The answer to the OP is because his mentality and tactics don't work. That's not because football has "passed him by". It's because he himself has changed, dramatically.
The Mourinho who led Porto, Chelsea (first time round) and Inter to such success was an absolute phenomenon. I have never seen a more driven, relentless, psychologically and tactically brilliant coach in my life. The self-belief he gave his sides was out of this world; the way he led the media a merry dance was hilarious. Even journos loved it!
That Jose was always fully prepared for the opposition. But he was never, ever obsessed with them. He was neither proactive nor reactive, but balanced. Inter didn't just knock Barcelona out via an incredible backs-to-the-wall display in Camp Nou; he beat them 3-1 with a display of perfect counter-attacking football in the first leg too. And the final against Bayern? No parking the bus there either. High line, pressing that was out of this world, incredibly clinical finishing - and an entire team which from the outset, knew it was a level above Bayern. That's what he had given them.
But then, at the scene of his greatest night in the game less than 7 months earlier, he was humiliated 5-0 by Barcelona and Guardiola, his twin bêtes noires. And he just couldn't handle it. He'd been the all-conquering master prior to that night; now, he'd been exposed. So he stopped trusting his players; his fearlessness, always his number one quality, vanished; and rather than protect his players and treat them like a tight knit family, he started singling out individuals and poisoning morale.
What's happened to Mourinho since 2010 is he's become obsessed with defending not his team, but himself. Defending his prestige, his myth, if you like. That's why you see him so often referring to his past achievements - because the past is essentially all he has. "His mentality"? No Jose: it's about the team's mentality - which nowadays, he actually undermines with his constant throwing of individuals under a bus. He just never used to do that. He tries to control everything, turn his team into robots, and ends up hugely diminishing players with, oh the irony, 'personality'. He also divides fanbases: some instinctively siding with him against supposedly lazy, primadonna players; others seeing through his self-serving BS.
This is someone who rose so far, so fast, becoming the world's first superstar coach, that he's desperate above all to avoid others catching on. So he defends himself and blames his players, the officials, the authorities... anything other than looking at himself and his own horribly flawed methods. And yes, United's results have improved... but this is basic, primitive by such a great club's standards, short term stuff. No way, no way is he building anything long term; long term, he'll disappear off to pastures new and leave someone else to clean up the mess. Laughing all the way to the bank, as he always does.
The Mourinho who led Porto, Chelsea (first time round) and Inter to such success was an absolute phenomenon. I have never seen a more driven, relentless, psychologically and tactically brilliant coach in my life. The self-belief he gave his sides was out of this world; the way he led the media a merry dance was hilarious. Even journos loved it!
That Jose was always fully prepared for the opposition. But he was never, ever obsessed with them. He was neither proactive nor reactive, but balanced. Inter didn't just knock Barcelona out via an incredible backs-to-the-wall display in Camp Nou; he beat them 3-1 with a display of perfect counter-attacking football in the first leg too. And the final against Bayern? No parking the bus there either. High line, pressing that was out of this world, incredibly clinical finishing - and an entire team which from the outset, knew it was a level above Bayern. That's what he had given them.
But then, at the scene of his greatest night in the game less than 7 months earlier, he was humiliated 5-0 by Barcelona and Guardiola, his twin bêtes noires. And he just couldn't handle it. He'd been the all-conquering master prior to that night; now, he'd been exposed. So he stopped trusting his players; his fearlessness, always his number one quality, vanished; and rather than protect his players and treat them like a tight knit family, he started singling out individuals and poisoning morale.
What's happened to Mourinho since 2010 is he's become obsessed with defending not his team, but himself. Defending his prestige, his myth, if you like. That's why you see him so often referring to his past achievements - because the past is essentially all he has. "His mentality"? No Jose: it's about the team's mentality - which nowadays, he actually undermines with his constant throwing of individuals under a bus. He just never used to do that. He tries to control everything, turn his team into robots, and ends up hugely diminishing players with, oh the irony, 'personality'. He also divides fanbases: some instinctively siding with him against supposedly lazy, primadonna players; others seeing through his self-serving BS.
This is someone who rose so far, so fast, becoming the world's first superstar coach, that he's desperate above all to avoid others catching on. So he defends himself and blames his players, the officials, the authorities... anything other than looking at himself and his own horribly flawed methods. And yes, United's results have improved... but this is basic, primitive by such a great club's standards, short term stuff. No way, no way is he building anything long term; long term, he'll disappear off to pastures new and leave someone else to clean up the mess. Laughing all the way to the bank, as he always does.
