OPINION: Why Jose Mourinho is destined for long-term glory.

Cynics and doubters alike have for ages poked holes on Manchester United’s history.

Likewise, haters have pushed the negative narrative too far by proclaiming and prophesying doom on the future of the club.

It’s even a miracle that these collective groups of personalities are yet to pay terrorists to invade Old Trafford - one of the most prosperous and glamorous football grounds in the world, and cause mayhem and chaos.

Graphical illustrations have even been designed to showcase Man United’s decline and eventual downfall.

However, Man United’s success has been largely in an upward trajectory that mirrors an extraordinary augmentation to the much chagrin of the haters.

As a result, The Reds have attracted a huge share of haters and admirers alike.

Couple that with the fact that Manchester United has had a bevy of world class managers in Sir Alex Ferguson, Matt Busby and now Jose Mourinho, and you can understand why there is bound to be a sizable populace that is opposed to what we believe in.

The opposing fans and the disgruntled lot alike has been using the David Moyes and Louis van Gaal tenures as a pointer to the declining fortunes at Old Trafford.

However, these personalities are quick to forget – whether deliberately or not, that for ages, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United have been used as yardstick for football in various capacities.

The appointment of Jose Mourinho as the manager sent shockwaves across the football fraternity as showcased by the tirades fired towards the Portuguese by haters.

All these occurrences were as a result of Mourinho’s winning mentality. I have never seen a more obscene excuse for haters to direct broadsides at an opposing manager!

Immediately after his appointment as the man to succeed Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford, the media dedicated acres of space to the enigma that is Jose Felix Mourinho.

Some sections of the Fourth Estate labelled him a journeyman while others taunted him for his approaches on the football field.

However, all these entities were in concurrence that Jose Mourinho is a born winner, actually a serial winner who has proven himself at the highest stage of football.

This is a man who started as a language translator for the late Sir Bobby Robson at Porto and later at Barcelona.

He would later weave his way in the murky waters of football management and leave an indelible mark.

Despite being the looked down at by other managers who thought of themselves as having depths to offer more, Mourinho prevailed even with his relative lack of “football knowledge.”

It is even astonishing how opponents paint a picture of a man who is unconscious about youth development and attractive football.

The Portuguese tactician has been exceptionally prosperous in four different countries, winning different trophies with each, and in the process cementing his status as the epitome of club football management alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.

All in all, reality is that no other manager can rival Mourinho in attracting controversial debates; he seriously polarizes opinions on most matters that relate to football.

Likewise, very few managers can match Mourinho’s haul of trophies as evidenced by his time at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Give Mourinho a team with few ball-playing mentalities and he will still beat or contain an opponent who has depths of creative players – ask one Pochettino who was outplayed by Mourinho recently in a Premier League game despite the Argentine packing his team with firepower.

Ideally, that is not “packing the bus” but rather knowing when to avoid a beating!

Mourinho is that man who will still offer you an artistic impression when he discovers his first choices in a team and therefore finding balance – a scenario he well perfected at San Siro with Inter Milan whom he led to a treble prior to joining Real Madrid.

Mourinho is that man who will field a robot and athlete fused into one and still outscore your insanely creative team; case in point is Mourinho’s belief in Ibrahimovic’s style of play.

As opposed to Louis van Gaal’s approach, Mourinho does not care about a ball-passing, or rather a ball-playing defender, as long as the central defenders gel and form a partnership that dwarfs the Berlin Wall; a typical Mourinho signs an aggressive central defender in Eric Bailly because he knows that the flock of Premier League strikers are brutal and unforgiving.

The Portuguese tactician will never bow down to pressure from “football experts” – a better word to mean distractors such as Carragher and Paul Merson, to field specific players and follow certain approaches of football.

Largely, Mourinho quashes that which is held as a cardinal belief by many but still triumphs.

Each triumphant football manager has an ego; character and personality within the football managerial circles are cultivated and sustained, and not built through pleasing individuals.

Nobody understands this better than Jose Mourinho; the Portuguese will laud, glorify and appreciate that which is good and scold that which is wrong.

Simple, Mourinho never tries to please beyond means that are not within the jurisdictions of nature.

Like him or not, Mourinho is not one to pretend who is not – his stubborn and obstinate nature has seen him make unusual decisions that have brought unexpected success.

Mourinho will rant at referees to protect his players and show displeasure at an inaccurate call – let’s not pretend, even Sir Alex was a master at this.

In case your manager doesn’t rant at match officials for an erroneous decision, then he lacks the spine to manage a Premier League side or your team is a collection of junk species hurriedly cobbled into a messy outfit.

Mourinho knows when to put a stop to any tactical onus that might have a negative gradual consequence on the team’s performances; any football approach that has a decreasing effect on the outcome of a match remains largely inconsequential to Mourinho’s plans.

We have seen Mourinho somewhat ditch or partially sacrifice attacking football in a game against a more superior attacking side.

That is based on the knowledge that you will end up shipping in more goals when you attack by exposing the back four!

For example, Mourinho still held Klopp’s Liverpool to a draw at Anfield even when our opponents had a frightening array of forwards while we had the likes of Fellaini on the pitch.

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