Although the Portuguese coach’s contract suddenly ended 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.
The Tracks are administered daily by the president Daniel Levy, one of the most clever and insightful football managers. Could be Mourinho He’s tricked 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.
Consequently, the two men had been on a collision course from the moment they shook hands to present Mourinho in November 2019, although that doesn’t mean it makes no 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 one thing the Argentinian failed to accomplish during his five and a half years at the helm: winning trophies.
For his part, Mourinho he needed a club already close to great achievements to rebuild its reputation, especially to challenge the burden the football elite placed on her as a former champion.
Levy it is frugal in its transactions, a methodology reinforced by paying a billion pound stadium. He prefers to buy young players who are developing or have a trade-in value. The management of Mourinho requires massive expenditures on trained players, his authority is established by the clinical collection of talented players whom he hopes will have the mental strength to focus solely on the pursuit of victory at all costs.
The impressive stadium of the Tottenham is proof that Levy He also 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 center was a collected cast, perhaps irreversible, with the face of Pochettino. Mourinho tried to increase player involvement, as evidenced by 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 PochettinoPerhaps an ‘iron fist’ was what the group needed to win the titles. In front of Mourinho, the Tottenham was runner-up to the Champions League and also runner-up to the Eredivisie, but extremely consistent across the competition. They were generally recognized for exceeding expectations and playing football that many envied.
Mourinho He claimed that his 11 months without training after being sacked from Manchester United in December 2018 changed him, acquiring different perspectives while working in the media and acknowledging that the game had evolved. However, it was not long before Mourinho began to publicly criticize players who made individual mistakes. Defensive mistakes hindered performance and a long list of injuries disappointed the 2019/20 season.
Mourinho perfectly summed up his mood after losing the first match of the Champions League against RB Leipzig in February 2020.
“If I could move to July 1 immediately, I would,” Special One said.
The pandemic presented an unexpected opportunity to start over. The Spurs have been at the forefront of supporting the NHS (England’s national health system) and local institutions Mourinho. It is likely that no club has taken advantage of the break in terms of recovering injured players – only Manchester City and Manchester United earned more points (both 21) during the reboot process than Tottenham – to finish in sixth place and qualify for the Europa League.
With Mourinho publicly congratulate “Mr. Levy” – the “Mister” – at the end of a transfer window they arrived in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilón, Matt Doherty, Joe Rodon and Joe Hart, in addition to the arrivals of Carlos Vinicius and Gareth Bale. Tottenham topped the list in November, almost a year later Mourinho took over, with a 2-0 win over the Manchester City, while Harry Kane y Heung-Min son They took their association to new heights.
However, they fared so far above expectations in terms of goals and assists, suggesting it couldn’t last and tensions began to build behind the scenes.
Baal He had time to get in shape after being frozen at Real Madrid, but despite achieving 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 voiced all his concern about awarding odds and insisted that players should not follow his instructions by playing defensively rather than pressuring opponents on offense.
Sources described this story presented by Mourinho as an important area of discussion. There were also frustrations in training Mourinho, in contrast to the volume of offensive actions performed Pochettino with an emphasis on defense and form in a team preferred by its successor.
The club’s younger players also felt that the road to the main team was much more difficult Mourinho. Pochettino showed keen interest in educating the academy, and although members of the development team often trained alongside their parents, Mourinho he seldom offered more than words of encouragement.
On the field is the football style of the Tottenham it has become reactive. A team built on offensive principles appeared to be in an existential struggle with itself and suppressed attacking instincts because of its coach’s conservative ideals. This quickly turned into something that apparently took advantage of the absence of fans. There was no one to provide the furious “soundtrack” while seeing his team’s lack of ambition at home. After all, Spurs’ motto is “Dare is to do”, not “Dare is to defend”.
The future of Kane it has also become a subject of increasing speculation. Sources told ESPN that while the England captain loved nothing more than the idea of winning titles for Tottenham, there is a suspicion that his ambition to play in the sport’s biggest titles might lead him to seek fresh air.
Spurs had won just one of their last six games before Monday’s announcement, but the timing of Mourinho’s departure comes as a surprise in the context of six days before the English League Cup final against him. Manchester City.
The man brought in to win trophies was fired the week he was able to deliver one. Why not give the man who won 12 of his 15 major finals in his career in Europe the chance to take another win over Pep Guardiola?
ESPN reported on February 19 that Levy wanted to wait until the end of the season and then decide Mourinho’s future, aware of the problems within the team, but most importantly knowing in which European league Tottenham would play..
With the announcement of the participation of the Tottenham in the Super League, maybe he has his answer. The £ 20 million payment would certainly be much tastier, according to sources, for a club that borrowed from the Bank of England last year to cover operating costs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mourinho was fired less than 12 hours after the creation of the Superliga in a statement from the 12 clubs involved. It is tempting to say that it has served its purpose, maintaining the club’s most comprehensive profile while trying to rank among the top clubs in Europe. However, hire Mourinho it was to collect trophies.
The Amazon documentary was aptly titled “All or nothing”. In the end it was “nothing”, which is a big disappointment for everyone.