Back in November, Daniel Levy and Spurs made the ambitious move to sack one of their most successful manager in the past decade and brought in football’s most decorated winner Jose Mourinho.
Levy wanted Spurs to make the next step and wanted to finally bring silverware to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so surely bringing in one of the most successful managers in history can end this dreaded run.
Jose Mourinho has collected 37 trophies in his career, so if anyone could end this drought then surely the most decorated manager in football could. However, six months into his reign, Mourinho could be on the ropes already and potentially be at his shortest term at a club in his career.
Jose Mourinho is not to blame for Spurs’ dreaded form
Here at ExtraTimeTalk, we assessed Jose Mourinho’s time at Spurs back in May. However, a lot has changed since then.
Since the restart, Spurs have won twice, drawn twice and lost just once, but the most concerning part for supporters is lack of quality going forward. In the past two games, Mourinho’s side has only managed five shots on target against Everton and Bournemouth, a side who failed to keep a clean sheet since December until last night. (BBC)
Champions League qualification has gone out of the window, Europa League looks unlikely, and they currently sit below Arsenal ahead of the North London derby. So, what has gone wrong for Mourinho at Spurs?
Lack of Quality going forward
When you look at the attackers at his disposale, Harry Kane, Heung Min-Son, Lucas Moura, and Steven Bergwijn, many would say he does have some of the best players going forward than any other Premier League club.
Just before the season was suspended in March, Mourinho was without Kane, Son, and Bergwijn, and was struggling to grind out results. All these players have returned for the restart, but we continue to see Spurs fail to show any quality in the offense.
Zero shots on target against a struggling Bournemouth side, who conceded 12 goals in four games and who haven’t kept a clean sheet since December. However, Spurs still couldn’t muster at least one attempt to test Aaron Ramsdale. Just three days before, the North London club managed to beat Everton, thanks to an own-goal, but only had two shots on target – three in two games.
Are the players overrated?
We can point the finger at the man in charge, and his tactics are costing Spurs going forward, however, are Spurs fans finally seeing how overrated some players are? Ask most Spurs fans and there will tell you Kane and Son are world-class but have supporters overestimated how good their players are?
Lucas has failed to score a single since December 15, Son since February 16th, Lamela since 14th January, and Dele’s last open-play goal was January 22nd. Spurs attacking forwards are not as good as some supporters praise them for and definitely not consistent enough. (Transfermarkt)
Many will argue it’s how Mourinho sets-up Spurs, and that is partly true with how defensive we have seen Spurs in the past three games. But we have also seen these players get into threatening positions but lack that final quality. Are Spurs missing Christian Eriksen?
Let’s give Jose Mourinho one window
The departure of Eriksen has definitely hurt Spurs in the past few months. Yes, he wanted to leave but their failure to sign any replacement has greatly affected performances. Giovanni Lo Celso has clearly shown that the attacking midfielder position is not his strongest and Lamela also doesn’t impress in this position.
Neither of Tottenham’s midfielders can find that cutting edge pass to Kane, and continue to play side to side or backward. Winks, Lo Celso, Ndombele, and Sissoko cannot break defences apart with a killer pass but just continue to go sideways.
The squad Mourinho has inherited are full of mostly average players and some supporters expected miracles instantly. You can’t blame the manager for that. Mourinho needs a summer to bring in his players, fill the gaps of a playmaker and defensive midfielder which needs addressing desperately.
Yes, Mourinho should be getting better results with the players at his disposal. However, Spurs fans need to wake up to the fact their squad is average, not good or great, but average.
Jurgen Klopp didn’t build Liverpool in six months, but five years. Pep Guardiola struggled to finish 4th in his first season at Man City. Yet, Spurs fans can’t give Mourinho one whole season.
Let’s start judging Jose Mourinho next season, hopefully with some new players and time to work on the squad.
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