Jose Mourinho might have hoped for a longer honeymoon at Manchester United, but three defeats in a row, in the space of a week, have led to the first major flashpoint of his Old Trafford reign.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has the experience, and the quality, to right United’s wobbly ship. After all, it was only 10 days ago that the Red Devils were unbeaten in the English Premier League, having made a perfect start to life underthe Portuguese .
A week is a long time in politics, goes the cliche — and if there is a semblance of truth in the idiom as it relates to Westminster, then it goes for football too.
United is in a “mini-crisis,” according to the club’s midfielder Marouane Fellaini. And The Sun reports several of the club’s players were “shocked” by the manner in which Mourinho dressed them down following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Watford.
Luke Shaw came in for particular criticism, with Mourinho singling the left-back out in his post-match press conference as solely responsible for Watford’s second, winning goal.
The Times reported on Tuesday morning that Shaw was “unhappy” at Mourinho calling him out. The defender is understood to have suffered the recurrence of a groin injury in the second-half that may have contributed to his poor positioning for Camilo Zuniga’s goal.
United’s task in regaining the morale lost in those three consecutive defeats hardly gets any easier, as after the League Cup tie against Northampton Town on Wednesday evening the club face current Premier League champions and in-form Leicester City at Old Trafford.
Mourinho still, clearly, commands respect at United. But he could have done without alleged dressing-room discontent so early in his tenure.
