Manchester United v Newcastle: Old foes Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have chance to twist the knife
Perhaps, after the final whistle has blown at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez will gather in the Manchester United manager’s office and share a bottle of vintage claret, as Sir Alex Ferguson was fond of doing, and reminisce about the good old days.
Or perhaps not, given their long-running and profound mutual loathing. But if they did, they might wonder aloud to each other how it had come to this: two giants of European coaching, marginalised from the front line of Premier League and Champions League conflict, battling internal politics at their clubs, where their grips on power are loosening by the day; their once-proud careers now sad facsimiles of the glory years. If they dwelt too deeply, they might be tempted to drink the cellar dry.
It won’t be lost on either man that victory in this match would not only bring respite to their own wretched form; it could also dial up the suffering of the enemy in the other dugout.
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They hardly need greater incentive to get a result, but a little schadenfreude can go a long way in dark times. It’s a titillating sub-plot to a match that already seems strangely loaded for one so early in the season.
For a snapshot of how badly things are going for Mourinho at United lately, here’s a statistic: the club’s players have become embroiled in more Instagram rows than they have won Premier League points since mid-September.
They are without a win in four games in all competitions, their performances have grown more insipid with each fixture, and the manager has lit a series of fires with his criticism of players and directors.
Paul Scholes this week called the situation “embarrassing”, the former United star adding that he was surprised Mourinho had not been sacked yet. Benitez could make the situation untenable with a Newcastle victory.
United have not won in their last four games (Source: Getty)
It’s a slightly different picture for the Spaniard at St James’ Park, although dire in its own way. Newcastle are yet to record their first league win of 2018-19, have just two points from seven matches and lie 18th in the table – separated from the bottom only by goal difference, even though they have scored just four times.
The Toon Army has long deified Benitez but booed him for the first time when he took off Matt Ritchie in last week’s 2-0 surrender to Leicester.
Magpies owner Mike Ashley has ignored calls to loosen the purse-strings, leaving Benitez and Newcastle having to sprint even to stand still in the division.
Ashley has no incentive to fire the former Liverpool boss at this stage, but another loss would nudge the relationship closer to breaking point, one way or another.
Mike Ashley's running of Newcastle has led to tensions with his manager (Source: Getty)
All this assumes that both men want to stay in their jobs, of course. Perhaps they don’t at all. There are enough signs to ponder the question, at least.
Mourinho has maintained the sullen stance he adopted during the summer long past the point that it could have the desired effect of making the club spend, given the transfer window has closed. Instead it has only served to let his squad know that their manager considered them inadequate.
He has also fallen out with star player Paul Pogba, dropped highest earner Alexis Sanchez and changed formation virtually every game. Whether by accident or design, he is doing a good impression of a man who doesn’t much want to be there.
Benitez has repeatedly flirted with quitting Newcastle in protest at the club’s transfer strategy. He remains at the helm, albeit with the appearance of a manager drained of any enthusiasm.
Benitez and Ashley met for talks over dinner this week, but the sense is that he is in limbo and more likely to jump than be pushed. He doesn’t appear to be on the precipice yet, but that’s not because he’s having too good a time.
In that respect, then, beating their old foe would represent a mercy killing of sorts. Mourinho and Benitez need points this weekend, and taking them off the other man would certainly only make them sweeter.
Ironically, though, to really prolong the agony of their rival they might be better served by their own team’s miserable form enduring.