Manchester United fans may have had some collective doubts about the club hiring Jose Mourinho as manager, but when their away contingent travelled to Wigan for the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, the Portuguese could be left in no doubt as to their support.
His name rang down from the stands to the familiar operatic tune of “La Donna e Mobile,” and there was an enthusiastic and rhythmic burst of “Mourinho’s red and white army.”
There was even a bit of classic Mancunian sarcasm. When there was no reaction from the touchline to the crowd imploring “Jose, give us a wave,” they switched to singing “Sit down Mourinho,” a chant they had used when he came to Old Trafford in charge of Chelsea. That got a wave, to huge cheers.
As they were with David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, the United faithful will be on board, full-throated in their support for as long as they can be. For the Scot, there were—albeit diminishing—pockets of support in the crowd to the very end of his time there, even when any true belief in him had evaporated.
Van Gaal got loud cheers and applause whenever United did well right up to the end of his time in charge, again, even when a large majority of supporters wanted him gone.
Mourinho does not have to worry about losing the vocal support of those attending United matches if he gets off to a slow start.
However, he would benefit tremendously from a good start because of the combination of three factors. Those are the size of the challenge he is facing, the power of the feel-good factor and the fact he has only once gone beyond three years at any of the clubs he has managed.
The first or second of his seasons in charge represent his best shot at United success, unless he is going to change the habit of a lifetime and stay at Old Trafford for the long haul.
The first season may represent his best shot at this, given the aforementioned size of the challenge. That challenge comes in two forms, internal and external. Internally, the task is about rebuilding United, restoring a faltering squad, adding quality and purpose to a side that has been cut adrift since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
A run of seventh, fourth, and fifth place in the Premier League is unlike any since the sixth-place finish Ferguson managed in 1990/91. His final squad was destroyed by Moyes, left devoid of confidence and completely lacking in faith in its leadership. Van Gaal‘s rebuilding job may turn out to have laid some decent groundwork, but it was essentially a failure on the pitch.
Their approach to the transfer market was an embarrassingly public failure under Moyes and a hit-and-miss patchwork under Van Gaal. Whatever happens in the Paul Pogba saga, per Sky Sports, Mourinho‘s summer has already been successful on this front—he has identified weaknesses in the squad and addressed them.
United’s precipitous post-Ferguson fall is something that may require a little time to recover from, making Mourinho‘s second season the time to strike. However, the external challenge means that sooner rather than later is the moment of maximum opportunity.
Lower-tier Premier League clubs will have their spending power increased by new television revenues. Champions Leicester City have smashed the glass ceiling for those whose traditional seat was away from the top table.
Two of the division’s stumbling heavyweights have had a significant managerial upgrade in the summer. Chelsea have hired Antonio Conte and Manchester City have brought in Pep Guardiola. Jurgen Klopp is attempting to rebuild Liverpool into a competitive force.
There is a window of opportunity here. Mourinho‘s methods are more direct than Guardiola‘s in particular, and he has a significant edge in terms of Premier League experience than all three of those managers. His potential to hit the ground running exceeds theirs. But when they catch up, they will be a formidable threat.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur are growing stronger. Perhaps even Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will break out of their apparently endless cycle of Groundhog Day tribute seasons and have a campaign where they impress from beginning to end. Either way, there are a plenty of teams in the division who could build on a good start.
United are most certainly one of them. Ironically, given how far they looked from a title push by the midpoint of last season, if Mourinho can build the feel-good factor early in the season, there is a high ceiling for how well United can do this time around.
Good recruitment—already well under way—and a squad reinvigorated by being let off Van Gaal‘s restrictive leash, given the support of a fanbase desperate for a return to more familiar success. This is a potent cocktail.
Ironic as it may be for the former footballing superpower that is Manchester United to use Leicester as any kind of inspiration, their story is in large part a testament to the awesome power of the feel-good factor. Properly motivated and with the right kind of self-belief, human beings can do remarkable things.
So a window of opportunity created by uncertainty at other clubs could combine with an early bounce to create genuine momentum. But those are reasons why United would greatly benefit from getting off to a good start, rather than why they absolutely have to.
It is tempting to get swept up by the myths and charisma which surround Mourinho. He has phenomenal presence and carries himself like the giant of the game that he is. For now, being a United fan and looking at the manager is tremendously reassuring.
There is a sense that as long as he is around, everything will be fine. Mourinho-mania is at its peak.
History suggests that feeling is fleeting, though. He left FC Porto for pastures new—an understandable desire to stretch his wings. He left Chelsea the first time after falling out with Roman Abramovich.
He left Inter Milan for the beguiling prospect of managing Real Madrid, but after three seasons of drama on and off the pitch he left to return to Chelsea. The second honeymoon lasted two full seasons, before a spectacular implosion left the reunion with a bitter ending midway through the third.
The vast difference between Mourinho‘s demeanour as Chelsea romped to the title in 2014/15 and as they fell face-first during the 2015/16 campaign should serve as a warning. The confident, all-conquering manner he currently wears is only one of his looks. He, and United, have to strike while the iron is hot.
And the iron is very hot. He has got off to an excellent start, acting decisively around his staff choices and in the transfer market.
He has made it clear that Wayne Rooney‘s future does not lie in midfield, per the Guardian, something which comes as a relief to anyone who watched United’s captain struggle there whenever pressure was applied.
On top of all that there is the feel-good factor and optimism that followed in the wake of Van Gaal‘s departure. United fans, by and large, were thoroughly sick of the football on show, and having someone of Mourinho‘s track record in charge provides a huge lift.
Pre-season begins in earnest on Friday as United take on Borussia Dortmund in China. Much will be made of that and particularly the subsequent game against Manchester City in Beijing on Monday.
What really matters, though. is that Mourinho and United hit the ground running when the Premier League season begins. This time around, they simply have to.
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