Grading Jose Mourinho’s first three months as Tottenham boss
By Gary Pearson
The positives
We all knew the honeymoon period under Mourinho wouldn’t last. But he deserves credit for stabilizing the club under difficult circumstances.
The list of positives easily offset the negatives, and then some. While Tottenham rarely dominate possession, the lads have adopted Mourinho’s teachings, and now have the ability to win ugly. That might not sound like something to celebrate, but the world’s best teams all have this quality. Tottenham now need to up their overall level in order to dominate a few matches, too.
Playing without the ball actually enhances many Spurs’ strengths, with their lethal counter attack having more opportunity to show it’s clinical side.
Mourinho has also elicited the best from Dele Alli, whose performances resemble his glorious seasons from yesteryear. Dele is still plagued by inconsistency, but the Englishman has helped Tottenham garner points they wouldn’t have without his magical inspiration. Like any meaningful relationship, the gaffer and Dele have worked their way through innumerable highs and lows, arguments and joyous moments alike. But they are stronger for it, and so is Tottenham.
Spurs are still alive on three fronts, but Mourinho deserves the most plaudits for Tottenham’s advancement in the FA Cup. Underwhelming performances aside, Tottenham have fought through adversity to find themselves in the fifth round of England’s most storied competition. The side’s resilience and resistance are a testament to Mourinho’s never-say-quit character. The wins haven’t been aesthetically pleasing, but that matters little so long as the results are favourable.
And then there is Mourinho’s improving defensive record. Spurs now have three clean sheets since he took over. More organized, tougher to penetrate and scrappier, Mourinho has instilled hallmark character traits of teams he leads. On five other occasions, Spurs have conceded just a single goal under the Portuguese’s tutelage. And they’ve only allowed three goals in their last five league matches.
All of these positives while having to cope with an injury crisis could have derailed many managers. Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, Moussa Sissoko, Ben Davies, Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Erik Lamela have all spent time on the sidelines during Mourinho’s first three months at the helm, a list further reinforcing the gaffer’s overall positive impact thus far.