What can Jose Mourinho bring to Old Trafford?

There is no question the level of tactics and strategy that Jose Mourinho, the self-proclaimed Special One, can bring to Manchester United. Having already amassed countless titles and successes throughout his managerial career at some of the biggest named clubs in the world such as Porto, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, the one thing the man can bring to one of the most decorated football clubs in all of the world is not just the opportunity to fight for silverware, but also the pride, the glory, and most importantly, the fear that is Manchester United.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, Manchester United simply embraced and personified the chant of Old Trafford. “Glory, Glory.” That one word, “glory,” said in a mesmerizing synchronicity, seemed to echo the essence within the Theater of Dreams. But even without the die-hard loyalist, the badge of the Red Devil and the name continued to invoke fear and intimidation to all other opponents in the English Premier League. While clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich have their own spectacular atmosphere, the quintessential essence and spirit that is Manchester United is something that is unparalleled. While many fans expected that success to continue for years on end, the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to have left Manchester United a shadow of its former self. While the squad stayed relatively the same, it just wasn’t the United we knew and loved. From Moyes to Van Gaal, the Red Devils sloppy play and heartbreaking losses drew somewhat of a comparison to their archrivals, Liverpool. For United, as well as the fans, silverware was not the only thing missing. Simply the passion was not there.

As much as we can criticize the coaches for not being enough, Moyes and Van Gaal are no Sir Alex Ferguson. After United lost Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players to ever play the game, Ferguson was able to rebuild. His constant state of rebuilding year after year is what truly defines success both on-and-off the pitch. For Moyes and Van Gaal, they played off of tactics from their former teams, utilizing big name players to bring faith back to the club. But their solutions was not the United way. To establish success, it isn’t just one player. Instead, it was about the team and everyone surrounding them.

Now while Jose may not have the same qualities and style like Ferguson, his ability to create and rebuild is something that is highly valuable. We have seen him do these countless times. We have also seen him fail. But, for every failure, there is a window of opportunity. With Jose at Old Trafford, the ‘fear-factor’ is growing. He has already made the appropriate moves of establishing a team. All we can do is wait and see. Hopefully the Special One can be the United One.

“Glory, Glory.”