The way Mourinho’s time at Spurs is going to go is as predictable and tiresome as his football has become.
Just before Christmas in 2019, Tottenham Hotspur made the bold decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino, and hire José Mourinho.
Pochettino had just guided the team to their fourth successive top four finish, and a Champions League final. He had turned Spurs into a force to be reckoned with, while spending very little money in the process.
But even though it was clear Spurs had one of the best managers in the world at their disposal, things had gone stale. It happens. It happened to Klopp at Dortmund. It happened to Wenger at Arsenal. It doesn’t mean their time was a failure, and it definitely doesn’t make them bad managers. Their time was up. It happens.
Spurs may have made the right decision sacking Pochettino, but as many suggested at the time, hiring José will end up being a massive mistake for the club.
Mourinho was once one of the greatest managers in the world, but that time has passed. He has been left behind by the world’s elite, and is now a parody of his former self, as is his football.
Spurs actually have quite a magnificent squad at the minute, despite what their Portuguese manager would want you to believe.
In Lo Celso and Ndombele (who seems to be playing the Paul Pogba role of Mourinho’s enemy at Spurs), they have legitimately two of the most promising midfielders in the world.
They’ve also just signed the exciting Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn, to add to a team that already had Harry Kane, Lucas Moura, Heung Min-Son, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
Don’t let The Once Special One convince you that he is in charge of an average side, even though that is what he will spend the next few months publicly doing.
It’s going to get sour. More sour than it already has.
After Wednesday’s 1-0 home loss against Leipzig, Mourinho was asked in a press conference about Dele’s furious reaction to being taken off during the game.
Jose’s response:
"He was angry with his performance, not with me"
Jose Mourinho believes Dele Alli showed frustration with himself – not the manager – after being substituted on Wednesday night
More: https://t.co/VbbKEId5oO pic.twitter.com/kOFxaAWC8v
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 20, 2020
He was then asked if he believed Spurs played badly. His response:
Mourinho refuses to answer a journalist's question that involved the opinion "Spurs played badly".
"I don't like your question."
As he's leaving, turns to the guy: "Great question, mate."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) February 19, 2020
He’s losing control again, and this is only the beginning. Again.
Spurs may well just scrape top four, largely due to the talent in their squad, and the incompetence of teams like Arsenal and Manchester United, but if they do, it will only delay the inevitable.
Football has left José in the dust. It was clear throughout his time at United.
When he joined Spurs, there was talk of him being a changed man. He’d learned from his mistakes, apparently. Took some time off. Went on Sky Sports and won back the hearts of the public.
But alas, this was not the case.
Many expected Mourinho to come in and be a quick-fix for Spurs. They anticipated that it would take two years or so for things to turn toxic, both on and off the pitch.
And despite a relatively decent start to his time as boss, it is clear that things aren’t looking good.
Injuries to Spurs’ only two recognised strikers in Kane and Son looked a perfect time to start giving promising youngster Troy Parrott some minutes. Maybe not in Premier League games, but in the cup or off the bench at least.
But no, instead Mourinho has taken to the media to insist that he has no strikers in his squad. Belittling Parrott’s abilities. He’s not good enough for the first team in any capacity apparently, while also now not playing for the under 23s, which he had been doing (scoring six goals in the UEFA Youth League this season).
Things are going to get really ugly for Spurs fans. It will eventually get so toxic that Mourinho will be sacked, and he will receive a massive payout in the process, as he does, and the cycle will continue.
Maybe he’ll do it at PSG next time.
