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Tottenham Wins Team of Month Award According to Mourinho

By Aaron Coe

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho (C) reacts with Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian midfielder Giovani Lo Celso (L) and Tottenham Hotspur's Dutch midfielder Steven Bergwijn (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho (C) reacts with Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian midfielder Giovani Lo Celso (L) and Tottenham Hotspur's Dutch midfielder Steven Bergwijn (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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While the award was José Mourinho winning manager of the month, for the coach, the award reflects the success of Tottenham and is about the team.

Somehow across nearly a decade of games in the Premier League, despite winning three Premier League title’s José Mourinho has only been coach of the month three times. In winning the award for a 4th time for the success of Tottenham Hotspur in November, it was Mourinho’s first such award since March 2007. Of course, we should all hold no illusions, José Mourinho is much more concerned with winning matches and titles than individual awards.

Tottenham Team of the Month

José Mourinho was quick to deflect praise learning of winning the Manager of the Month award for November 2020 in the Premier League. Mourinho’s immediate reply was “for me it is not manager of the month, for me it is team of the month”.  José continued that the award is about the “results that we had in November, its not about me, its about the team”.

If anyone was interested in questioning if it was Mourinho or the team, he was willing to take the sharing of success one step further with his staff. To even look at it as a coaching award is still not individual to José Mourinho. He said, “if it is about me, it would have to be the coaching staff of the month because without the other guys, wouldn’t also be possible so this kind of thing I never feel it as an individual award”.

“If it is about me, it would have to be the coaching staff of the month because without the other guys, wouldn’t also be possible so this kind of thing I never feel it as an individual award”

– Jose Mourinho on Coach of the Month Award

José Mourinho finished on the subject by saying it is “always about the team”. That is the team “did not have three victories and a draw at Stamford Bridge in November, for sure we wouldn’t have any chance to win it. So its about the team”.  Taking 10 points from 4 matches was certainly huge for Spurs to start a tough schedule.

Of course, Mourinho is right, with MOST individual awards it is really a reflection of the team’s performance. Rarely if ever is a league MVP from a losing team. The reality is the teams that are winning are the teams that are recognized, so if Tottenham is getting recognition it must be because the team is winning, which is a good, good thing!

BTW, I said MOST – because feats like Sonny’s goal of the month, while coming off a wonderful team move, was an incredible individual effort. In instances like a goal of the month, as opposed to a coach of the month, it is about individual greatness.

Even looking at the Premier League player of the month, would Bruno Fernandes have won three Player of the Month awards if his teammates did not get so many penalty kicks? Alternatively, would Son have won in October if not for all those wonderful Harry Kane assists? Again, a team award and as we have been learning from Coach Mourinho, it is all about the team.

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