complained about everything every time he got an opportunity to. He would mock Manchester United in the public and rather than take responsibility for ugly results, he would publicly criticize his players fueling media attention against his own players.
Jose Mourinho has been more disruptive at Manchester United this season than any “virus” could have possibly imagined. His biggest challenge is, surprisingly, self-inflicted. Despite splashing £365 million on eight players, somehow, Jose has failed to maximize their strength; an act he mastered at Porto, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid.
Other than the return to form of Luke Shaw, it is difficult to point out another positive all season and that must be disturbing for those at the helm.
Manchester United have dropped points from 10 games this season already, the defeat to Liverpool on Sunday was only the fifth in the league all season, two more than Arsenal and one more than Spurs who both sit fifth and third on the log respectively. So, it isn’t entirely about the defeats – two came against Man City and Liverpool – the draws against Crystal Palace, Southampton and particularly Chelsea were painful to accept. Granted, Manchester United cannot win every game, but they are in a mess because they have won a few games.
The defeat at Liverpool on Sunday had left Manchester United 19 points behind their rivals at the top of the table, 11 points away from the Champions League spot; in essence, United will be required to win at least 17 of their next 21 Premier League games to be guaranteed of a place amongst the elite clubs next year.
As it stands, that is a highly unlikely proposition for this Manchester United side and that is why Manchester United’s laxity will prove costly.
