This is a very tricky and at the same time a very interesting question. The recent Man United situation has sparked up a lot of talking points over the past few weeks.
Many are asking if Mourinho should be the one to take all the blame and responsibility for the problems going on at Man United. And that is what inspired me to write this post…
Before I delve more deeply, let me briefly talk about what I feel are the three major roles in club football
- The board
- The manager
- The players
The Board:
For Man United, the board is made up of persons who play specific roles in the running of the club. One of the most popular figure that is part of the United board is Mr. Woodward. The board decides how the club is run and decides any action the club takes. The board of Man United has a really strong authority over what happens in and around the club and they have the powers to stand by their decisions. They even have the powers to decide which player or players to buy or not and also which player to sell.
The manager:
In this case, Mourinho, also plays a very important role in the club. As we all know, he is the manager of Man United and as a manager, he is in charge of everything that happens in the training ground and on the pitch. He also plays a vital role in players signing. His major role is team organization, team selection, formation, tactics, training etc. The outcome of any game is greatly influenced by his decisions before the game. He is the one that decides which player starts or not, the formation the team will play, the tactics involved in the game and substitutions in the game. The manager controls the players and give out instructions on the pitch before or during a match.
The players:
The players are also very important because, without them, the club will not be useful. They are the ones that carry out the instructions of the manager on the pitch. Their main job is to understand the manager’s ideas and tactics and be able to implement that on the pitch. Every player has a role which he plays on the pitch and every position on the pitch has its own role. Whichever player is playing a certain role, his sole objective is to carry out all the tactical instructions given by his manager and play his very best.
WHO TAKES THE BLAME FOR MAN UNITED’S UNDERPERFORMANCE?
Man United as a football club has been great for so many years and are still a great club. Ever since Ferguson retired from the club, the club has never reached any top heights. Jose was hired as the manager to restore that glory the reds once had… his first season saw Man United spend millions of dollars in the transfer market hoping to regain that power and fear factor they had under Ferguson.
We all know that Mourinho is a man that has a huge ego and the whole world thought that he was the one to restore greatness at Old Trafford.
The first season showed signs of the club heading to the desired direction as they won 3 titles which included the Europa league. From that point, it was all downhill, both in performance and instability in and around the club.
It has even gone worst this season… they already have the worst ever start to a premier league season since over 22 years and they have already lost 3 games.
A lot of fingers are pointing at Jose for what is going on at the club due to the way he handles player’s situations and his pragmatic football style. His defensive system and tactics as seen his team perform badly even against weaker oppositions. Their most recent game against Newcastle saw them go 2 nil down in the opening 8 minutes of the game… before the dramatic comeback to win the game 3-2.
All the things going on between Jose and the players and how the team is performing is what inspired me to write this post…
The question still remains; is it always the manager's fault if the team is underperforming?
MY OPINION
For me, the answer is a big NO… what is currently going on at Man United isn’t only the fault of Mourinho… in fact, it is collective effort… the manager, the players, and the board are all at fault regarding their current situation, most especially Mourinho and the players.
Firstly, Mourinho hasn’t really changed much from his Chelsea days… he hasn’t evolved his tactics and still plays a very boring and pragmatic/defensive style of football which is the main reason behind most of their recent bad performances. Sometimes, his team selection also affects their performance.
Secondly, the players show no sign of desire and will to fight for the shirt and for the club regardless of whether they like the manager or not. No intensity in their gameplay and some players are simply not good enough or make careless mistakes during a match. Players like Lukaku and Pogba hasn’t really lived up to expectations since joining the club.
Thirdly, the board also have their own part. They have not really shown all the support needed… yes, it is true that Jose bought some very expensive players, but there are some players currently at the club that are simply not good enough to play for a club of this caliber. There are areas on the pitch that Jose needs strengthening, but the board is not showing support toward getting the required players to fill in those spots.
Finally, I would conclude by saying that the manager of any football club isn’t always at fault when the team is not performing well. Sometimes, the players don’t put in their best. Like in my previous post, the manager only has so much to do, the players are the ones who play on the pitch and it is the duty of every player to give his all during a match. Also, the board might be at fault too. If a manager needs some certain players that fit his idea of football and the board doesn’t support the manager to buy those players, you can’t blame the manager if the teams keep underperforming. Even though the manager takes the largest share, there are other factors that can make a team to underperform which are beyond the manager’s control.
What do you think… is it always the manager’s fault when a team underperforms?
I would like to hear your own opinions… Enjoy your day.
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