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Last Chance Saloon For Jose Mourinho

There were a lot of storylines heading into this weekend’s Premier League action, and with a handful of games still remaining, it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the encounters go down. However, beyond anything else it certainly seems like there’s one overriding story that everyone is talking about: and that is the future of Jose Mourinho. Regardless of whatever has happened in the past, it feels like there’s only one thing left for the Portuguese boss to do and that is win. That sounds unbelievably obvious and we realise that, but this really could be his last chance.

If United fail to pick up all three points against Everton then we could easily see a scenario in which they sack Mourinho, and if not, then it could well be coming pretty soon. Some would suggest that the writing has been on the wall but the same has been said over the course of the last few weeks, if not months, and he still seems to be surviving. Alas, you have to question how much longer the board will allow this to go on for, because sometimes you just need to cut your losses and move on.

Everton are going to be dying to put the final nail in the coffin of Jose, although the fact that the game will take place at Old Trafford should be seen as quite comforting for the Red Devils. Even if it isn’t the home crowd will likely be doing everything in their power to hype up the starting XI, because there’s definitely enough quality in the home side’s ranks to pick up the three points. Whatever the case may be, though, we’re pretty sure that this is going to live up to what we’ve come to expect when these two teams face each other.

Everton themselves could use a big win like this, too, because while they haven’t had the worst of starts to the season, a victory like this could lift them to new heights. There’s still long enough to go in the Premier League campaign to help us believe that there are still some interesting things that could happen at Goodison Park, but they just need to start gelling as a unit. Who knows, maybe then we could even see them bringing in some big names in the next few transfer windows. As an example – would anyone be surprised to see a Romelu Lukaku return?

United’s last six games have made for pretty depressing viewing for their supporters, with their Carabao Cup exit against Derby County setting the tempo that followed in the weeks after. Their 3-1 loss against West Ham United could’ve and potentially should’ve been enough for him to lose his job, with a 0-0 draw against Valencia doing nothing to stop the critics from pouring in. A 3-2 win against Newcastle helped matters and their draw against Chelsea was impressive, but the loss to Juventus showcased just how much further they’ve got to go if they want to be viewed as a top team in the realms of European football.

Everton kicked off this recent run of theirs with defeats of their own against West Ham United and Arsenal, with the ever present threat of a ‘rut’ looming large. Thankfully they bounced back with an emphatic 3-0 win over Fulham, followed up by a somewhat disappointing Carabao Cup exit against Southampton. Still, though, they didn’t allow themselves to dwell on their mistakes and shortcomings which has been an impressive trait of theirs this season, with wins against Leicester City and Crystal Palace getting them back on track in more ways than one.

With their first meeting coming back in 1892 it should come as no surprise whatsoever that these two clubs have a storied history with one another, and the Red Devils have had full control of the feud for a while now. They have a 87-69 lead in the overall head to head standings with 43 draws to speak of, and we’re confident in saying that their rivalry will only continue to have more remarkable chapters being written for decades to come. In their last game, on January 1st 2018, Martial and Lingard helped United towards a 2-0 win – and you just know that the Toffees are out for revenge.

Jose Mourinho has come out and stated that Jesse Lingard (groin) and Scott McTominay (knee) could both feature, and god knows that United need some options right now. Diogo Dalot, Marouane Fellaini and Alexis Sanchez are all still on the sidelines and some reshuffling will probably be necessary, if only to see what the results will be. The biggest criticism has been that Mourinho’s side have just felt stagnant, so maybe a different tactic or formation could lead to some more attractive football – as well as some results that will ease the pressure on him.

The visitors will sleep well knowing that they have no fresh injury concerns to deal with, and after such a strong run in the Premier League recently, they could name an unchanged starting XI. Yerry Mina may well be forced to the bench with James McCarthy being desperate to get some minutes under his belt in what could be his first start since his leg break. Whatever happens it feels like they need to name a relatively attacking side, because if they try and sit back for a point, they’ll only bring on a wave of pressure from a side that are still quite vulnerable defensively.

Manchester United vs Everton Betting Prediction

While this may be a ‘desperation mode’ kind of game for Manchester United, the worst thing they could do is act like that on the pitch. They’ve got to keep their composure and keep the pace at their own tempo in the middle of the park, because you just know that Everton are going to try and force their way through from that part of the pitch. We think United will take the lead, perhaps through a pretty scrappy goal, but they won’t be able to capitalise in the kind of manner that you’d expect.

That’s due to their lack of confidence, and we think the Toffees will equalise as a result. Then, late in the game, Mourinho will use his get out of jail free card with Anthony Martial winning the game for United in the last few minutes. That still may not even be enough to warrant Jose keeping his place on the touchline, but it all depends on what the club wants from him. If they’re going in search of blowout victories, that’s still a way off and perhaps Mourinho should be given time to rebuild things.