When Mourinho took his first press conference as manager of Manchester United in early July he looked like the cat that got the cream. It’s no secret that this is a job that the Special One has coveted for a long time and in his press conference he said that we need to forget the past three years. It’s unclear if he was talking about Manchester United’s last three years specifically or his second tenure at Chelsea (maybe both). But even the most die-hard United fan would admit that the past three seasons under Louis Van Gaal and David Moyes were well below par by United’s standards. Here we examine the changes Mourinho has made that could lead United to their 21st league title, and remember you can go to Best Deal Casinos to check out the latest Premier League football odds.
History
José Mourinho is a manager of the highest pedigree and he places a certain level of expectation upon himself. This is a man with a highly decorated career after winning the league in four different leagues with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. In ten seasons of club management José has won the domestic league on eight occasions and furthermore, at Chelsea and Inter, he won the league on his first try. So when it comes to this season at Manchester United, Mourinho doesn’t just hope to win the league, he expects to. After living in the shadow of his idol Sir Alex Ferguson for a long time, he needs win the league, if just for the sake of his own ego.
Signings
Upon taking charge of the Red Devils, Mourinho announced that he wanted four signings and set Ed Woodward the task of signing all four of them. While the names of these players weren’t declared ahead of time, fans began to speculate, and they turned out to be Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba. The Special One identified four clear gaps or weaknesses in the squad he inherited from his former mentor and instantly resolved them. These four players trump many of the signings made by Moyes and Van Gaal and shows a clear signal of intent this season.
Tactics and Results
With Mourinho you know you’ll see a pragmatic style of play with well organised defences and that is exactly what we’ve seen so far. Eric Bailly has seamlessly settled into the United back four and in front of world-class goalkeeper David De Gea, who seems to get better every season, so at the back United look solid. Zlatan has continued to score goals for fun, just like he did at PSG, and looks a constant attacking threat against opposing teams. Compared to a lack of scoring opportunities last season that is a vast improvement, and so far United are enjoying a 100% record at the top of the league table alongside Manchester City and Chelsea
Rivalry with Guardiola
The last time Pep Guardiola failed to win a league title, it was at the hands of José Mourinho. It is no secret of their rivalry when they managed Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. If Mourinho ever needed an extra incentive it will be his desire to get one over his rival once again. Furthermore Zlatan has also made no secret of the dislike he has for his former manager in Guardiola. With the Manchester Derby coming up he’ll be looking o score a number of goals to stop City from winning the league.
