Five reasons why Mourinho’s tenure at Manchester United wasn’t a complete failure

#1 Trophies

Mourinho took Manchester United to Europa victory

No matter what football philosophy you believe in, it’s hard to argue about the value of trophies. They are the most definitive metric for quantifying a club’s success. France won the World Cup in 2018. But a few years down the line, not many will discuss how they played at the tournament. The world will only remember France as the winner of the 2018 World Cup.

Mourinho understood this better than everyone else. He knew the value of winning trophies. Ever since the manager announced himself on the global stage by guiding Porto to a Champions League triumph, trophies were his constant companion.

He had been a serial winner throughout his spells at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. That was also probably the major reason why he was hired by Manchester United in the first place — to bring trophies back home.

The man duly obliged. In his first season itself, Mourinho helped bring three trophies to Old Trafford (two if you don’t fancy the Community Shield). Under his tutelage, Manchester United won the Europa League, the only trophy that was missing in Old Trafford's trophy cabinet.

Winning the EFL cup too brought a sense of hope for the fans, who expected better things the following season.

One only needs to look across to United's neighbors to understand how difficult it is to win trophies. Jürgen Klopp has taken Liverpool to three finals. The result? All lost. Mauricio Pochettino, though doing such an excellent job at Tottenham, hasn’t managed to win a single trophy with the club.

Mourinho, on the other hand, knew well how to grind victories that are crucial in winning titles. He was a shrewd tactician who, on his day, could outshine anyone.