To be fair, isn't it something at what Jose excelled himself being in underdog environments (Chelsea, Inter, Porto)? He tried bringing that underdog mentality to Madrid - didn't go down to well for him, now he looks into doing the same with us.
He doesn't sell his superstar players though. If Klopp was here, De Gea might already be gone. He sold big players at Dortmund, and was supposed to be making a step up to a bigger giant in Liverpool and has already sold Coutinho. It hasn't worked off as badly as most would have expected, but what happens when top clubs come inevitably knocking for the likes of Salah and Mane? his armor has already been breached in this regard, and it gives the likes of Barca/Madrid/Bayern/PSG initiative.