Despite the fact they conceded four goals to Chelsea at the weekend, it would seem that the defence is the least leaky aspect of Manchester United at the moment.
The Times of London today carries a story claiming that Manchester United players are "shocked" by Mourinho's "hands-off" training methods.
Here's the pertinent line in the report by Paul Hirst:
It can now be disclosed that some members of the United squad have been surprised by some of the Portuguese’s methods at the club’s training ground at Carrington. According to a source close to a senior United player, Mourinho cuts a distant figure, sometimes leaving his assistant, Rui Faria, to conduct training sessions while he watches from a distance or works in his office.
This represents a change from his methods at Chelsea, where he was far more involved with each training session. This excellent article in the Telegraph a few months ago sketched out Mourinho's training methods. Mourinho's sessions are totally different to Arsene Wenger's, in the sense that he does not allow his players to figure out their own solutions to problems:
He [Mourinho] puts on sessions and expects them to come up with answers, which is why he is so keen on five-a-sides – Mourinho is much more about giving the players options and then stopping training. The method – and Mourinho is into methodology, calling his trusted assistant Rui Faria “the methodologist” – is called ‘guided discovery’ in the coaching manuals.
The Times report also states that the players feel they would benefit from a closer relationship with their manager, following the infamously cold attitude of Louis Van Gaal.
Mourinho is famously intolerant of leaks within his camp, and this represents a second well-sourced story pertaining to United players perpetual shock at Mourinho's methods at United. The Telegraph ran this story in September, writing that United players found Mourinho's dressing downs were "nastier and more personal" than anything Alex Ferguson ever came out with.
Also, the day Louis Van Gaal left United, more stories found their way to the press pertaining to Van Gaal's training methods, with players complaining of the emails Van Gaal sent to each player, in which he broke down their most recent performances.
While this story in the Times isn't particularly salacious, it will be interesting to see how Mourinho deals with the situation of the press earning an insight into his training sessions at United.
[The Times]
