Old Trafford has long been a ground to strike fear into the hearts of opponents and Sir Alex often used to remark that opponents would turn up to the ground already beaten before the game had kicked off, such was the effect of the ground (and the several world-class names the opposition would be facing). Teams coming to the ground knowing that the chances of them leaving with even a point was very slim.
These days, Old Trafford still is a fortress to a certain extent- Mourinho has only lost 4 times at Old Trafford in 2 years, to only 3 different opponents (Manchester City have beaten United twice at the Theatre of Dreams since Mourinho took over).
Mourinho seems unwilling to change his tactics, insisting that everything is fine and that all is well at the club but you only have to look at last week’s farcical performance and result against Brighton to know that’s not the truth. The players were clearly unhappy and it’s not often that a Mourinho side concedes 3 first-half goals away from home.
Nevertheless, even though Mourinho’s home record is actually really good, the fear factor that United used to have has become virtually non-existent. More and more teams come to United knowing that getting a point or even more is possible.
Of course, Mourinho himself is responsible for the loss of this fear factor as his defensive philosophy has blunted the Reds’ attacking edge. This is clear proof that United need to change their approach, with several smaller sides (who would probably have easily been beaten by the United in the Fergie era) taking on United and winning. Brighton have beaten United twice in a row, the Reds lost to them, Huddersfield, West Brom, Newcastle, Sevilla and Basel last season and drew winnable games against Stoke, Southampton, Leicester and Burnley among others.
The fear factor must return and to this, Mourinho must revert to the club’s roots of attacking football and intimidating the opposition with the sheer wealth of attacking talent they possess.
Whether Mourinho is willing to change his approach is perhaps what will determine his future career prospects at United in whether he even has a job or not. He’s going to have to change something soon as what he is currently doing is clearly not working. He’s already had 2 years in charge and a failure to deliver the Premier League title in his third season would surely result in him being sacked.