Following Manchester United’s less-than-impressive start to the season José Mourinho’s side is now on a bit of a roll. Eight wins in succession in all competitions, including a 4-0 drubbing of Championship outfit Reading in the FA Cup, means confidence is at the highest point it’s been since last summer. It’s a run the Reds can continue when Hull City arrives at Old Trafford for a League Cup semi-final this Tuesday.
UNITEDRANT
How quickly the narrative can change. In November, with Manchester United slipping well off the pace in the Premier League and looking game for an early exit from the Europa League, the pressure began to build on new coach José Mourinho. The Portuguese manager had come off a disastrous season at Chelsea, which ended in his dismissal by Roman Abramovich for the second time. Had the maestro’s mojo truly gone? Certainly, there was plenty of evidence in United’s inconsistent performances and disappointing results to suggest as much. Just a few weeks and eight victories later, nobody will draw that conclusion. Mourinho and United are back.
Rewind to January 2016 and the mood at Manchester United could hardly be more different. Although Louis Van Gaal did not depart until the end of the season, it was in the disastrous conclusion to 2015 that his fate was effectively sealed. The Reds did not win a game in December during a dismal run that included three straight defeats. Title ambitions were shattered and at one stage it appeared as though Van Gaal would not make it to the New Year.
It’s 2017. New year, same old story: United just keep on winning. In the past week José Mourinho’s side beat Middlesbrough at Old Trafford with a comeback of Fergusonian proportions, and gained a somewhat fortunate victory at the Olympic Stadium over West Ham United. That’s seven on the trot for one of the country’s most in-form teams.
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Whisper it but the outlook is a lot rosier for José Mourinho and his Manchester United side. The Reds have embarked on a seven game winning streak delivering different types of victories in the process… but victories nonetheless.
It felt right, didn’t it? The Stretford End “sucked the ball in,” as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put it after Manchester United scored two late goals to beat Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. The intensity with which José Mourinho’s side attacked as the clock wound down drew memories of yesteryear. The rush of adrenaline as Anthony Martial equalised; the euphoria of that late Paul Pogba winner. Three points. Momentum firmly with the Reds.
José Mourinho has gained a reputation for alienating many in the game. The big personality, robust ego and single-minded drive to win is ill-suited to making friends. Yet, the Portuguese manager comes face-to-face this weekend with one of his few friends in the game, former assistant and Middlesbrough coach Aitor Karanka. It’ll be a meeting of minds as well as colleagues. Yet, with Manchester United desperate to add a fifth straight league win as momentum builds, there’ll be little time for friendship at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Schneiderlin’s failure a tale of ill timing and bad planning
Adam Joseph
December 30, 2016
Tags: José Mourinho, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Premier League, Southampton
Opinion
11 comments
Sometimes it’s just not meant to be. Despite the best intentions the relationship just doesn’t work, the pieces just don’t fit, there’s a square peg in a round hole. It’s an apt description for Morgan Schneiderlin’s time at Manchester United, which is coming to a low-key end as he metaphorically slips out the back door – a transfer away from Old Trafford is likely this winter.
In the last Rant Cast of 2016 Ed & Paul celebrate the fact that David Moyes manages someone else and that Manchester United beat his team 3-1. They wax lyrical about Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s majestic scorpion kick, Paul Pogba’s midfield performance and celebrate the fact that for now at least, United seem to be good again.
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It’s the season of goodwill, but there may be little of it at Old Trafford for former Manchester United boss David Moyes when his Sunderland team arrives on Boxing Day. There has been a feeling of indifference towards Sir Alex Ferguson’s hapless successor in the period since he was sacked in 2014. Moyes was hopelessly out of his depth at United, and although his dismissal was handled poorly, it was absolutely the right thing to do. The Scot contributed heavily to the club’s post-Fergie malaise, and should never have been given the job in the first place. Much of the blame has been levelled at the powers who appointed him. As such, there wasn’t a substantial amount of disdain towards the Scot. Until now.