After 3 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats, the Spurs chairman decided to cut his losses by sacking manager Mauricio Pochettino, who led Spurs to a Champions League final last season, a feat which was a result of the stellar work he has put in since taking up the managerial reigns in 2014.
The
soccer action continues as the biggest European clubs fight for glory.
Register an account and bet on your favourite clubs and leagues with up to
R1,000 in Free Bets. Back your teams from the
EPL,
La Liga,
Serie A and more today.
Had it not been for the exceptional progress the Argentine made in the four seasons he’s been in charge, a club like Spurs would find it extremely difficult to attract a manager of Mourinho’s calibre.
So this begs the question, was the sacking of Poch a knee-jerk reaction from the club? And is Mourinho the right man for the job?
Mourinho's Strengths
Trophies! Jose wins trophies!
Mourinho has a proven record of accomplishments when it comes to winning trophies, and he’s not shy of reminding those who quickly forget his achievements.
This is certainly his allure. The opportunity to bring in a manager who can deliver much-needed silverware to a club that has not lifted a trophy in eleven years was too good an offer to pass up for Levy.
Furthermore, Jose is generally known to make a positive, instant impact wherever he goes and he’ll be sure to assert himself from the onset.
Mourinho's Weakness
When the going gets tough, Mourinho gets going.
A peculiar scenario that has played itself out numerous times in recent years for Mourinho has now come to be known as the “third-season syndrome”, where a culmination of bad results and increasing unrest in the locker room results in him leaving a club after three years.
Will we see a repeat of what happened at Madrid, Chelsea and Man United at Spurs?
Another point that makes Spurs and Mourinho an odd and unlikely pairing is philosophy. Mourinho has come under fire for playing a lethargic style of football, especially against bigger teams in the league and cup competitions and has been accused of being “anti-football”.
To which, he once responded “There are lots of poets in football, but poets don’t win titles.”
Is Spurs prepared to sacrifice the free-flowing, high pressing football we have grown accustomed to under Pochettino in exchange for a “boring” style of football which may very well yield titles in the near future?
In addition to this, Mourinho is well-known for entering the transfer market with a blank cheque and spend as much as what he feels is required. His predecessor managed to get Spurs to compete at the top domestic and European football, at a fraction of the budget.
This, coupled with Pochettino’s ability to bring in youth players from the Spurs academy is one strength that has always been the Portuguese’s Achilles heel.
With only a dozen games in the league played, Mourinho still has a good part of the season left to turn Spurs’ fortunes around. There’s certainly a lot of optimism amongst fans and players alike and if he manages to win a trophy this season or the next, it may not even matter how he goes about in bringing much-needed silverware to London. The Spurs part of London.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow
Betway on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram and
YouTube.
Download the Betway App.