Jose Mourinho has been all over the back pages this week ever since his Manchester United side lost their third consecutive match against Watford last weekend.
The skid was halted at Northampton mid-week, but Mourinho is still taking criticism from all corners, if not for comments he once made about wanting to break Arsene Wenger's face, then for hitting out at Luke Shaw for failing to close down Watford winger Nordin Amrabat.
It seemed a bit harsh to single Shaw out, claiming that he should have been five yards away, not 25 when Amrabat started the move that lead to Watford taking the lead, but Shaw could take that on the chin, right? Well... Apparently not, as word leaked out in the papers that Shaw and his United teammates were unhappy with the criticism that was said to be "worse than Sir Alex ever did".
But Jamie Redknapp doesn't agree. He believes that Manchester United players should have thicker skin, and using examples of Alex Ferguson doing exactly what Mourinho did, only to be praised for it, made it an excellent point in his regular column for the Daily Mail.
These players represent Manchester United, a club where you have to win. They haven’t done much winning for three years but they have become good at whining. Maybe that says more about them than about Mourinho?
And let’s not think that he is the first United manager to employ such a tactic. Remember this?
‘We were playing really good football and all we needed to do was see out the game by keeping possession but Nani decided to try and beat a player, lost the ball and they got a penalty.’
And this?
‘I took Wayne off because Villa were a very fast, young side, full of running and their substitute was running past him.’
They are two of many examples from Sir Alex Ferguson. The first quote was after a League Cup tie that United lost 5-4 at Chelsea in the last minute; the second was delivered on the night United won the title in 2013. If he felt criticism needed to be aired in public, Ferguson did not flinch.
Wouldn’t it have been refreshing if Shaw had actually come out and said Mourinho was right? Shaw is there to stop crosses coming in from the wing and help his team keep a clean sheet. Against Watford and Manchester City, he didn’t do his job.
His reaction, however, means Mourinho has to contend with accusations that he will lose the dressing room. It’s absolutely pathetic.
He is certainly not impressed.
While Carragher has accepted the reaction from Shaw as it was portrayed in the media, we can't be sure as to the legitimacy of the suggestion that he, or someone on his behalf, whinged to the media, but regarding the flak Jose has taken in recent times he is absolutely spot on.
Ferguson was hailed as a genius for his man management, and Mourinho was too when he did the same thing at Chelsea, but clearly times have changed. There is no room to be critical in public or everyone will jump on it and magnify it.
It will be interesting to see how Shaw reacts when Manchester United host Leicester City in the early Saturday kick-off, although he has been struggling with an injury.
Do you agree with Carragher? Should Shaw have owned up to his error?
