“Dated and tactically inferior”, “past his sell-by date”, “yesterday’s man, left behind by modern coaches”, screamed the headlines in Novermber 2016 after Jose Mourinho had guided Man Utd to their worst ever start to a Premiership season. His response has been emphatic. Man Utd embarked on a run that saw them lose just once in 25 games, and that was to Hull in one leg of a semi-final that they won on aggregate. In the process Man Utd closed the gap on the top four from 10 points to two, progressed in the FA Cup and the Europa League and capped it all off by winning the EFL Cup.
It was the first trophy Mourinho could have possibly won, and he won it. He has made an absolutely mockery of those headlines, laughing in the faces of the so-called experts pundits once again.
Man Utd were on course for a treble until losing last night to Chelsea after unluckliy having Anfer Herrera sent off in the first half. The treble, of course, was not the treble of league, cup and Champions League that Sir Alex Ferguson won 17 years ago, but it would still have been a remarkable achievement. The EFL Cup is already won. The FA Cup is now out of the question. But the Europa League, what a great chance Man Utd have to add more silverware to what has rapidly turned from a disastrous season into a fantastic one.
The bookmakers have made them heavy favourites to win it and they are certainly the best team left standing in the competition. Typically an established bookmaker with competitive odds like 5Dimes have the best odds for European matches and it still has Man Utd as short favourites to go through against Rostov. Typical odds for Man Utd to for the quarter-finals are just 1/10, with the Russian team out at 6/1.
Overall the bookies have Man Utd as 2/1 favourites to win the Europa League. Mourinho certainly knows how to win in Europe, having seized the Champions League at Porto and Inter, and he has an experienced squad full of winners. Some might worry he will consider it beneath him, but so far he has treated the competition with quite a lot of respect, a lot more than the more “modern” coaches like Mauricio Pocchetino.
The big threat will be Roma, who are enjoying another strong season in Italy and look set to finish runners-up in Serie A behind the mighty Juventus. They have attacked with pace and flair all season, and have a lethal striker that English fans know all about in Edin Dzeko, while Luciano Spalletti has also managed to tighten up a once leaky defence recently. But they would still be underdogs against a Man Utd side boasting Zlatan Ibrahimovic, pretty much the most in-form striker in Europe right now, and with a midfield run by world record signing Paul Pogba. Beyond the Italian side, there are few good teams left in the competition. Lyon, well out of the title race in Ligue 1, and Celta Vigo, nowhere near competing with the big teams in Spain, are third and fourth favourites and that says it all really. The competition is Man Utd’s to lose.