Jose Mourinho was sacked as Manchester United manager on Tuesday morning, but is Jose's time at the top finished?
Mourinho has always divided opinion, with his style of play often being criticised but his success being undeniable. With eight titles spread across four European countries - including three in the Premier League - he's one of the most decorated managers of recent times.
But something at United didn't seem right. Something seemed odd at United. Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, the job as United boss has been a proverbial grenade. Waiting to go off. And it's gone off now for Mourinho and has exploded with money (£12m of it, to be precise).
It's not surprising the job has been such a difficult one to take on. With Ferguson's dynasty being left behind - nobody in world football could have kept the levels he set up at Old Trafford. That's been proved. There's always been the Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola argument - and right now, the latter is looking very favourable. But Jose was a name associated with winning trophies and to be fair, he still managed it at United. But it was the lack of competitiveness shown from the team and the manager in the league. That's what did it. There's obviously the Paul Pogba arguments, with the two having a *frosty* relationship to say the least. But when United don't challenge for the title - yet alone the top four... there's always going to be an issue!
It's part of what you get when you take on the job that is United manager. David Moyes had it, albeit with a lot less time given to him than Mourinho - for obvious reasons.
End of the Road?
Yes. Yes, I think it is. It's the second consecutive job he's had that's not ended too pretty for the Portuguese manager. Albeit at Chelsea; he'd won the Premier League the season before. The way football has developed in the last 10+ years doesn't suit what made Mourinho the success he once was.
The pressing, the intensity, the flowing and fluid attacks. That's what football is nowadays. It makes for a much more entertaining show. Mourinho has always been a manager who plays cautiously; but when his teams were at their best - they'd still have the deadly side to their attack. Something United didn't have through his tenure there.
Guardiola, Mourinho's biggest rival, epitomises modern football. The way Manchester City play, with their tiki-taka style of play and the side's relentless, but intelligent pressing that consistently causes all sorts of havoc for teams - domestically and in Europe. That's something Mourinho has never had in any of his sides. It's also something he'll never be able to adopt. Managers are stubborn. Mourinho is stubborn.
Unless there's a radical and dramatic alteration to the way teams achieve success in the future - I don't see Mourinho returning to the elite level he has been at, for a long while. He will undoubtedly manage again. But I think, Mourinho's glory days are over.