Are Man Utd sacrificing style for substance with Mourinho? There\u2019s little doubt that Jose Mourinho means business at Manchester United.<\/p>\n
His first press conference as manager of the Old Trafford outfit was vintage Mourinho and the Special One had the gathered press eating out of the palm of his hand from the very first word.<\/p>\n
Angry, feisty, clever, manipulative\u2026.yes, all the usual traits were given an airing during 30 minutes of pure football theatre.<\/p>\n
Loathe him or love him, there\u2019s no denying that the Special One is box office, and perhaps that\u2019s been just what the Red Devils have been lacking these past few years.<\/p>\n
David Moyes\u2019 appointment was, in hindsight, a terrible error of judgment, and Louis Van Gaal, despite impressive credentials, is yesterday\u2019s man.<\/p>\n
The Portuguese is very much in the present, and if his opening gambit is anything to go by, United\u2019s demanding fan base won\u2019t be too disappointed.<\/p>\n
However, there has to be a trade off.<\/p>\n
Mourinho\u2019s win at all costs mentality will quickly seep into the psyche of his playing staff, and Juan Mata will understand more than most what\u2019s coming for those men who will line up as his first squad for the 2016\/17 season.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard could even be quickly dispensed with after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was handed Mata\u2019s number 8 shirt \u2013 as sure a sign as any that the ex-Chelsea manager will sell the player for a second time.<\/p>\n
In any event, the siege mentality that United\u2019s new man-in-charge desires is at odds with the club\u2019s modus operandi of free-flowing, 100 mph attacking football.<\/p>\n
Incessantly winding up opponents, harassing referees, committing needless fouls and getting up the noses of just about everyone is central to the Mourinho doctrine.<\/p>\n
Yes, his Real Madrid still hold the record for the most goals ever scored in a La Liga season and they also share the record total points haul with Tito Vilanova\u2019s Barcelona, however there\u2019s no escaping the fact that Jose-led sides will stop at nothing to scale the particular peak set before them.<\/p>\n
Results aside, it\u2019s the off-field damage that is likely to be done which could hurt United.<\/p>\n
A substance over style ethic that cannot be lauded from a club that always intends to conduct itself in the most exemplary fashion.<\/p>\n
The football gods decreed that Pep Guardiola would pitch up just down the road and his battles with Mourinho in Spain are already the stuff of football legend.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also worth noting just how badly the latter came out of those particular duels in a PR sense.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Jose Mourinho will be judged for what his players do on the pitch and whether United truly now have a manager capable of taking on Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s mantle and putting silverware in the trophy cabinet.<\/p>\n
But to do so at any cost runs the risk of ruining the club\u2019s immaculate reputation and that simply can\u2019t be allowed to happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Are Man Utd sacrificing style for substance with Mourinho? There\u2019s little doubt that Jose Mourinho means business at Manchester United. His first press conference as manager of the Old Trafford outfit was vintage Mourinho and the Special One had the gathered press eating out of the palm of his hand from the very first word.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[184,174,177],"class_list":["post-9879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-man-utd","tag-news","tag-ticker"],"yoast_head":"\n