The former Tottenham boss says that the Manchester United manager needs to start winning to ease the criticism
Tim Sherwood says that Jose Mourinho has been picking fights with the wrong people while also calling on the manager to start winning at Manchester United.
Mourinho has come under fire in recent weeks for the club’s struggles, with reports swirling that he could be on his way out of Old Trafford.
Central to the controversy has been an ongoing feud with Paul Pogba, who Mourinho stripped of the vice-captaincy before engaging in a cold training ground conversation caught on camera that Andreas Pereira says was the result of an Instagram post.
This weekend’s opponent, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, came to Mourinho’s defense, stating that he believes the Portuguese is still “The Special One”.
While Sherwood agrees with some of the Italian’s remarks, he also called for Mourinho to change how he handles himself.
“I think sometimes you can create your own fires,” Sherwood said on Sky Sports.
“You have enough problems putting them out, but if you’re creating them yourself and then putting them out, and I think at times he picks fights with the wrong people.
“You can’t pick fights at Manchester United. It’s an institution, that football club, that’s bigger than any individual, so why should you pick a fight with them?
“What are you trying to do? Turn the fans against the board and take the pressure off yourself?
“Jose knows it has not been good enough. He’s a winner. He’s a serial winner. He wins everywhere he goes. Sarri said it in his interview. He needs great respect for that.
“But what’s happened in the past is in the past and he needs to start winning things now. He needs to win the Premier League at a club of Manchester United’s stature.”
Ahead of the upcoming match, Mourinho says it will be the team’s defending that will need to improve, rejecting the notion that the group needs to go on the attack.
After facing Chelsea on Saturday, the Red Devils return to action against Juventus in the Champions League.