-Nate Hyatt
Outside of league position (United in 4th and Chelsea in 16th) and Champions League positions (Chelsea in the KO round and United are in Europa League), Chelsea and Manchester United are pretty much in the same boat. With the sacking of Jose Mourinho today (and the unrest surrounding Louis van Gaal), Manchester United should take notice of a few things.
1. No One is Bigger than the Club.
This point can’t be genuinely expressed enough. It’s why having the correct owners is massively important. Everything starts from the top and flows down. The owners must recognize the club, its history, its ethos, and its fan base. Jose Mourinho, at each club he has managed, believed himself to be bigger than the club. Each decision made seemed to be about himself, his ego, and not about what is best for the club (why else would you buy Cesc Fabregas – known for assists and dissension. Why else would he throw his team Doctor under the bus? In the club’s best interest?)
At United things are eerily similar. Our team doctor seems ok, but Louis van Gaal is stepping out onto thin ice. The Iron Tulip, apparently, has the faith and support of the owners, the front office, and many of the fans still, but if he isn’t careful and doesn’t adapt and put his own ego in check, he could slip into this category. Louis van Gaal and his blessed philosophy is not bigger than Manchester United.
2. Pay Attention to what is Happening in the Dressing Room.
We’ve seen it a thousand times. For whatever reason (I’d look back to #1), key player(s) can turn against, or be singled out by, the manager. These can be key teaching tools and ways to instill the trust and confidence of your players. It can also be the way to ignite a revolution in kids with millions in the bank. Jose Mourinho picked one too many fights at the club, his player(s) lost faith in him (most likely, sadly, quit playing for him), and there was no other option Chelsea had, in my opinion.
Once the dressing room will not function in a healthy manner underneath the manager there are two choices: (1) Sell the player(s) involved, or a few keys players to prove your point, keep your faith in the manager and move forward. Other players will fall in line if they think they’ll be sold off. (2) Sack the manager. You’ll say the situation is untenable, and part ways mutually. Those are your two options.
Thinking the player(s), or manager, will suddenly change shows only naivety on your part. Luis Enrique did change his stance towards Messi and his own style and was able to save his Barcelona career and bring the treble. It’s rare.
Manchester United are in the same boat. Extended training sessions. Double training sessions. Player unrest. Boring philosophy. Players asking the manager to change. The manager saying no. These are telltale signs of player unrest. What comes next is never pretty. Louis van Gaal must adapt his philosophy to England and to Manchester United. He has never had the grinding schedule that happens in England. There is no Winter Break here. Players need confidence, practice, and rest – not double sessions in a squad decimated by injuries - right before the busiest period of the season.
3. Club Ethos First. Trophies Second.
Chelsea, a club of 110 years in age, but having only been founded in 2004 care about trophies. When Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich took over and bought Chelsea the league, Chelsea decided their ethos. Trophies first. What’s ethos?
Jose Mourinho is exactly the man to lead a club like that. He’s also exactly the man to throw a fit, pick a fight with a girl, lose that fight, and send his entire club into a tail spin forcing them to fight relegation. Poor, poor Jose, right? Wrong.
This is what Jose does everywhere he’s been. It’s who he is. He “buy’s” trophies and leaves the club in worse shape than when he arrived because he’s lost the dressing room. What’s this…the fourth time now?? Chelsea may not have an ethos outside of – “Money. It buys everything.” – but Manchester United does.
Van Gaal may be wanting to write his name in Manchester United history, as may some other managers, but it’s in understanding #1 and #3 that allows you to do this. The Glazers ethos might mirror Chelsea’s, but this club does not. Louis van Gaal must adapt to changing times, player frustration, snapping hamstrings and groins, and change what he is doing. He may be building great foundations, but what’s on top of the surface isn’t pretty.
United have a long and decorated history filled with glory and failure, light and dark, and joy and agonizing pain. To ignore #1 means you have already set yourself against a fan base – first in Manchester, then spread out around the world – that knows what they want in a manger: someone who understands our ethos…our history. Who honors it, not just with words, but with actions on the pitch. Who demands players respect the badge above everything else. And who brings joy, entertainment, and trophies to fans who pay their hard earned money to see their Manchester United play.
In the end, Ed Woodward must take notice and learn from what’s happening in London. He must somehow get the Glazer Family to see it as well. Jose Mourinho may want the Manchester United job (now that he’s torpedoed the Chelsea job), but he should not be offered it. United must learn from Chelsea or we will quickly slip in behind Liverpool, who have been lost for 25 years chasing trophies.
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