#6 - Mourinho to Spurs: Success Guaranteed?
Within 12 hours, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has sacked Mauricio Pochettino and appointed Jose Mourinho as Spurs' new head coach.
In arguably the biggest shock of the season, the dismissal of Pochettino and the hiring of 'The Special One' has caused huge controversy amongst fans and football experts.
Pochettino took the Spurs job with an aim to steady the ship. Not only did he do this, but he created a youthful and exciting team which became one of the most feared sides in Europe. Constant top four finishes, two title challenges and an exhilarating Champions League campaign which saw them narrowly falter to Liverpool in the final, all on an extremely minimal budget is nothing short of remarkable. Plenty have argued the decision to sack Pochettino was unfair as he's done such a splendid job in revitalising Spurs' image as a club and breaking them into the top four on such a consistent basis whilst playing some eye catching football. However, Pochettino's wonderful job at Spurs has been overshadowed by their recent form. So far this calendar year, Spurs have lost 19 games in all competitions. Their Champions League heroics towards the backend of the 2018/19 season camouflaged their problems, and alongside the Eriksen/Vertonghen saga, recent results have started to expose them. Failure to collect three points to the likes of Newcastle, Sheffield United and a struggling Watford, on top of Champions League humiliation to Bayern Munich mounted the pressure on Pochettino, and whilst his sacking would've come as a surprise to many, its hard to argue that his dismissal based on recent results wasn't warranted. Spurs fans can reflect on Pochettino's reign with fond memories, however, he arguably took that team as far as he could, and failure to win the Champions League in May was his greatest opportunity to win a trophy wasted.
A natural born winner needed to take the reigns and break down the mental barrier of winning a trophy which has eluded the club for the past 11 years. Jose Mourinho was one of the only men who would've justified Pochettino's sacking and Daniel Levy has gone out and secured him. Pochettino took Spurs as far as he could, and their capitulation unfortunately signified the end of a magnificent journey which every Spurs fan will be grateful for. However, its now or never for Spurs. Pochettino established the foundations of this side and with Mourinho inheriting this talent, he simply has to win a trophy of some sort in order for this transition to be considered a success. Retaining key players such as Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli is also an issue that Mourinho has to deal with, as I'm sure they will be huge parts of his plans. Whilst this squad burst onto the scene as young players with plenty of potential, they are now world class players who have their own personal ambitions to win trophies. Mourinho's winning mentality and pragmatic style of play mixed with a creative and talented squad could be the perfect combination for Spurs to achieve great things and win their first trophy since 2008. Since their triumph in the League Cup against Chelsea, Mourinho has won 13 trophies at Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United. This unbelievable record of winning a trophy at every club he's managed since 2002 suggests that he can be the man to end Spurs' trophy woes.
Perhaps one area of concern for Spurs fans could be the potential disagreement between Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho with the transfer budget available to the manager. With unsettled Welshman Gareth Bale already being linked with his former club, is Daniel Levy willing to drop his morals and spend big in order to provide Mourinho with the trophy winning formula? If this problem is avoided by both outfits, I think Tottenham could have a period of sweet success that they've been craving for many years, or as one optimistic fan described it "We've been the Bridesmaid for far too long, its finally time to be the Bride". Whilst Mourinho's tenure is more than likely to follow a similar pattern to his previous jobs and end by his third season, Spurs' new stadium offers a venue of incredible atmosphere and support which Mourinho has described as the worlds best.
Whatever the outcome for Spurs and Mourinho, it promises to be an entertaining ride as 'The Special One' takes a crack at his third club in English football.
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| Can Mourinho still compete with the likes of Pep and Klopp? |
In arguably the biggest shock of the season, the dismissal of Pochettino and the hiring of 'The Special One' has caused huge controversy amongst fans and football experts.
Pochettino took the Spurs job with an aim to steady the ship. Not only did he do this, but he created a youthful and exciting team which became one of the most feared sides in Europe. Constant top four finishes, two title challenges and an exhilarating Champions League campaign which saw them narrowly falter to Liverpool in the final, all on an extremely minimal budget is nothing short of remarkable. Plenty have argued the decision to sack Pochettino was unfair as he's done such a splendid job in revitalising Spurs' image as a club and breaking them into the top four on such a consistent basis whilst playing some eye catching football. However, Pochettino's wonderful job at Spurs has been overshadowed by their recent form. So far this calendar year, Spurs have lost 19 games in all competitions. Their Champions League heroics towards the backend of the 2018/19 season camouflaged their problems, and alongside the Eriksen/Vertonghen saga, recent results have started to expose them. Failure to collect three points to the likes of Newcastle, Sheffield United and a struggling Watford, on top of Champions League humiliation to Bayern Munich mounted the pressure on Pochettino, and whilst his sacking would've come as a surprise to many, its hard to argue that his dismissal based on recent results wasn't warranted. Spurs fans can reflect on Pochettino's reign with fond memories, however, he arguably took that team as far as he could, and failure to win the Champions League in May was his greatest opportunity to win a trophy wasted.
A natural born winner needed to take the reigns and break down the mental barrier of winning a trophy which has eluded the club for the past 11 years. Jose Mourinho was one of the only men who would've justified Pochettino's sacking and Daniel Levy has gone out and secured him. Pochettino took Spurs as far as he could, and their capitulation unfortunately signified the end of a magnificent journey which every Spurs fan will be grateful for. However, its now or never for Spurs. Pochettino established the foundations of this side and with Mourinho inheriting this talent, he simply has to win a trophy of some sort in order for this transition to be considered a success. Retaining key players such as Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli is also an issue that Mourinho has to deal with, as I'm sure they will be huge parts of his plans. Whilst this squad burst onto the scene as young players with plenty of potential, they are now world class players who have their own personal ambitions to win trophies. Mourinho's winning mentality and pragmatic style of play mixed with a creative and talented squad could be the perfect combination for Spurs to achieve great things and win their first trophy since 2008. Since their triumph in the League Cup against Chelsea, Mourinho has won 13 trophies at Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United. This unbelievable record of winning a trophy at every club he's managed since 2002 suggests that he can be the man to end Spurs' trophy woes.
Perhaps one area of concern for Spurs fans could be the potential disagreement between Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho with the transfer budget available to the manager. With unsettled Welshman Gareth Bale already being linked with his former club, is Daniel Levy willing to drop his morals and spend big in order to provide Mourinho with the trophy winning formula? If this problem is avoided by both outfits, I think Tottenham could have a period of sweet success that they've been craving for many years, or as one optimistic fan described it "We've been the Bridesmaid for far too long, its finally time to be the Bride". Whilst Mourinho's tenure is more than likely to follow a similar pattern to his previous jobs and end by his third season, Spurs' new stadium offers a venue of incredible atmosphere and support which Mourinho has described as the worlds best.
Whatever the outcome for Spurs and Mourinho, it promises to be an entertaining ride as 'The Special One' takes a crack at his third club in English football.
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