After three disappointing seasons following the exit of legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United fans would have been hoping that Jose Mourinho's appointment as the club manager would change their fortunes drastically. However, after the first ten games, things are not as rosy as thought out to be.
When comparing the records of Mourinho in his first ten English Premier League games to his predecessors, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, it can be observed that the Portuguese has had the worst start of the three managers.
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Mourinho's start worse than Moyes’ and van Gaal's second season
In 10 matches, United have only been able to pick up 15 points, with four wins and three defeats. On the other hand, Moyes’ United had 17 points in the same period, despite having lost three matches, with two of those being trips to Anfield and the Etihad Stadium.
Van Gaal's second season, i.e, the 2015/16 season was the best start for Manchester United in the last four seasons, with the club having picked up 20 points from 10 games. Mourinho's start is also the worst with regard to scoring goals. Manchester United have scored only 13 goals this season so far. Moyes’ United had scored 17 goals in the first ten games.
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After having lost to Manchester City, Watford and Chelsea in the league this season, United are languishing eighth in the table. Although they are 8 points off the top of the table, it also has to be noted that they are just 8 points above 18th-placed Hull City, who are in the relegation zone.
Manchester United's 2014/15 season was the worst of the lot, with van Gaal's men only picking up 13 points after 10 games. However, the Dutchman had a better start in his second season, with United in the top four after 10 games.
The Portuguese's past record in the Premier League
Mourinho, who has vast amounts of experience in the Premier League, looks to be having one of his worst starts to life in the league. He was at the helm at Stamford Bridge for 5 full seasons (in his two terms). During the 2007/08 and the 2015/16 seasons, Mourinho and Chelsea parted ways during the course of the season.
While taking a look at his start in each of the seven seasons, we see that the Portuguese has had a good start to the season more often than not. Only during the 2007/08 and 2015/16 seasons – the ones where he left the club – were his performances below par.
The 2015/16 season was his worst in the Premier League, with Chelsea only scoring 11 points after 10 matches and were languishing in the 15th spot. This string of performances then led to his sacking in December 2015. In 2007/08, Mourinho's Chelsea were 5th in the table after 6 games, following which he left the club.
If we note his full seasons at Chelsea in the Premier League, we can see that he has either been first or second in the table after the first 10 games. He won the Premier League title three times during his five full seasons, finishing second once and third another time.
Another point we can note is that he has got at least 20 points in the first 10 games of his full seasons at Chelsea. At United, Mourinho is five points short of that.
Looking forward
One thing that can be concluded from observing his previous records in the Premier League is that Mourinho needs his teams to have a good start if they are to go on to challenge for the title. Seeing how his club has started so far, United’s title prospects do not look very good under Mourinho.
What will worry Mourinho most is the fact that his lavish spending on players such as Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly have failed to pay off thus far. Pogba's purchase was the most expensive football transfer of all time and this will hurt the manager more than anything else considering the Frenchman is yet to adapt to the league.
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Whether he can reverse his previous trends and push his new club towards the summit is something that remains to be seen. With the way that their competitors have been performing in the league, it will definitely not be an easy ride for Man United.
Manchester United fans will be hoping that Mourinho, who has seen success wherever he has gone so far, can turn things around and come the end of the season, there will be a reason to smile for all Red Devils fans.
| Manchester United's start in the last four seasons | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Matches Played | Matches Won | Matches Lost | Matches Drawn | Points | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference |
| 2013/14 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 13 | +4 |
| 2014/15 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 14 | +2 |
| 2015/16 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 15 | 8 | +7 |
| 2016/17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 12 | +1 |
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