Jose Mourinho Risks Losing Tottenham Dressing Room after Just Two Months
Jose Mourinho's stock as one of Europe's best managers is falling sharply and he needs to turnaround Spurs' fortunes at the earliest. | Source: Shutterstock.com
- The squad are beginning to question his training methods
- There have been reports of bust-ups with senior players
- Tottenham have won one league game in their last six
Appointed the successor to Mauricio Pochettino at the end of November, Jose Mourinho is reportedly well on his way to losing the Tottenham dressing room already.
Initial results were good, but it seems the honeymoon period is over and one win in their last six league games has started to cast doubt on Mourinho’s appointment.
Long-ball tactics considered ‘out of date’ by players
Having just turned 56 years old, Jose Mourinho is already in danger of becoming yesterday’s man. Arriving at Chelsea in 2004 as a charismatic young manager, those days look to have faded.
Who can forget his first press conference as Chelsea manager? His arrogance was a breath of fresh air for the English game.
We have top players and, sorry if I’m arrogant, we have a top manager. Please don’t call me arrogant but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.
Fast forward 15 years and his training methods and tactics are considered “out of date” by senior members of the Tottenham squad. Reports in the UK suggest that players believe Mourinho’s tactics and training are “holding them back.”
With Tottenham’s last league win coming on boxing day against Brighton, a positive result is long overdue and a win against bottom of the league Norwich at home on Wednesday is non-negotiable. Anything less would see more pressure mount on the Portuguese.
Was replacing Pochettino with Jose Mourinho the right move?
The job facing Jose Mourinho was always going to be huge. His predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino was hugely popular with players. Most within the game view the Argentinian as a modern, innovative coach.
Mourinho’s success is usually short-lived, but he does deliver trophies. Since taking the helm at Porto in 2002 he has won something at each club he’s managed.
Tottenham had become known as “the nearly-men” of English football under Pochettino. Champions League finalists. FA Cup semi-finalists. Premier League runners-up. It was hoped Jose Mourinho could give the club that final push to win silverware, but so far, success looks further away than ever.
A win over Norwich would lift Tottenham to within six points of fourth-place. Champions League football next season has to be the target for Mourinho. Anything less is an absolute failure.
Player bust-ups – usually the beginning of the end for a manager
When a manager calls out a club-record signing less than a month into his tenure it usually means trouble, and Mourinho didn’t take long in blasting £62 million signing Tanguy Ndombele when he even went as far as casting doubt over the player’s commitment to the club shortly after Christmas.
A rift with Danny Rose has also been reported, while Dele Alli reacted negatively to being substituted.
At this stage, I’d be willing to wager that Jose Mourinho isn’t in the Tottenham dugout come next season. The questions is, where does he go from here? Surely this represents his last real opportunity at a top club? Or will he once again pop up elsewhere, taking advantage of a club owner who believes he can wind back the clock to 2004 and once again be “the special one?”
