Things can change very quickly in football, and Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho is finding out about that this week after seeing his side crash out of the Champions League.
The Red Devils suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Sevilla on Tuesday night, which was enough to send the Spanish outfit through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
After a goalless draw in Spain, United appeared to be in a strong position to progress, but they failed to deliver and naturally Mourinho was the one to face the brunt of criticism from supporters and pundits, just days after his side had secured a big win over rivals Liverpool.
According to The Daily Mail, the defeat has led to some serious questions being asked by senior Man Utd officials about Mourinho, specifically whether or not his management style and culture is suitable for the club.
In truth, this is an issue that has been raised over and over again and for a very long time by supporters and pundits who have questioned Mourinho’s use of negative tactics in the past.
For a club like United who have prided themselves on a culture and style of football that promotes attacking football which started prior to Sir Alex Ferguson, Mourinho has arrived and as expected, adopted a more pragmatic and defensive approach instead.
That has led to criticism of his tactics in games against direct rivals, with memorable, for the wrong reasons, bore draws or close games with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham, along with defeats to Manchester City.
When it works, he’s rightly praised. However, for many it arguably just papers over the cracks of the lack of cohesion between the club and manager over what is expected at Old Trafford. Especially when it doesn’t deliver results and trophies, it leaves Mourinho completely exposed as we’ve seen this week after the Sevilla loss, and now with this report from the Mail.