Although the Portuguese coach’s contract ended abruptly last Monday, with the news of his resignation, the truth is that Tottenham’s association with José Mourinho has been a transactional relationship since day one.
spurs are administered daily by the president Daniel Levy, one of the wisest and most insightful football managers. May be Mourinho He misled some, reactivating his Instagram account and generally speaking with softer speeches at press conferences, but behind the scenes, he remains the same combative and confrontational figure as ever.
As a result, the two men were in a collision course from the moment they shook hands for the presentation. Mourinho in November 2019, although that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense.
Tottenham I needed a coach with status and personality to get out of the shadows Mauricio Pochettino, someone with a history of doing the only thing the Argentine has not achieved in his five and a half years in charge: winning trophies.
In turn, Mourinho he needed a club already positioned close to great achievements to rebuild his reputation, especially to challenge the burden placed on him by the footballer’s elite as a past champion.
Toll is economical in its relations, a methodology consolidated by paying a stadium of billions of pounds. Prefers to buy young players who develop or have resale value. The management Mourinho requires huge expenses for trained players, his authority is established by the clinical ensemble of talented players whom he hopes will have the mental strength to focus only on pursuing victory at all costs.
The impressive stadium of Tottenham is proof that Toll He wants the best, but he is and will always be the philosophical opposite of Mourinho. The question has always been whether this “unlikely marriage” could be successful in the short term before the inevitable and costly divorce.
In the middle was an assembled cast, perhaps irreversibly, with his face Pochettino. Mourinho tried to increase the involvement of the players, according to the Amazon documentary, in which the 58-year-old coach became a star. He was literally the “poster boy” that fans always said was everywhere except the field.
After the more inclusive and empathetic style of PochettinoMaybe an “iron fist” was what the group needed to get to the headlines. prior to Mourinho, Tottenham was vice – champion of Champions League and also the second end of First league, but extremely consistent throughout the league. In general, they were recognized for exceeding expectations, playing football envied by many.
Mourinho He claimed that the 11 months of training after being fired from Manchester United in December 2018 changed him, gaining different perspectives while working in the media and acknowledged that the game has evolved. However, it was not long Mourinho he began to publicly criticize players who made individual mistakes. Defensive errors hindered performance, and a long list of injuries left the 2019/20 season disappointing.
Mourinho perfectly summed up his mood after losing the first match of Champions League against RB Leipzig in February 2020.
“If I could move immediately on July 1, I would,” said Special One.
The pandemic provided an unexpected opportunity to start over. Spurs were at the forefront of trying to support the NHS (England’s national health system) and local institutions with Mourinho. It is likely that no club has benefited more from the break in terms of recovering injured players – just Manchester City and Manchester United earned more points (both 21) during the reboot process than Tottenham – finish in sixth place and qualify for Europa League.
With Mourinho publicly congratulating “Mr. Levy ”-“ Mister ”- at the end of a transfer window they arrived at Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilón, Matt Doherty, Joe Rodon and Joe Hart, in addition to arrivals from Carlos Vinicius and Gareth Bale. Tottenham reached the top of the table in November, almost a year later Mourinho took over, with a 2-0 victory over the city of Manchester, while Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son They took their association to new heights.
However, they did so well beyond expectations in terms of the number of goals and assists, suggesting that it could not last and tensions behind the scenes began to appear.
Bale He had time to train after being frozen at Real Madrid, but despite reaching a high level in training, the Welshman remained as a substitute in the games against him. City, Chelsea and Arsenal, all in two weeks. Mourinho He was already expressing concern about the opportunities given, insisting that players do not follow his instructions by playing defensively, rather than pressing opponents in attack.
Sources described this narrative presented by Mourinho as an important area of discussion. There were also frustrations with the preparation Mourinho, contrasting the volume of offensive actions performed with Pochettino with an emphasis on defense and form in a team favored by her successor.
The younger players of the club also felt that the road to the main team was much more difficult. Mourinho. Pochettino he was very interested in training the academy and, although members of the development team often trained with their elders, Mourinho he seldom offered more than words of encouragement.
On the field, the football style of Tottenham became reactive. A team based on attacking principles seemed to be stuck in an existential struggle with itself, suppressing the instincts of attack due to the conservative ideals of its coach. This quickly turned into something that seems to have benefited from the absence of fans. There was no one to give the angry “soundtrack” while watching his team’s lack of ambition at home. After all, Spurs’ motto is “Dare, it’s to do,” not “Dare is to defend.”
The future Kane it has also become a subject of growing speculation. Sources told ESPN that although the England captain loved nothing more than the idea of winning titles for Tottenham, there is a premonition that his ambition to play in the biggest sports titles could lead him to look for fresh air.
Spurs had only won one of the last six games ahead of Monday’s announcement, but Mourinho’s departure comes as a surprise in the context of the six days left before the English League Cup final against him. The city of Manchester.
The man brought in to win trophies was fired the week he managed to deliver one. Why not give the man who won 12 of the 15 great career finals in Europe the chance to score another victory over Pep Guardiola?
ESPN reported on February 19 that Levy wanted to wait until the end of the season and then decide on Mourinho’s future, aware of the team’s problems, but especially to know in which European competition Tottenham will be..
With the announcement of participation in Tottenham In the Superliga, maybe he will have his answer. Certainly, the payment of 20 million pounds, according to sources, would be much more pleasant for a club that borrowed from the Bank of England last year to cover its operating costs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mourinho was fired less than 12 hours after creation Superliga in a statement from the 12 clubs involved. It is tempting to say that he has achieved his goal, maintaining the most comprehensive profile of the club, while trying to rank among the top clubs in Europe. However, employment Mourinho was to pick up trophies.
The Amazon documentary was aptly titled “All or Nothing.” In the end, it was “nothing” and that is a big disappointment for everyone.