My question was never about his style of play. Mourinho's willingness to defend, and the trust he places in his defenders, has always appealed to me. I fundamentally disagree with those in football who believe the best teams need to be all about possession and attacking. And moreover, I think Jose's success at Real and Chelsea, Simeone's success at Atletico, and other recent situations prove that correct.
Overall, you play the style that fits the team best. Manchester United have guys in De Gea, Shaw, Smalling, Bailey, and Valencia who are class defenders. In fact, DDG is arguably the third-best keeper in the world right now. So there is no point in not being willing to defend. I appreciate the Jose, at this point, seems willing to use our defense to get opponent's out of position. And while we have not actually scored off a counterattack yet, nevertheless, the defense is clearly putting our wings and CFs in a better position on offense; which, for a team starting Rooney at CAM, is incredibly useful.
My concern with Mourinho is and has always been that his personality (see how he is treating Bastian and, to a certain extent, Mata) and managerial decisions outside of games (effectively banishing youth, setting a decisive starting eleven and subs, etc.) is not sustainable over the long-term. This is why I think he's never really been successful more than three years. Regardless, though, it is impossible for me to complain about how quickly he has removed the negative qualities that built up at Old Trafford following SAF's departure.
Funnily enough, I think you guys have been mighty impressive. Conte is getting you guys to compete at a high level right out of the gate. It took you guys until about the 65' versus Watford, but since then, Chelsea has looked as impressive as City and United. How are you feeling about them so far?