Wednesday 3 October 2018

Jose Mourinho And The 3rd Season Syndrome




    A 0-0 draw against Valencia at Old Trafford ended a torrid two weeks for Manchester United. A lacklustre 1-1 draw at home was followed by a defeat on penalties in the league cup against Derby County which was followed by another defeat at West Ham ! A squad low on confidence, unrest among players and terrible performances on the field, this is nothing new for Jose Mourinho and the question rises again , is Mourino's third season syndrome back again ?


    The pattern looks set - A poor preseason, Clashes with players and poor results on field. This was the same story at Real Madrid with Jose incharge. After a successful 2nd season winning the La Liga it all started to unravel in the 3rd season. Clash with club captain and legend Casillas was the final nail in Mourinho's coffin at Madrid and after finishing 18 points behind arch rivals Barcelona , Mourinho was sacked at the end of the season . His goal to win The Champions League with 3rd different team was unsuccessful but he was about to get another shot , with his former club Chelsea.


    The second season with Chelsea delivered The Premier League but again the start of the third season signalled similar issues. Poor start to the season and clashes with the medical team and staff were signs of the cracks among the club. As the results kept getting worse , Jose decided to bench star player Eden Hazard , which resulted in a silent war among the players and the manager. Poor form of the players and defeats meant the pressure was building on the manager.

    A 2-1 defeat to Leicester City in mid-december was the last game for Mourinho as the Chelsea manager. An astonishing post match press conference where he blamed his players for 'betraying'  his training ground work signalled an end to his tenure as the club manager.



    So, as things look to be heading in the similar direction in his 3rd season with Manchester United, Jose can only hope he manages to turn this third season syndrome around and starts delivering trophies !





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