The only way for Tottenham to fulfil their potential is to rid themselves of Jose Mourinho, a manager who has sucked the joy from a previously exuberant side.
This is by no means a visceral, knee-jerk reaction. The writing has been on the wall for some time. Last evening’s disheartening, morale-shattering home loss to Chelsea was the straw that broke Jose’s back, yet more proof amongst a laundry list of evidence that should guarantee his demise.
Jose is lucky Tottenham’s home matches are currently devoid of supporters. I can only imagine the raucous, riotous level of discontent Spurs supporters would have shown after witnessing their side go down in humiliating fashion in such an important match, to one of the club’s most loathed rivals.
While Tottenham’s players aren’t blameless in their overtly obvious on-field detachment, Jose, as the head of the snake, is the one who must be sacrificed. He has shackled his most creative players, asking them to assimilate to a system belying their true genius.
Either disinterested or frightened to make a mistake, Tottenham’s star-studded lineup is collectively and astonishingly underperforming. It reminds me of a watching the Game of Thrones series finale. Anticipation in the buildup at fever pitch, the entire cast of savvy, experienced actors let down by a malevolent behind-the-scenes force. Jose, you’re the malignant entity that needs banishing.
When things are going good, Jose is the first to take credit. He’ll reference his winning pedigree, his unparalleled continental success, his ability to elicit the best from his players. For he is the Special One.
But Jose, in recent years, now espouses an almost innate knack of overcomplicating the simplest managerial decisions.
Jose’s tired, outdated approach
Jose isn’t the first manager to utilize three at the back. But he continually goes with the option after repeated failure, stubbornly — and maddeningly – refusing to adapt. They say that adaptation is a key human variable. Jose missed the memo. Rarely has he shown a propensity to think outside of the box, to change systems and formations in live play. He no longer innovates, hellbent on holding onto an outdated philosophy
The gaffer has played Moussa Sissoko, Matthew Doherty, Ben Davies, Serge Aurier, Tanguy Ndombele out of position, sticking them in perilous spots, almost guaranteeing failure.
What’s even worse is Jose’s inability — due to his inflated ego — to take accountability for his mistakes. One common trait of the world’s best leaders is their selfless, rational ability to own up to folly. Jose’s early, consistent, unrivalled success as a manager has blinded him to his own destructive tendencies. His extreme hubris has annihilated any and all self-awareness, leaving him completely and utterly devoid of humility.
Jose, on more occasions than I can recall, publicly throws his players under the bus for mistakes he commits. It’s an ineffective, counterproductive, archaic form of man management. Players lose courage, confidence and, maybe worst of all, the will to play.
His risk-averse, cagey, defensive style is tailor-fitted for a side trying to avoid relegation, not for one of Tottenham’s conclusive quality. The charismatic self-anointed Special One sold Daniel Levy a lemon. Levy should have know better, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Jose, before almost assuredly ostracizing the majority of the locker room, usually yields his best results in the first two seasons after joining a club. But it is clear when the honeymoon period ends, with the affected club falling quickly off a precipitous cliff.
Regrettably, we have clearly come to that point. throughout Jose’s tenure at Tottenham, I’ve never been an ardent backer of his appointment. But I tried my utmost to give him the benefit of the doubt. And for a period, when he shored up our porous defence and started getting consistent results, I rejoiced.
Looking back now I realize that was precisely the aforementioned honeymoon period Jose has become so infamous for.
It’s time to let the misery of Jose’s reign end. Sign a manager who will allow our elite talent to express themselves and remember why they started playing in the first place, to have fun and feel joy.
Because winning is intertwined closely with the ability to find joy in ones work. It’s impossible to fulfil potential without joy. After witnessing the way our team has regressed recently, fulfilling our potential under Mourinho’s misdirection is a mere pipe dream.