to a predictable tenure.
17 months on from getting the man he always wanted Daniel Levy sacked the man he always wanted as Jose Mourinho’s stint at Spurs went pretty much as everyone expected, including Spurs stopping him from winning a trophy.
Back when Jose was installed I blogged asking some questions. Was Jose they right man? Is it the same man?
Was the latter answered by Jose when he said Same coach, different players
after his side let in a late equalizer against Newcastle? He was the same but he needed to change because the game has moved on and left him behind. And if you know that this is a different group of players why are you repeating the same mistake of expecting them to hold a lead.
Blaming the players, where have we seen that before?
Back then I asked if Levy and Jose had actually heard of each other as one liked to pen big on big name established players while the other liked to do everything, player wise, on the cheap – paying off managers on the other hand. So Jose wasn’t handed the centre-back he craved.
So what were both expecting from the other, a complete volte-face.
So Jose leaves after 86 games, a win percentage of 51.16% – which is fifth on the list just behind his predecessor, four points behind his one time sidekick Andre Villas-Boas who won the same amount of games from 6 games less- and a host of new personal records, ones that I don’t think he’ll be mentioning in future, losing streaks, most home defeats in a season, not winning a trophy.
Yes, that’s what he brought to the club that the last man didn’t. Trophies. While Poch has the French league cup to his name now, can still win the French league and the Champions League, Jose leaves a club without a trophy for the first time since he left União de Leiria in 2002, the club where he had the lowest win percentage of the nine stints he’s had as a manager, Spurs are second bottom.
He didn’t even get the chance to lead the team out to face City in the League Cup final this Sunday.
Where did it go wrong? Well it went right for him that he joined just before Covid kicked off. You wonder how long he would have survived if that brand spanking new stadium was full of expecting fans being bored to death.
It went wrong because he didn’t know his first choice backline, what formation and expecting Spurs to hold teams out with a slender lead. There was too much chopping and changing, of personnel and formation.
Then there was the blame game. 16th of December 2019 Spurs were top of the league, it was all going so well – yes there had been a couple of dips, losing leads and dropping points against West Ham, Palace and Newcastle, when they really should have won. Then with about 15 minutes to go and the score level Jose brought off Bergwijn for Reguilon. Now the Spaniard was nominally a winger when he came on but it looked like a defensive move and Spurs just fell further back and while Bergwijn had fluffed his chances earlier he was always a part of a fast moving forward threat for Spurs, which just disappeared meaning Liverpool could attack more comfortably. Which they did until they got the winner.
From there the league form dropped, losing the next game to Leicester, then they won in the League Cup quarter final but it saw Jose screaming at Dele after his flick lost possession. Stoke scored an equaliser some time after that, ages after in the reality of the game but Jose blamed Dele -and with an empty stadium everyone heard it. As he withdrew Dele shortly after the blame games had started and now the players looked scared. They didn’t want to be the one he screamed at next.
Same manager. Yup, we’ve seen this before and it ended exactly the same way. Yes Jose got some of his freezing out of players correctly, the rat Rose after he threatened to tell Daniel and finally Jose figured out that no matter how bad it was Harry Winks passing the ball sideways wouldn’t make it any better. Unfortunately Levy is in love with Winks and no doubt who comes next will have to love Winks as well.
Who? Who will be the next manager to be Levy’d?
Christ what a depressing list of dullard managers. Eddie Howe, as a I said when he was in the frame last time he’s the new Alan Curbishley and since then nothing has changed apart from nobody being the remotest bit interested in taking him on after he left Bournemouth. He’s free so a cheap option, Levy rating 5/5 for that alone and you just know he’d love Winks.
Southgate! That would be the end. read some dope saying he’d suite Spurs with his attacking football. Do these people actually watch England actively not get the ball to Harry Kane?
Thankfully the fat Spanish waiter has ruled himself out, as has Sarri. Simeone you feel is a bit too 1-0 to win over people bored with Jose’s football. Scott Parker is getting the “one of our own” nonces frothing in their pants. Christ, well, he ain’t and he’s as dull as Southgate and if you’re bored by Jose then pirouette sideways pass boy might not be the one for you. Again I don’t know if Allegri’s patient style of play is the one. Hasenhuttl, well they were just behind Spurs when Spurs were top of the league they’ve had a worse drop off.
Rodgers is second favourite and while doing well at Leicester how long would it get for his utterances to become really annoying? “We won the passing”.
I like Nuno, he’s done a good job at Wolves, though they slipped a bit this year. Maybe he could make Doherty back into a player.
Nagelsmann is obviously Levy’s first choice but what chances of getting him now with the announcement that Ryan Mason will be in charge until the end of the season? By the the German will no doubt be at Bayern after using Spurs to get a better deal. Does he really want to be Levy’d at 33.
My choice, not on any radar I know of. Gian Piero Gasperini. His Atalanta side, not exactly a big player in Italian football are currently the top scorers in Serie A, and were so for the previous two seasons, including last season when they scored 98 goals the highest total of any club in the league’s history.
Anyone whose team scores 98 goals in the home of Catenaccio is the man for me. Especially when you add in the description of his style at Atalanta, on Wikipedia…
His team’s playing style places more focus on scoring goals, off–the–ball movement, and quick, short passes on the ground, and less focus on long balls and the defensive aspect of the game.Wikipedia
Sounds like Spurs to me…