4 positives and negatives of sacking Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is fighting for his future at Old Trafford when his side faces Valencia in a Champions League clash. In fact, much of the press conference on Monday was around his future, and the current crisis at Manchester United rather than the important Champions League game.

United won its first game in the Champions League convincingly, but Valencia would be aware of the current dip in form, and would want to use it to their advantage.

Saturday's loss to West Ham United has worsened the situation for Mourinho who was criticised for his team selection and formation. His tactics of playing midfielders in central defence, and leaving the attacking threat of Alexis Sanchez on the bench was heavily criticised.

Some people might suggest that Mourinho is the right person to bring United out of this hole, while some may argue that Mourinho has never delivered when his back is against the wall. At Chelsea, at Real Madrid, and now at United, when the going gets tough, Mourinho is found clueless.

Sacking Mourinho looks like an easy option, but it may or may not help United. Here we take a look at some positives and negatives which United might get out of Mourinho's sacking.

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#1 Positive: Get rid of the negative football

United fans have been entertained by some amazing players over the years

United knew what they were getting when they signed Mourinho in the first place, but those were desperate times, they wanted to somehow reach the Champions League, and Mourinho was the man.

In fact, the best football United played this season was against Spurs when they lost 3-0. This shows that Mourinho's practical approach is not working for the United players who need more freedom.

United fans have been entertained by some amazing players over the years, and they certainly don't want to see Fellaini as a center forward when the team has Rashford, Sanchez, and Lukaku to take that place.

#2 Negative: The big payoff

If he is sacked before the end of the 2019-20 season, he will get £12 million

The Portuguese’s exit is set to cost Manchester United a huge amount of money. There is a clause in Mourinho's contract that if he is sacked before the end of the 2019-20 season, he will get £12 million.

That would mean that United has to cut down the transfer budget, and there may be issues in signing a new manager with his salary, signing bonuses, and other additional costs involved.

It's a catch 22 situation for the United board, and they have to look at the cons if they are going to sack Mourinho.

#3 Positive: Getting rid of his outdated tactics

Mourinho is sticking to a much more pragmatic approach of the counter-attack

Mourinho arguably is the greatest manager in world football with success in England, Italy, and Spain. But has he evolved with the changing patterns observed in football? Certainly not. While the whole world is going for a possession-based football, Mourinho is sticking to a much more pragmatic approach of the counter-attack.

Klopp's high pressing, Unai Emery's play from the back, and Guardiola's possession styles are much more eye-catching and result based approaches. Also, the treatment he has laid out for many youngsters like Rashford, Martial, and Lindelof are proof enough that he cannot develop homegrown players, neither can he trust young players.

#4 Negative: There is no suitable replacement out there

Zidane doesn't have the experience of building a team from scratch

United have to think about upgrading their manager rather than just replacing him. Any desperate attempts to get quick results may again backfire, as with a new coach comes a new list of players to be bought, chucking off all hard work done in the past 5 years.

United fans would definitely welcome Zidane with open arms. But even Zidane doesn't have the experience of building a team from scratch or taking out a team from a crisis situation. At Real Madrid, he had the best players and the best resources to achieve what he achieved.

All worthy managers like Klopp, Pochettino, and Ancelotti are already having long-term contracts with their respective teams, and it looks highly unlikely United will get a manager of that calibre.