Would Europa League win redeem Jose Mourinho’s first season at United?
Can this season be considered a success if Manchester United win the Europa League on Wednesday?
For the first time since 1991, Manchester United have finished outside the top four in England’s top flight two years in a row. After disappointing late-season results at Manchester City and Arsenal, the only way Jose Mourinho’s side can earn Champions League qualification next season is by winning Wednesday’s Europa League final against Ajax.
It’s been an up-and-down first season at Old Trafford for Mourinho. The club’s fourth different manager in as many years, he came in with the task of restoring United to their former stature. United have fallen off significantly since their last Premier League title in 2012-13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s last year in charge, and haven’t been a true contender either domestically or in Europe.
In his first year, Mourinho has claimed some silverware. By winning the Community Shield and the League Cup, his trophy cabinet at United is already fuller than that of David Moyes or Louis van Gaal. He can add to that this week too, with the chance to win the only title United have never held.
In fact, three trophies in the first year would actually well surpass any other United manager. Neither Ferguson nor Matt Busby won anything in their inaugural campaigns. That said, it’s largely because of those men’s legacies that so much more has been expected of Mourinho to begin his United career.
Mourinho made a real splash to open his account at Old Trafford, with a pair of very high-profile summer signings in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba. United’s league campaign began well too, as they won their first three games in August. With September, though, came a pair of tough losses, at home in the Manchester derby and away to Watford.
That’s when the familiar feeling of mediocrity began to set in for United fans. It was around that time they lost their first Europa League group stage game, at Feyenoord. Mourinho had come into his position promising United’s return to contention, with a new-look attack that should help them compete for the title, but frustration continued to define Old Trafford.
That’s not to say they’ve been horrible. United have been one of England’s strongest defensive teams this year, their 29 goals against second in the league. They maintained an impressive 25-game unbeaten streak from October to April. Mourinho instilled a possession-oriented system at United, averaging 54.9 percent of the ball, and 15.7 shots per game.
What really killed United this year was an inability to put away games, especially at home. They drew 11 times at Old Trafford, and four times blew a lead in the late stages of the match to drop points. The script kept repeating: United score, and bunker down in their own half; the opposition break through eventually, when it’s too late to reclaim victory.
It happened against Swansea, Stoke and Anderlecht; it nearly happened disastrously against Celta Vigo. Parking the bus when a goal up worked for some of Mourinho’s old Chelsea teams, but hasn’t worked this year. Had United managed to hold on to some of those dropped points, or get a better result at home against teams like Hull, they would’ve easily been in the top four race.
United have also struggled painfully to finish their chances this year, and although Ibrahimovic scored 17 goals in the Premier League, he missed another 98 shots (29 on target). Again, if they’d managed to score a few more of those, United might’ve held on to a lot more points.
Injuries were a huge problem too, of course, with United probably more decimated than any other team. Mourinho hasn’t been able to establish a first-choice squad, rarely having all his players available.
Ultimately, Mourinho’s first United team finished sixth in the Premier League, well out of the top four race. Sure, they all but stopped trying domestically once they advanced to the semifinals in Europe, but that’s one hell of a gamble to make.
To United’s board of directors, a Europa League title and Champions League qualification would probably make this season a success. To fans, though, it might not be quite enough to make up for a poor domestic performance. That’s not to say they don’t care about Wednesday’s final — on the contrary, it’s probably the biggest game United have played since the Ferguson era.
Nonetheless, supporters at Old Trafford have come to expect more. The fact they were out of the Champions League this year was out of Mourinho’s control, but if they do qualify for next season, it’ll be by the skin of their teeth.
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Should United win the Europa League, this season cannot be called a disaster. It’s still disappointing though, to be sure. Mourinho has earned himself a longer rope than Moyes or van Gaal ever had, and in fairness he’s done a better job than either. Still, the Stretford End will demand improvement next season.