Tottenham Hotspur board should keep faith in Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho isn’t well-liked and in his defence, doesn’t try to be. That doesn’t, in any way, lessen his achievements or his legacy as one of the sport’s greatest managers.
The Portuguese tactician is into his fourth spell in England with his third team. It has proven to be the most difficult of the lot and it could get worse before it gets better.
Tottenham have flattered to deceive in spite of having one of the best Premier League squads in recent times. Mauricio Pocgettino did a fantastic job making us one of the top dogs in the league but the Argentine couldn’t get us over the line, in spite of his best efforts.
Enter Mourinho. The 57-year-old can craft a new chapter in Spurs’ history if he can lead us to a sustained period of fighting for trophies. It will also prove to be a redemption for the legendary manager whose last stint at Manchester United ended in ignominy.
Spurs are currently on a four-match losing streak. In modern football it is easy to dismiss a manager or a player depending on a narrow view of things, we take a look at why the Tottenham board will do well to give the Portuguese the tools he requires.
1. He has done it before
Jose Mourinho is one of European football’s legendary managers. The prospect of him managing Tottenham would have been unthinkable a decade ago. The man has won 23 major trophies across four European leagues, including two trebles in two different leagues.
He assembled and then led Porto to an unlikely European crown in 2004 before doing the same with Inter Milan in 2010. Neither team have gone close to winning the competition since.
Mourinho also played a major role in ending Barcelona’s dominance in La Liga as he led Real Madrid to the La Liga title in 2011 with a 100 points on the board. The man is a proven winner who has managed to get the best out of his players at all the jobes he has been at.
The job at Tottenham was always going to be tough. The club has played the role of bridesmaids far too long without getting past the finish line. In spite of decent investment and boasting one of the best squads in the Premier League, we have not won a trophy since 2008.
The likes of Portsmouth, Leicester City, and even Wigan Athletic have gone on to win major trophies since never mind the teams we are aiming to usurp. As much as it hurts, in spite of the good times, all we are left with are memories without having any silverware to show.
In hiring a proven manager of Mourinho’s calibre we also give him a challenge that can immortalize him in Tottenham folklore as the man who can lead us to a sustained period of winning trophies. Mourinho’s stock took a tumble following the debacle at Manchester United and he will more motivated than anyone else to prove it was nothing but a blip.
What better way for him to regain his relevance by taking Tottenham to cup finals and winning them for a change. It takes time to rebuild a squad, or reshape them if you please after the heartbreak in Madrid and Mourinho should be given every opportunity to do so.
2. He knows to make the best use of his resources
Tottenham are in the midst of an injury crisis. The paucity of fit strikers has blunted the Spurs attack as the replacements have failed to provide the spark upfront.
The stand-ons haven’t strictly impressed, but by chopping and changing he is intent on ensuring he can come up with a system that can deliver the desired results.
He has managed to get consistent performances out of a volatile Serge Aurier while incorporating the young Japhet Tanganga into the first team. It was his talk with Toby Alderweireld that convinced the player to sign an extension at Spurs. Something that seemed unlikely just weeks before.
He has used Gedson Fernandes wisely while also improving Giovani Lo Celso. Erik Lamela has shown flashes of brilliance again while Steven Bergwijn has shone so far. Oliver Skipp became the latest youngster to impress as Mourinho also rotated the young Tanganga out to give him a breather.
The manager’s decision to throw in Troy Parrott too has to be noted as Mourinho has never strayed from mentioning that the 18-year-old isn’t ready yet. In spite of his misgivings, he has shown the capability to throw on the youngster to see what he is capable of.
Mourinho has at times been lambasted for his spending. In his defence, he has only made the best use of the resources at his disposal. He not only brought in players such as Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder but also made talents such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Diego Milito reach levels higher than thought possible.
Mourinho is at times criticized for not promoting youth, it’s surprising considering the number of players he has helped promote at Chelsea and United, most prominently Scott McTominay.
He can a core of young talented players at Spurs. The number has swollen this year with the addition of Fernandes, Ndombele, Bergwijn and Sessegnon. We can hope that Mourinho can help these players reach their potential.
A point lost in the narrative was that the manager most often got the best out of the players he brought. He so far remains the only manager who got the best out of Paul Pogba at United. There is hope that he can do the same at Tottenham with the likes of Ndombele and Lo Celso.
3. Doesn’t shrink back from telling the truth
Mourinho is an opinionated manager and fiercely trusts his own judgment. He isn’t shy of speaking his mind and more often than not is right about it. Take for example the case of Troy Parrott. The manager continues to take criticism for his continued efforts in not giving the player a chance.
Of late he has made it a point to throw on the youngster in spite of stills sticking to his original opinion. Parrott had the best part of 25 minutes to impress against Norwich but failed to do so.
Parrott is one of the club’s most talented youngsters and could make the cut in the future. However, it is not now and the manager looks to have seen the truth that many of us seek to deny.
The likes of Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp continue to perform with conviction while Mourinho continues to give the former an extended run in the first team. The manager believes that the player is ready and the player, in turn, backs him up on the pitch.
The Portuguese’s comments on Tanguy Ndombele’s injuries may have seemed harsh but he has every right to question the club’s record signing who has failed to rise to the level he has performed at.
Mourinho isn’t the kind to shrink back on what he believes to be true and his objectivity will benefit Tottenham as he can make the best decisions for the club devoid of bias.
4. Knows how to turn adversity into strength
The Portuguese has always been the kind who seems to take grief on himself or believes that the world against him. What is not spoken of enough is that he also manages to use that to his benefit and flip the tables.
At times Mourinho is a one-man crusade out to finish the team who dared to offend him and more often than not succeeds. He did not react well to Brendan Rodgers’ comments prior to the famous clash at Anfield in 2014. Mourinho effectively came up with a gameplan that not derailed Liverpool’s title bid but also sent them on a downward spiral.
He made use of similar adversity to lead United to a cup double in 2017. The Portuguese is going through a tough time at Tottenham, but if anyone can turn it around it’s him.
Spurs have lost four on the bounce and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 57-year-old channel it into his team to improve the performances in the coming weeks.
5. The pantomime villain
The ultimate wind-up merchant, Mourinho’s ability to get under the skin of his opponents is unlike anyone else’s. Be it his knee slide at Old Trafford or the shushing he employed at the Nou Camp and Anfield, you either love or hate the man depending on which side you are on.
Too often have Spurs given elite teams more than enough respect. Take for example the famous 4-1 win against Liverpool in 2017, as much as was made of it back then, it was Mauricio Pochettino’s lone victory over the Reds. The Spurs manager played Liverpool 14 times and lost nine of those encounters.
It can be argued that he paid too much respect to the Reds and only ever chased the game once we went behind. Mourinho, on the other hand, excels at tearing up playbooks, he relishes taking on the best and silencing their strengths.
Granted that so far he has failed to show that during his tenure in North London, but it is debatable how many managers can go toe to toe with some of Europe’s best without their best players available. His pragmatism at times overcomes these difficulties as showcased in the win over Manchester City.
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He also makes use of this approach to get the best out of his players. The Portuguese isn’t the kind who deals with a soft touch. He is confrontational and challenges his players to perform beyond their existing capabilities. The ones who respond go on to become better players while the rest wilt away. It is just his way of doing things and more than one player has found it helpful to subscribe to his methods.
A manager with a no-nonsense winning mentality, he is what is required to take us to the next level and Mourinho should be given the time and backing to do that.
