Jose Mourinho can ignore the critics after his Liverpool stalemate
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Published 15/10/2017 at 19:25 GMT
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho can ignore criticism over failing to attack Liverpool during the 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday.
José Mourinho
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Jose Mourinho is, apparently, an enemy of football. His is a product that nullifies and negates all that is right. The sport and institution that thrills and entertains millions across the world and lines the pockets of several men - Mourinho isn't interested in joining that jamboree. He wants to get his head down, win the trophies, succeed on his own terms, and has little interest in doing anything other than that.
There are a few ways to look at this, and none of them are necessarily without merit. When Mourinho has considered the intricacies of various oppressions, he often failed to appreciate the nuanced context of the world. His behaviour over Eva Carneiro was indefensible, as it was when he questioned the class and intelligence of Cristiano Ronaldo when United were challenging his Chelsea side. Both these episodes went too far to be indulged, but that is not how he approaches football.
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: Daley Blind of Manchester United celebrates with the trophy at the end of the UEFA Europa League Final between Ajax and Manchester United at Friends Arena on May 24, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden
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The campaign against Mourinho always fails when it comes to attacking him on the aesthetics of his teams. Against most sides this season, United have battered and eviscerated their opponents. It has not required the guile of Francis Urquhart to succeed, but it has the measured strength and pain of a Malcolm Tucker assault. There is no room for elaboration with this United side. They want the right amount of points, at the right speed, with the right amount of risk.
Mourinho is only interested in building a team that can win trophies and deliver success. As he showed at Inter Milan, Chelsea, Porto and occasionally at Real Madrid, he can form real emotional ties with players that go beyond the game. His main aim is to win trophies, but he is not a machine - he does not necessarily want robots, merely ruthlessness. He is not heartless, but he does not need overly expressive players in his side, he needs players who will deliver. As he has shown over the past two decades, he is one of the best of all time at doing this.
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klopp mourinho
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Like Tucker, Mourinho is playing his own game. For the spin doctor, he expresses that through the medium of politics. For Mourinho, it is through the medium of football. Tucker rejects the idea that he is a bully, and is instead fighting to win against the greater evil of the Conservative party and the greed he believes it represents. He rails against incompetence and flabby thinking. Mourinho has the same, fighting against specialising in failure and 'PlayStation football.'
And so Mourinho measures his approach to games in order to win titles. Last season, he rationed resources to secure a League Cup, took April off when injuries began to pile up, and neutered Ajax with his pre-match tactical preparations. Champions League and a European trophy, all delivered at a canter and with Phil Jones in his squad. United performed well enough to meet expectations last season, and Mourinho never seemed concerned that things would turn out differently.
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Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho (L) talks with team captain John Terry as Terry and teammate Arjen Robben stretch during open practice at the University of California in Los Angeles 10 July 2007. Chelsea is hold a two-week training camp in Los Angeles before
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When he was at Chelsea in his first spell, during some generic battering against the usual Premier League dross, he called over John Terry for a tactical briefing. The essence of the instruction was that while they were ahead 2-0, "We don't want to win this 5-0." To some, that might seem bizarre. You surely want to win by the most amount of goals you can. To Mourinho, it doesn't work like that. You take your three points, and if you are given the chance to rest, then you rest. The season lasts for the best part of a year. There will be injuries, stumbles, suspensions and problems - why bring more trouble on yourself through over-exertion?
This is presumably what Mourinho was trying against Liverpool. He knows that Jurgen Klopp is a talented manager, and that Philippe Coutinho is a threat. He knows that Jones, Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian are vulnerable. That Ander Herrera is a clogger. To him, one point from Anfield would be sufficient to win them the title. If he felt otherwise, then you can assume he would go for the win. But in October, without Paul Pogba and plenty of games to come, a point would do.
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Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool and Jose Mourinho manager of Manchester United give instructions during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on January 15, 2017 in Manchester, England
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And so, he will take it, and keep Liverpool behind him in the table. They go to Portugal to play on Wednesday, where a point will suffice in Lisbon. Then they travel to Huddersfield and Swansea, two eminently winnable games, before taking on Spurs at home. These are games that are to be managed - not all of them have to be won. The most important thing is to take three points against both Swansea and Huddersfield, and be fresh against Spurs. A win against them would do the most damage compared to a win at Anfield.
Now, Mourinho might have misjudged his resources. Given how poor Liverpool were despite United's lack of interest in attacking, perhaps they were there for the taking. Perhaps Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will continue their superhuman physical exertions, and match them with technical brilliance, and run away to the title. But Mourinho - despite his rumblings over a new contract - isn't running away from Old Trafford. Coming second and finding comfort in Europe would probably do him fine. He could to bring in Antoine Griezmann and be ready to take the game to his title rivals next season.
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Antoine Griezmann
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Or, if you look at his record in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, perhaps he simply knows what he is doing and is capable of winning league titles wherever he goes. Maybe a draw against Liverpool is all he thinks he needs, and he will end up being right in May. People might consider that anti-football, and they would be wrong, considering the goals scored by United already this season. United are entertaining, but on Mourinho's terms.
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