Wednesday 10 August 2016 14:15, UK
Jose Mourinho takes charge of his first Premier League game as Manchester United manager at Bournemouth this weekend - but how has he fared in his opening league games with previous clubs?
The new United boss will be eager to get off to a fast start after laying out his plans for Premier League title glory.
But, while he's had success in his opening games with Chelsea and Porto, Mourinho teams haven't always hit the ground running…
Chelsea 2-0 Hull City - August 18, 2013, Premier League
Mourinho's second spell at Chelsea began with a win thanks to two early goals at Stamford Bridge. Kevin De Bruyne set up Oscar to score before Frank Lampard's free-kick doubled the lead. Lampard was one of three survivors from Mourinho's first ever Chelsea game, the others being John Terry and Petr Cech, and the fans revelled in their manager's return.
What happened next? Mourinho maintained his unbeaten home league record at Stamford Bridge until April but away defeats proved costly to their title ambitions. The Portuguese sought to play down their chances but Chelsea were well in the race before losing three times in six games in the spring, finishing third behind Manchester City and Liverpool.
Real Mallorca 0-0 Real Madrid - August 29, 2010, La Liga
Those who feared Mourinho would compromise Real Madrid's trademark swagger were given ammunition as Mallorca held his side to a goalless draw. "No one can say we didn't create chances," said Mourinho, but that wasn't enough to get the goal let alone the three points and to make matters worse, Cristiano Ronaldo picked up an injury.
What happened next? "There is a big difference between the finished product and a team in construction like we are," said Mourinho afterwards. As it turned out, Real Madrid fell only four points short of Barcelona in La Liga, although they were also knocked out of the Champions League by their great rivals at the semi-final stage.
Sampdoria 1-1 Inter Milan - August 30, 2008, Serie A
Midfielder Gennaro Delvecchio opened the scoring for Walter Mazzarri's Sampdoria in Mourinho's first Serie A game in charge of Inter and Antonio Cassano wasted a great chance to put the home side two goals up soon after. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck instead to cancel out the goal and earn the Nerazzurri a point.
What happened next? Mourinho's Inter soon got into their stride, winning their next three and going on to lose only two of the next 30 Serie A matches. The title was duly won by 10 clear points as Mourinho added the Scudetto to his list of honours. Ibrahimovic kept scoring too, winning the Serie A top goalscorer award for the first time.
Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd - August 15, 2004, Premier League
Mourinho could hardly have had a tougher opening game in charge of Chelsea but it ended in victory nevertheless with Eidur Gudjohnsen scoring the only goal against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Just as he had been as Porto manager at Old Trafford the previous season, Mourinho was the beneficiary of some sloppy goalkeeping by Tim Howard.
What happened next? The wins kept coming as Mourinho galvanised his team remarkably quickly. Indeed, Chelsea were beaten only once all season and broke the Premier League record by conceding only 15 goals to win the title by 12 points from defending champions Arsenal. It was Chelsea's first league title in half a century.
Porto 2-1 Maritimo - January 26, 2002, Premier League
Mourinho took charge of Porto side low on confidence having won only one of the previous six league games either side of Christmas, but the improvement was marked against Maritimo. "It was a fair, undisputed victory, and I think the one-goal difference does not reflect what happened on the field," said Mourinho afterwards.
What happened next? Mourinho took over too late into the season to mount a serious challenge with a run of one win in five in March putting paid to any lingering hopes. However, Porto did win their last six to clamber up to third in the table and carried that form into the following season - winning the title and finishing 11 points clear of Benfica.
Sporting Braga 0-0 Uniao de Leiria - August 10, 2001, Portuguese Liga
Mourinho experienced his first opening day of the season of his managerial career in charge of Uniao de Leiria, with the game ending goalless in Braga. Leiria had finished fifth the previous season - the club's best ever classification - but a point away from home against Braga, who'd finished fourth in the previous campaign, still represented a good result.
What happened next? Leiria went on a brilliant run of results under Mourinho that winter and by the end of January they were in the top three having picked up 20 points from the previous eight games. But the coach's departure for Porto sparked an immediate slump. They lost four in a row before recovering sufficiently to finish seventh in the table.
Boavista 1-0 Benfica - September 23, 2000, Portuguese Liga
Mourinho had replaced Jupp Heynckes after just four weeks of the season and began his managerial career with a one-goal defeat at Boavista with Duda's effort separating the sides. The travelling Benfica supporters at least saw enough positive signs from their side under the new coach to clap the players from the field.
What happened next? Mourinho's Benfica lost only one of the next eight league games, culminating in a 3-0 derby win over rivals Sporting in the Stadium of Light. With a change of president adding to the uncertainty, Mourinho demanded a new deal and when it was not forthcoming, duly quit his role as coach. He'd been at Benfica less than three months.
