Will Power

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Will Jose Mourinho get another big job after Manchester United?

Jonathan Liew questioned on the Sunday Supplement whether Jose Mourinho would land another big job after Manchester United, and believes there is an element of "self-doubt" and a "lack of confidence" in Mourinho's demeanour for the first time.

Mourinho's position as United manager has been under scrutiny recently, with reports this week even suggesting he could be sacked this weekend.

United gave Mourinho a much-needed lift when they fought back from 2-0 down to beat Newcastle 3-2 in a dramatic game at Old Trafford on Saturday.

However, Liew - chief sports writer at The Independent - said he thinks Mourinho is "fighting for his future in elite management".

"What we have seen in the last 18 months, two years is something we didn't think we'd see with Mourinho; there has been an element of self-doubt creeping in," he said on the Sunday Supplement.

"He has started tinkering with tactics, he's experimented with three at the back, he has been making these wild changes to the team, tinkering with the defence, making substitutions after 18 minutes, and it strikes me as someone who is seeing the way the tide of the game is going and almost second guessing and third guessing himself. That seems to stem from a lack of confidence in himself.

"I am not going to say it's his last big job, but it's hard to see where he goes from here if this all goes wrong. He is fighting for his future in elite management and wondering whether the game that he has dominated for around a decade has passed him by."

Mourinho revealed after the win over Newcastle that he had received a text from a Manchester United board member ensuring him his job was not under threat.

And the Sunday Times' Jonathan Northcroft explained why he does not think United will get rid of Mourinho anytime soon.

"There is a lack of direction and vision at Manchester United and if something significant emerged from the chanting yesterday it was the fans singing against the board," he said.

"They were singing throughout the first half against Ed Woodward [United executive vice-chairman] and the board. I think the lack of direction is a reason why Mourinho might stay in a power for quite a bit longer. I don't think the club knows what it wants to be and where it wants to go.

"The decision-makers lack a lot of expertise. Ed Woodward and a narrow band of contemporaries, who are bankers and accountants, are advising Joel Glazer, who is an American venture capitalist. They are the guys making football decisions and I don't think they know what they are after.

"When it comes to Mourinho's future I think it falls into the category of problems they don't know how to solve. I think it adds up to Jose staying in the medium-term future, possibly until the end of the season, and yesterday showed there is still the potential at Manchester United - at least for the 20 minutes where they looked like Manchester United - that the players have enough pride to mount the comeback that they did.

"The idea that the club is so shattered that Mourinho had to go now might have been disabused yesterday. But it's hard to predict what they do because I don't think they know what they want to do."

Credit: Skysports.com

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