Manchester United may have redeemed themselves to a certain extent with the win against Swansea City before the international break, but there’s no doubt that the pressure is still on manager Jose Mourinho to catch up with the rest of the big guns
At the beginning of the season, it looked like Mourinho was the man to guide the Red Devils back to the pinnacle of the Premier League. However this was not to be as Man United tasted bitter defeat to Man City, Watford and Chelsea, which has left them far behind in the race for the title.
Mourinho was always going to be a manager who divided opinions, but the poor results have given his detractors much fuel to add to the fire. The Portuguese manager is now on the ropes, and will have to get back to winning ways very soon to quell talk of a career in its twilight.
This is probably not the best time to come up against an in-form Arsenal squad who are riding high on a 10 game undefeated streak. Mourinho also comes up against his old enemy Arsene Wenger, an opponent he has traditionally dominated.
“I don’t have to describe our relationship. He will fight for his team and I will fight for mine,” said Wenger ahead of the game, according to the Daily Mail.
“I do not make it a competition between two managers. It is between the two teams. It is Arsenal against Man United. We have won and lost games on both sides. You do not play against a manager, you play against a team and you analyse their strengths and weaknesses”
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 05: Managers Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Jose Mourinho manager of Chelsea clash during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on October 4, 2014 in London, England. (Photo courtesy Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Wenger and Arsenal have only one win over Mourinho and his former club Chelsea in eleven encounters. To add to this track record that Wenger is fighting against, the Frenchman has lost his first game to every Manchester United manager that he has faced, namely Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
The odds are definitely stacked in Mourinho’s favour, and a loss would be absolutely catastrophic for the Man United manager. It would not only absolutely destroy Manchester United’s title credentials, but signal the end of the former Blues manager’s dominance over a manager that he has very little love for.
Man United need a big win over one of the established elite of the league, but so far they have lost to Manchester City and Chelsea, while holding Liverpool to a draw at Anfield. However, should they taste defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday, then it could well cripple Mourinho to the point where a revival becomes impossible.
