A lot has been made in recent weeks surrounding the future of Real Madrid’s head honcho Jose Mourinho. Falling out of favour with the fans, members of the board struggling to comprehend the idea of struggling to overcome Barcelona in the race for Spain’s biggest team, all of this despite Los Blancos well positioned to win their first La Liga title since 2008. However, the Copa Del Rey exit at the hands of the Blaugrana appears to have really seen the Portuguese tactician’s role at the club come under increased scrutiny for the first time since he took over at the Spanish capital back in 2008.
Over the weekend, reports began to surface claiming the former Chelsea manager had become increasingly frustrated at the Bernabeu and, as such, saw him admit that he may be forced out of the club come the end of the season. For the first time in a long time, the Special One was made to look not so special. Now, the early week reports are speculating that a possible move to the Premiership is on the cards, with Tottenham and Arsenal both interesting the 49-year-old.
The news that Mourinho would be interested in a return to the Premier League, and to an extent Spurs as well, hasn’t been welcomed with the widest of open arms. He may have bought glory to every team he has been at, including Madrid, but his football isn’t the easiest on the eye. Basing each of his past teams on a solid defence, his Chelsea, Inter Milan and Madrid teams have been universally accepted to play negative defensive football.
However, it is a platform for success having a solid back-line and it is this solidity that bought Chelsea their first Premiership title for 50 years back in 2005, conceding just 15 goals throughout the campaign. It is that same sturdiness in the defence that Spurs have lacked in recent years and despite finding themselves third in the league, are still prone to the odd lapse in concentration at the back.
Mourinho coming to Spurs would help the team significantly improve their frail defensive record, an important factor when it comes to success in football. However, many are worried that his arrival will see the club revert to a style of play not often associated with Spurs. The Portuguese manager has had his fair share of critics during his successful career with his teams often associated with negative football. With the football currently on show at White Hart Lane, many believe his tactics will undermine the attacking capabilities that has made the club such an attractive prospect throughout the season.
Yet, the Special One brings with him a formidable track record that can be considered un-rivalled anywhere else, unless compared to Sir Alex Ferguson. The self-confidence he oozes would work wonders for a number of the players and his name alone will help attract star quality. However, there could be a detrimental effect on the squad should he arrive.
Rafael Van der Vaart admitted he didn’t enjoy the football played while at Madrid with Mourinho was charge, he was heavily focused on tactics and didn’t allow the players to express themselves properly on the pitch. Under Harry Redknapp however, the Dutchman revealed he prefers to tell the players to, basically, ‘do their thing’ on the pitch which is why Spurs fans are treated to exciting football. The possible arrival could completely undermine the harmony that has been established in the dressing room which could prove injurious in the long-term.
Then again, Emmanuel Adebayor went on record as claiming his time in the Spanish capital was all the more enjoyable under Mourinho. And while his arrival may not go down well with the Spurs faithful, the odds of achieving success increases ten-fold down to Mourinho alone. Don’t get me wrong, the players are there to really step-up and test the countries best teams for trophies, but with the Madrid coach at the helm of the club, Spurs could see more and more chances for glory appear in the long-term.
Personally, I’ve regularly proclaimed that I would welcome Mourinho at White Hart Lane. His track record speaks for itself and, even though it is a monumental statement to make, I would sacrifice the football we play in order to win trophies. Beautiful football doesn’t guarantee success, unless you support Barcelona, and even though the game is played to the wonderfully high standards currently on offer at White Hart Lane, it hasn’t won us a trophy since 2008.
Mourinho could be the one to change that and I, for one, would be happy with that. Yet, if it is at the expense of Redknapp receiving the sack, I wouldn’t agree with it. Redknapp has taken us on leaps and bounds and the football we do play is exciting and productive. But, with the court case still looming and a decision still to be made, coupled with the links to the England role, may see the veteran tactician depart at the end of the season.
And what a signal of intent it would be to bring Mourinho to White Hart Lane. The only main stumbling block would be his excessive wage demands, thought to be around the £8.4m-per-year mark. But, if Spurs do make it to the Champions League again next season, the increase in revenue could be enough to convince chairman Daniel Levy to splash the cash on the Special One, especially with the increased chance of silverware being delivered to the Tottenham trophy cabinet.
Interesting points Ben, but I feel that it makes too much of the 'Jose is too defensive' complaint. I'm sure the sports hacks will seize on that, but the real doubts about Jose at Spurs run far deeper than simply a complaint about style of football. As I said in my blog post, I think there's real doubt about whether Jose could bring success – dull or otherwise. And I actually don't agree we are still frail defensively. Our problem is with the lack of a proper goalscoring striker