Jose Mourinho's Manchester United mantra is to prime fans for failure

Jose Mourinho's Manchester United mantra is to prime fans for failure. Repetition is a trope that's as old as literature itself. Steve McClaren used the word "confidence" 30 times before a game against Liverpool in 2015. Mourinho has needed it at times during his first season at Old Trafford. Manchester City's coach Pep Guardiola has not delivered the improvement in fortunes that might have been expected.   Adam Bate explains why the media machinations work for Jose Mourinho. He also explains the difference between the two. The video is in Chrome browser. It's easier to watch in this browser than in Firefox.

Manchester United have played nine games in April. This is the same number of games that Champions League semi-finalists Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Monaco played. Five of the Tottenham outfield players who destroyed Arsenal on Sunday started seven games. Only three of United players that struggled against Swansea registered that many starts in the month. United also have the most expensively-assembled squad in football. The deck was loaded against them from the start. They have been hampered by injuries and poor refereeing. Chris Smalling's public praise of his team-mates for winning in his absence was met with abuse from United's own fans.