Hopes For 2018: Place Your Trust In Mourinho

On New Year’s Eve, to conclude our 'Hopes for 2018' series, ManUtd.com’s Mark Froggatt reflects on the past 12 months and looks forward to the year ahead under Jose Mourinho…

I want more improvement, more progress and more trophies.

Yes, that cry of ‘more, more, more’ makes me sound like a spoilt brat on Christmas Day, but that was my simple answer when asked what I hope to see from Manchester United in 2018. It’s yours too, right?

As you read this ahead of the New Year, our annual bookmark for reflection and evaluation, I believe my expectations are entirely reasonable and fair, based on where we were at this point of 2016.

Consider the facts: Mourinho had us at sixth in the Premier League after 21 matches, with 40 points and a goal difference of 12. After the same number of fixtures this time around, we are third with 44 points and a goal difference of 27. Before our three straight draws over Christmas, the contrast was far, far greater.

Furthermore, back then, we’d recently qualified for the Europa League Round of 32 after a Thursday-night win at little-known Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk. Today, we’ve progressed to the Champions League last-16 as Group A winners with 15 points and the prospect of heavyweight battles with Europe's elite to come.

We cannot ignore the disappointment of this month’s league results, or the Carabao Cup defeat to Bristol City at the quarter-final stage, but setbacks happen and we must focus on the bigger picture.

The red line on the graph that charts our post-Sir Alex Ferguson progress is at a five-year high, and all of the evidence under Mourinho suggests it will continue to rise.

The problem is Manchester City and their blue line, which is also rising with frustrating purpose.

Pep Guardiola's team are top of the table with a big lead and therein lies the problem: our overall progress is shrouded by the buzz around the Blues, prompting fans to glance enviably across town. Yet it’s also a common belief that if Arsenal, Chelsea or Tottenham were top, then most would be quietly content.

That unfortunately isn’t the case. It is City, those annoying cousins, who represent our greatest challenge in 2018. That is definitely not a bad thing, though, in terms of motivation or drive. Just ask yourself this question: other than Liverpool leading the title race by a similar margin, would any other scenario inspire such a chest-pumping, blood-boiling desire to improve, progress and win? Not for me.

The assumption that Guardiola’s team has already won the title is, for me, a reason why they may not - because complacency is the devil at this stage of the season. As history has taught us all too well, we at Manchester United always play to the final whistle and not a moment sooner. It's a tall order, perhaps the tallest ever, but so was scoring twice in added time of a Champions League final we'd under-performed in.

Mourinho is a relentless, uncompromising winner and, whatever some outsiders may think of him, or certain performances, the facts show we are moving onwards and upwards as a team, both in domestic and European competition.
No matter how short-sighted and judgemental football has become, that is certainly the bigger picture for Manchester United as a club and patience is clearly needed at this time.

It is grating to see City at the top, astoundingly being heralded already as the “greatest team in Premier League history” without winning a trophy, but remember it is merely half-time and anything can still happen.

It is in the very fabric of this club to believe in the impossible dream. We’ll never die, we’ll never die.

Just have a little faith and patience. The boss has a proven track record of improving teams, with a mix of effective man-management and shrewd transfer business, which is why I’m optimistic for 2018.

If the trophies do not arrive this season, then you can be certain an all-out assault will be launched on the 2018/19 campaign with added fire and fury. Should the manager replicate the improvement between 1 January 2016 and 2017, then we have lots to look forward to as Manchester United fans.

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.

Credit: Manutd.com