The Portuguese will either understand modern footballers or will become a thing of the past.

On Tuesday, Juventus beat Manchester United to Old Trafford, and Jose Mourinho again showed his opponent three fingers. The United coach looked vulnerable and tired of criticism. He clearly freaked out about the need to justify another unsuccessful match.

José is constantly attacked by journalists, rivals and fans, but the United coach complicates his life. When he does not like something, the Portuguese turns into an evil fury, and his actions are difficult to logic.

The coach teaches the stars and openly blames individual players for failures. His choice of composition is often based not on schemes, but on discipline and personal sympathies.

Recently, Mourinho told Eden Hazard about the emotional switch:

“If you win, Mourinho is the best coach you can imagine. Then he is your friend, and you can do whatever you want. Do you want a day off? He will give you two. If the results are bad, he begins to criticize the players.”

Now this is repeated in Manchester United. For every mistake - not only in the game, but also in communication with the coach - the player goes to the bench and gets out of there not soon. In recent years, public executions have been added to drastic personnel decisions. Sometimes the Special One doesn’t even need a reason to dislike - José doubts the player and checks him for endurance.

Pedro Leon got back in the Real. When asked José at the press conference why he had excluded the Spaniard from the match, he replied:

“You are talking about Pedro Leon, as if he were Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona or Alfredo di Stefano. When he works the way I want from him, it will be easier for him to get the right to play. If he does not do this, it will create difficulties for him.”

Later, Leon told how in a private conversation José promised: “You will not play, even if the rest of the Real squad crashes in a plane crash”. For the player, such psychological pressure has become a serious stress.

In United, Pogba, Shaw, and Martial fell under the sight of Mourinho. Two Frenchmen annoyed Jose with the same things that many other creative football players in previous clubs had: they could not be tied to specific positions and they worked poorly in defense.

Last season, as a lesson for Pogba, Mourinho introduced in his place a young pupil, Scott McTominay. Compared to Paul, he was mediocre, but diligently carried out all the instructions of the coach. On McTominay lay the overwhelming task of replacing Pogba, but for Mourinho he was simply necessary for the education of the Frenchman.

Luke Shaw got even stronger. The long-suffering defender could not get out of the psychological pit after a double leg fracture and regularly received from Mourinho at press conferences: “Luke’s problems are connected with character, with confidence, with class. I can not compare it with the rest. He is far behind. ”

As a result, Shaw returned to the line-up and plays brightly this season. He even made a new contract with the club and thanked José. In his case, the butt from the coach worked as a motivation, but it is obvious that such a specific method could not be universal.

Sometimes Mourinho makes even more controversial decisions. Eric Bailly lost his place in the main line-up this spring. The official reason for the lack of a centerdef sounded like an excuse: Smalling and Jones need to practice before the World Cup, so they play. José, who had previously sharply criticized the attitude towards Jones in the national team, hardly showed such a nobility for the sake of Gareth Southgate.

Insiders called another motive: Mourinho got angry that Bailly missed some matches due to minor injuries, and took up the education of the defender. Previously, the coach has already criticized the players “MU” for not wanting to play through pain. As a result, Bailly missed the FA Cup final, in which the mistake of Phil Jones led to Hazard's winning goal from the penalty.

Bailly was in a difficult position. He never got into form after a long absence, and every error at the start of the season 2018/19 returned him to the bench. For the last time with Newcastle, Mourinho replaced Eric in the 19th minute after two goals conceded. Few would be surprised if the Ivorian finally lost the confidence of the coach.

Mourinho solutions only worsen the situation. Shaw and Martial returned to a high level in Manchester United, but this may not happen with Bailly - according to rumors, Arsenal and Tottenham are already interested in the player. The team has even less certainty with the composition than when it was headed by Jose.

Mourinho loves players like himself: Drogba, Materazzi, Ibrahimovic, Fellaini. Sergeants who will bite, beat on the legs and bleed for the sake of the general. If the player is not satisfied with something, Special One in the spirit of the Spartans offers to throw out of the team.

But the stars of the modern United are different from the harsh men from Chelsea and Inter of the late 2000s. Now football players are infantile and not so courageous, they talk more about problems and get hung up on them. A top-level coach cannot ignore this.

It was no coincidence that United's confusion began last winter after Ibrahimovic’s departure. Jose relied on the Swede, as his man in the composition, Zlatan restrained Pogba and was an unquestioned authority. But a serious injury sent Ibra to tear MLS, and the old-fashioned coach lost the main instrument of influence on talented children.

The football world has changed, but José himself has failed to change. He works with players in the same way as if it were 2007. Then Mourinho was considered a brilliant psychologist and motivator, now he reproduces the same thing, but without result. Bulging eyes and harsh words just break the players.

His main rivals have not lost contact with reality: Klopp and Guardiola motivate weak-tempered teenagers as tough as Jose, but at the same time they are having fun, making friends and interacting with them. They know when to shout at the guilty, and when to sit down next to and sincerely talk.

Mourinho’s relationship with the United players is reminiscent of a teacher who does not understand today's youth. He is nostalgic for the times when adolescents did not look for symptoms of neurosis, did not get depressed and just did what they were asked.

But now nobody cares about his instructions, and endless punishments show that he is powerless to influence the situation otherwise. Jose must understand the players and develop their best qualities or leave.