Manchester United Fan View: United's season would be a failure without the Europa League trophy

In Jose Mourinho’s press conference last week, he stated that he felt the season’s success did not depend on winning the Europa League trophy and gaining Champions League qualification via that tournament.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United, two managers have come and gone for failing to secure the club a place in the Champions League. The board evidently view the competition’s income stream and marketing exposure of fundamental importance.

Therefore, it is through this prism that we must also determine the success of Mourinho’s debut season, where the stated ambition at the outset was to win the title. If David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were ultimately deemed not good enough for failing to deliver on that objective then it is only fair that the same criteria applies to Mourinho.

The caveats to this are that arguably the league is now much stronger than it was when David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were in charge. The league has never had such an array of world class coaches and of course, the rise in quality of squads due to the money in English football is well documented.

The caveats start to look like excuses when you consider the money Mourinho has spent on his own signings and the manner in which the club has slipped away from the top four places in the league. The plethora of dropped points at home could have been avoided if the team had been drilled better in breaking a defence down and killing a team off.

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Moreover, Mourinho’s record against the top six teams away from home has been abysmal and the football on show in those games has been even worse. The last victory against a top six team for the Portuguese manager came in November 2014 (Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea). Since then, including the drab performance away at Tottenham yesterday, it has been four draws and five defeats.

Admittedly, the latter portion of the season has been compromised to focus on the Europa League and consequently league form has suffered. This will largely be forgotten should Mourinho be successful in Stockholm because the club will have won a trophy and a place in the Champions League, the proverbial two birds with one stone.

However, to be in this predicament where a critical annual objective for the club is on the line in the midst of a cup final is a huge risk. Mourinho will likely retain his job regardless of the Europa League final result but his debut season will be widely viewed as a failure with a defeat in Stockholm.