When Jose Mourinho arrived at Tottenham Hotspur almost a year ago, many expected it to have gone sour by now. The former Chelsea coach was seen as an aggressive change in tact from chairman Daniel Levy; a new way to try and push a squad that was experienced enough to win trophies but was failing to do so. The thinking was simple; bring in the demanding Mourinho who could take a squad of would-be winners over the championship line in at least one trophy. For Mourinho, though, the honeymoon period is well and truly over. Is the Portuguese already in the ‘failing fast’ period of his managerial career?
At every other club, Mourinho has found himself burning bridges and turning on players by now. At Spurs, his main target has arguably been Dele Alli. Seen as the face of the Pochettino era alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, Mourinho has built a team around the first duo whilst more or less ostracising the latter completely. It has led to a lot of discussion about what comes next for the England man, with many fans sad to see a fan favourite pushed out the door.
It looks, though, as if Mourinho will win any tug of war. Chairman Daniel Levy is obviously a massive fan, as was easily seen in the All Or Nothing documentary that gained so much widespread respect. Seen as a major part of the Spurs project, Mourinho is believed to be the manager that Levy is ready to commit almost unlimited power to, giving him the chance to shape the squad within a larger budget than any Spurs manager has ever had.
With the likes of Kane signed-up long-term and Son soon to follow, Mourinho likely has his pieces in place for a long and harmonious future.
Is the lack of fans helping Mourinho to settle?
Spurs fans, for all of their passion, are known to be supportive fans when they believe that things need to be given time. They aren’t a ‘sack him now’ fanbase, and tend to give players and coaches ample time. For many fans, though, the loss of Pochettino to be replaced by Mourinho was seen as an unconscionable act, and one that is set to have long-term consequences for the players and the team as a whole. However, the lack of fans which are able to get to games at the moment could offer Mourinho respite.
Levy has been known in the past to work with the wishes of the fans in mind, and to not do much to try and put the match-going fanbase off. With little opportunity to see the matchday reaction to Mourinho, then, there are some queries that a lack of fans might make it easier for Mourinho to settle in and stay in power.
By removing the fear of a toxic atmosphere developing in the stadium should things go sour, Mourinho probably has more time to turn around any drop-off in form at Spurs than any other coach in club history.
Leave a Reply