Jose Mourinho, is without a shroud of doubt, one of the best managers in world football today. He has won over 20 titles at club level and numerous individual awards.
What is particularly impressive about the Portuguese tactician is that he has led teams to league titles in Italy, Spain, England and Portugal. On top of that, he has won two UEFA Champions League titles with two different teams.
With Manchester United, at first he seemed to inspire his players – especially in his first season, when they won three trophies. He was in a role that he had publicly stated was his dream job, and so was eager to impress and get results within the system and structures available.
But now he is in his third season, has seemingly gone back to his strong arming tactics. And one of the players who has seen that first hand is Paul Pogba.
Poba is probably United’s biggest asset, but he could leave because of the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’. Here are three reasons that explain the animosity between the two:
#3 Ambition
Pogba came to United to revive the club and win trophies. He is a World Cup winner who has reached the pinnacle of world football.
But now he has gone back to the unorthodox leadership style of Mourinho, beginning another cycle of digging deep for results. That type of adjustment is difficult, especially for a player who has seen a lot of progress and success outside of Manchester United.
Since his first season, Mourinho seems to have lost his touch and ambition for reaching greater heights. That is a factor that could cause Pogba to weigh his options in the transfer market.
If he becomes available, various top teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona will line up to try and secure his services. The kind of project Mourinho has at United may not be big enough to convince Pogba to stay.
#2 Tactics
Mourinho’s tactics have been heavily criticized of late, and been termed as overly defensive. Even on home turf, United have at times this season been overplayed by smaller teams.
Pogba is the type of player that loves to get forward and create chances. That is where he has been most effective, even at Juventus.
But Mourinho’s defense-first tactics could drive Pogba out of United. No player wants to be forced to play in a position they are not used to, especially when there are better teams ready to accommodate them.
#1 Player-coach management
Mourinho does not always handle his players in the best manner possible.
In every team, there are key players who can decide games and lead the rest. Pogba happens to be that kind of player for United. He was bought for a world record fee due to his technical ability and mastery of the game, and would expect a certain degree of leadership responsibility on his shoulders.
However, Mourinho has since taken several swings at him publicly over his performances. He also froze Pogba from the first XI last season, for no discernible reason.
Since then, it has been a bitter-sweet relationship between the two. Mourinho even stripped Pogba of the vice-captaincy, which added fuel to the fire.
