Mourinho And Manchester United Can Unite To Stop Pep Guardiola From Dominating The Premier League
REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino
After months of speculations, Manchester City finally confirmed on Monday afternoon that Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola will replace current boss Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad in the summer.
With United already trailing to their local rivals, the gap is only likely to widen now. Even Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has expressed his worries on twitter.
https://twitter.com/rioferdy5/status/694154739873910784
Rio and lots of Manchester United fans have a good amount of reasons to be worried. The 45-year-old Spaniard is one of the most successful managers, as proven by the fact that in his four years at Barcelona, he won 14 trophies and a total of 19 trophies as a manager, at a rate of one every 20.2 games.
With Manchester City’s ambitious efforts to dominate English football, Manchester United, the biggest club in England, seems in danger of losing their status. One of the most historically powerful clubs could fall away to be replaced by modern force in a similar manner to how they themselves outdistanced Liverpool in the 1990s.
However, no matter how daunting Pep Guardiola’s appointment at Manchester City is, Manchester United can still stop him from dominating Premier League by Uniting with ‘The Special One’ Jose Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho knows the Premier League and knows how to win trophies. ‘The Special One’ spent the last 15 years on the touchlines of European football, winning and achieving more than most coaches would only dream of.
He might argue, with plenty of justification, that any reservations about his methods are eased by the fact that he is a virtual guarantee of trophies – something Old Trafford’s traditionalists may accept as a price worth paying for the Mourinho ticket.
His ideals may not be embedded in the seams of Old Trafford, but he could bring glory and success to the club. English Giants may have to forget their dynasty ideal when appointing a new manager. What they need now is some passion, some charisma and some energy, in short: JOSE MOURINHO.
Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan were successful in putting breaks on Guardiola’s Champions League dominance with Barcelona.
Jose’s mighty Inter Milan denied Barcelona’s chance to become the first side to successfully defend the Champions League trophy in the modern era thanks to Special One’s tactical masterstroke.
Inter Milan’s 3-1 triumph over the exceptional world champions Barcelona was special. He defeated Barcelona by two clear goals, a feat no other coach managed that season.
He remains the only manager besides Sir Alex Ferguson to defend a Premier League title, and it took him only two years in his first stint at Chelsea to build a team that looked capable of becoming an existential threat to United’s continued dominance over English football.
Style of play is important too, and Mourinho has produced teams capable of playing viscerally thrilling football at times, especially on the counter with the likes of Arjen Robben and Damien Duff, or Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil.
When Chelsea won the title last season, their early season performances – inspired by summer acquisitions Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas – were the perfect blend of exciting attack and defensive steel that is Mourinho’s trademark.
Chelsea scored 73 league goals, 10 fewer than second-placed Manchester City, but two more than Arsenal – with Arsene Wenger’s side often held up as the purists’ delight.
And when Mourinho won his second title with Chelsea in 2005-06, they equalled the goal tally of runners-up Manchester United with 72, but only conceded 22 to Manchester United’s 34.
Manchester United’s Ander Herrera has also claimed Jose Mourinho’s attractive style could work at Manchester United.
“It’s funny that. You see, Mou played for Chelsea with Cesc, Willian, Oscar, Hazard and Costa. Only Matic as defensive midfielder.
“Is that not attractive? Or his Madrid scoring record? His Chelsea, with how hard it is, won the Premier well in advance… Yes I have seen Chelsea play well.”
He’s reportedly sent a six-page dossier-cum-application to United outlining what he believes to be the causes of their current problems, and how he can address their various misgivings over his candidacy, as reported by the Independent.
Put simply, post-the Dutchman, United fans will demand someone who can stand toe-to-toe with the iconic Guardiola, not just in fighting their corner, but in bringing success – Mourinho’s track record makes him that man.
Mourinho has observed Old Trafford for long enough to know what is required – and while his first priority is always to win, he is wise enough to know that a certain style is demanded.
United surely cannot risk putting a rookie in the shape of Ryan Giggs – no full-time management experience and nothing to suggest he will succeed – against Guardiola.
