Big spending, dull soccer

Dutchman Van Gaal disappointed to be sacked; Mourinho set to fulfill Man United dream

Jose Mourinho is on the verge of fulfilling his dream of managing Manchester United after Louis van Gaal's troubled two-year reign at Old Trafford came to a bitter end.

Van Gaal said he was "very disappointed" to be sacked on Monday just 48 hours after leading United to victory in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

Missing out on a lucrative Champions League place proved the final straw for the club's United States-based owners, the Glazer family, and they didn't let United's first piece of silverware since the 2013 retirement of legendary boss Alex Ferguson stop them from wielding the axe.

With van Gaal having cleared out his desk at United's Carrington training ground after talks over a settlement for the final year of his three-year contract, which had been worth a reported 6.4 million pounds per year ($9.2 million), the path is clear for former Chelsea manager Mourinho to be confirmed as the new United boss on Tuesday.

Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December after a miserable campaign marred by a series of rifts with the club's star players that eventually became intolerable to owner Roman Abramovich as the team, champion just months earlier, languished near the relegation zone.

Now the 53-year-old will hope to restore his reputation by restoring the sparkle to United's own tarnished image.

Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes is said to be arriving in Manchester on Tuesday to tie up a deal that has been widely reported in the British media, setting the stage for one of the sport's most intriguing characters to at last manage United after a glittering career that so far features 21 major trophies, including three Premier League crowns and two Champions League titles.

Former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel believes Mourinho is the right man to get the club back on track.

"On the top of Mourinho's list was always Manchester United, now he has the opportunity," Schmeichel told the BBC.

"Now they have a guy that is supposed to be the biggest manager in the world, the one that really could save Manchester United.

"It has been a brave decision but one that is long overdue."

Volatile

From the moment, Mourinho danced a jubilant jig down the Old Trafford touchline after a late goal from Costinha gave his Porto side the draw it needed to eliminate Alex Ferguson's men from the 2004 Champions League, the colorful and controversial Portuguese has seemed destined to manage United.

He thought his time had come when Ferguson retired, but concerns over his volatile nature prompted United to turn to the more conservative David Moyes instead.

But with that move proving a disaster and van Gaal faring little better, United's powerbrokers have decided to take a chance on Mourinho.

Pictured strolling with his former Chelsea assistant Rui Faria while movers took boxes away from his London home on Monday, Mourinho appeared the picture of contentment.

But he is a far less convivial figure once the battle lines are drawn, both with opponents and even his own players.

Having famously locked horns with the likes of Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez during his two spells with Chelsea, Mourinho will arrive at United just in time to resume hostilities with Pep Guardiola, who is about to leave Bayern Munich for his first taste of the Premier League as Manchester City boss.

Mourinho, then in charge of Real Madrid, never wasted a chance to take a swipe at Barcelona manager Guardiola during their time in Spain.

But it was Guardiola who had the better of it, with Mourinho winning just three of their 16 meetings.

The duo will go head-to-head for the first time when United faces City in the pre-season International Champions Cup in Beijing on July 25.

By then, Mourinho will hope to have significantly improved an unbalanced and often lackluster United squad.

Paris Saint Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Mario, Everton defender John Stones, Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann are reportedly among the names on his wanted list.

But Mourinho, expected to bring Faria and goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro with him to Old Trafford, might also have to deal with scepticism from the United squad after a report that some senior players have already expressed concern the tactically conversative coach might prove too similar to van Gaal.

Van Gaal's dull tactics frustrated United fans, while the players were reportedly infuriated by his habit of staging video review sessions in which he would criticize their mistakes in front of the team.

If he can rebuild the confidence of his squad and make United champion for the first time since 2013, Mourinho may regard it as his finest achievement yet.

 

PEAKS AND VALLEYS

HIGHS:

WINNING THE FA CUP

"Now I have won the cup in four countries," a grinning Van Gaal said after the 2-1 extra-time win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. "Not many managers can say that"

It didn't count for much in the end - within an hour of the final whistle, it was being widely reported that Van Gaal would soon be out of a job - but the victory at Wembley Stadium at least gave him something tangible to take from his reign, and is his undoubted high point. It got United back among the trophies after a three-year gap and gave the club a record-equaling 12th FA Cup title.

TOP OF THE LEAGUE

It seems a while ago now, but United was top of the league this season.

A commanding 3-0 win against Sunderland last September saw United climb the summit for the first time in two years.

"It is a very nice feeling, being top," Van Gaal said. "It is not so easy to keep that." And that was as good as it got for United in the Premier League under the Dutchman.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RETURN

A fourth-place finish in the 2014-15 season saw United return to the Champions League after a one-year absence. United was back where it belongs - among Europe's elite.

And everything pointed to a successful season in 2015-16 when United surged to an easy two-legged win over Club Bruges in the Champions League playoff in August, with new signing Memphis Depay demonstrating his full range of skills and Wayne Rooney scoring a hat trick in the second leg to end a goal drought of more than nine games.

He appeared ready to embark on a relentless scoring run but instead, he managed only four more goals until January. His barren run coincided with a gradual but continual slide in United's form.

LOWS:

MISSING OUT ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

A failure to guide United into next season's Champions League badly damaged Van Gaal's stock. A finish in the top four, coupled with winning the FA Cup, and Van Gaal might have limped on.

As it was, a second season in three years away from the European elite, missing out on the prestige and vast riches, and playing on Thursday nights in the Europa League just wasn't good enough for the Old Trafford hierarchy.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE EXIT

Van Gaal had earlier disappointment with the Champions League this season. United was eliminated at the group stage after losing 3-2 to Wolfsburg on Dec 8 in a match United headed into knowing victory was essential.

When United was pitted in a group with PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow, the draw was viewed as favorable for Van Gaal. But the doomed European campaign was symptomatic of United under his guidance - the team appeared focused on defensive organization and lacked the attacking flair and creativity to break down stubborn opponents.

HUMBLED BY MK DONS

Failure to reach the Champions League under David Moyes, Van Gaal's predecessor, meant United entered the League Cup in the second round for the first time in 19 years.

United was drawn to play third-tier MK Dons on the back of encouraging news, having confirmed the signing of playmaker Angel di Maria from Real Madrid in a 59.7 million pound ($84 million) deal - a British transfer record. But MK Dons doused any excitement around the club by recording an emphatic 4-0 victory.