Things sure changed quickly for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United. Mourinho looked to have turned United around as the season kicked off, but now the United boss finds himself under fire from pundits and fans alike.
Manchester United needed a saviour after a disastrous three seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped away from the club. Jose Mourinho arrived as the newest potential saviour in the summer, after Louis van Gaal was the latest to disappoint at Old Trafford.
The one thing Mourinho always seems to bring with him is self-belief. That self-belief soon rubbed off on everybody associated with the Red Devils. Suddenly, after Mourinho’s arrival, coupled with a summer spending spree, Mourinho had everybody believing again.
Everybody was on board. The ship was, finally, heading in the right direction. And it still is. Just not as fast as everybody thought it was. After starting the season with three wins in the Premier League, United crashed to defeat at home to local rivals Manchester City in the Manchester derby.
That was the real test of Mourinho’s work. That was the real test of whether United had really been revived or whether it was all more perception than reality. That game was a reality check.
It also highlighted some problems which were already boiling under the surface. Problems you get away with against Bournemouth, Southampton and Hull City – although even that was nip and tuck. The first warning, perhaps.
The reality, even this early in the season, is that the job of rebuilding United is much bigger than signing a few players and a bold, bullish, confident manager. Mourinho boldly declared the team’s title intentions very early on. He was virtually the only Premier League manager to do so.
That showed belief in the players, but what is belief if it is misplaced? It also applied pressure to a team still to find themselves. No other top manager came out and declared their intentions so boldly. It was unnecessary.
Mourinho fired the first warning shots but now finds himself in retreat. That was just one mistake. One of many the Portuguese has already made in his short time at United.
Next: Square pegs, round holes