Do Manchester United Have The Character Jose Mourinho Demands?

Jose Mourinho seems frustrated with some of his Manchester United squad. Do they have the character he demands? This is a very different group to his favourites of the past, writes Adam Bate...

Jose Mourinho's Champions League triumph with Porto was extraordinary, but it's perhaps Inter's win in 2010 that better defines him. A battle-hardened bunch of winners assembled for one last mission. Like an old Hollywood B-movie but with a cast full of A-listers.

Inter won the treble that year. "This Scudetto bears the signature of Mourinho," said club president Massimo Moratti. But it was the concentration demonstrated in their run to Champions League glory in the Bernabeu that truly exemplified Mourinho at his best.

Beating former club Chelsea on their own patch, fending off the best efforts of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, before getting the better of old mentor Louis van Gaal. It was arguably his finest achievement. That year, more than ever, he had a group who played football in his own image.

"It is a style of blood not skill," said Mourinho after the unlikely semi-final win over Barca. "We were a team of heroes. We sweated blood. It's a pity I could not play because I have got the same blood. I have already won a Champions League but today was even better. We made huge sacrifices."

Javier Zanetti spoke of a team "with Mourinho's character". There was experience all over the pitch. Everyone knew their job and was dedicated to doing it well. Veteran players gave everything of themselves for the team. At nearly 26, Wesley Sneijder was the youngest starter in the final.

Mourinho has had success before and since but not for nothing did he call Italy his "natural habit". It's tempting to think he finds it easier to get the right response from players such as Marco Materazzi - with whom he cried on the pitch upon lifting the trophy in 2010 - than younger men.

Manchester United might well be Mourinho's dream job but it's far more difficult to be persuaded that this is his dream squad. "It would be easier for me to have 20 new players and start from zero," he admitted even before taking charge of his first competitive game as United manager.

Three months on and that view has only been reinforced. Even in victory over Swansea on Sunday, there were harsh words for England internationals Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw - the pair having withdrawn from the squad through injury on the eve of the match.

"Smalling doesn't feel he can play 100 per cent with his pain," he said. "Shaw told me this morning he was not in the condition to play so we had to build a defensive line. There is a difference between the brave that will be there at any cost and the ones that a little pain can make a difference."

It feels harsh on Shaw, a player whose injury problems have been anything but trivial. But perhaps Mourinho prefers to recall the days when Cristian Chivu battled back from a fractured skull to play his part in Inter's treble run-in. He is still testing out the characters in this United squad.

The criticism of Smalling shows it's not all about age and experience, but it's telling too that Michael Carrick and Ashley Young have come in from the cold. "I would love to play him every game," Mourinho said of Carrick. Others have much left to learn.

The problem for Mourinho is that he has taken a job in which he has little option but to trust in youth. For example, David de Gea, a man younger than the youngest player in that Inter side, was older than half of his team-mates in the 3-1 defeat at Watford in September.

Mourinho is working with an uncharacteristically inexperienced group and while he was quick upon his arrival to defend his much-maligned record of bringing through youngsters, he's also been keen for people to know that he is not working with the finished article either.

Having initially insisted he was aiming for the title despite United's recent struggles, a subsequent run of three consecutive defeats saw old issues resurface. "Some individuals probably feel the pressure and responsibility too much," said Mourinho after that Watford defeat.

"We started the season very well. But was I thinking that my team was ready, perfect, unbeatable? Not at all. I was completely aware that we were not perfect, with lots of players who are not end products and can make their own mistakes."

Mourinho spoke of a preference for specialists in his first press conference. It was a reference to positions but it might also be defined as having experts in their roles. Unfortunately for Mourinho, as he has pointed out, his squad is full of players who are learning on the job.

Prior to his injury, Eric Bailly showed promise at centre-back but Mourinho himself acknowledged he was signing a player with a "question mark" against his name. The Ivorian showed when failing to deal with a high ball in the derby against Manchester City that he's not the finished product just yet.

Daley Blind's shortcomings were apparent seconds later when he allowed Kevin De Bruyne to run through for the game's opening goal. Both he and Smalling then contrived to allow Pedro to score Chelsea's first in the 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge that marked the low point of Mourinho's reign so far.

For the most part, Mourinho remains measured in his delivery but the words betray a sense of exasperation. There's a hint of confusion as to why players are unable to follow his instructions. Even after that Chelsea 'humiliation' he clearly felt that his plan was the right one.

"If you can delete the defensive mistakes from the game I would say it was a good performance," he said. "Class performance, good possession, using the ball well, creating chances, creating half chances, pushing the opposition to a defensive approach. But we cannot delete the mistakes."

Perhaps that explains why the siege mentality he'd once favoured has given way to such public criticism. It was Mourinho's planning that marked him out from his peers - the dossiers and the dedication. But all that can be undermined if too many players do not share his mentality.

Is that a generational thing? Despite the suggestions De Bruyne was discarded by Chelsea, Mourinho appeared dismayed that he was unable to provoke a desire in the youngster - a willingness to fight for his opportunity. As the age-gap between player and coach grows, the relationship changes.

Jesse Lingard actually claimed earlier this season that Mourinho isn't as "strict" as his outward demeanour might suggest and maybe that's a clue that the coach is aware that patience has become key. "It's something that doesn't perfect in a couple of weeks," he has said. "I knew that I had this task."

But it's tempting too to wonder whether Mourinho's methods are more effective with experienced players whose confidence can't be shattered by such criticism. After all, it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic's confidence he cited when explaining why he was "never worried" about the striker's goal drought.

Those are the characters he needs. "This is not for kids," he said after that Chelsea defeat. "This is for men." The sort of men who are able to take responsibility and thrive under pressure. The sort of men he found at Inter in 2010. The sort of men he's still hoping that the United of 2016 can become.

Credit: Skysports.com