Jose Mourinho is not to blame for Tottenham’s recent malaise

Playing the devil’s advocate, let’s for the sake of argument come to Jose Mourinho’s defence, exploring why so many Tottenham supporters back the gaffer.

This topic is becoming evermore polarizing, reminiscent of Mauricio Pochettino’s days on death row in North London. I’d say more than half are imploring Daniel Levy to brandish the pink slip, believing strongly that Jose is at fault for Tottenham’s recent implosion. Admittedly, I am one of them. 

But there are numerous valid reasons to take up post on the opposite side of the fence. So let’s for the time being dive into the contrarian’s perspective and stake a claim for the gaffer to remain in charge at Tottenham.

Jose inherited a mystifying cast

A manager is chosen to instil a philosophy, create a winning dynamic and elicit the best from each player. However, he can not lace up the boots and select himself in the starting 11. Unless of course you’re Wayne Rooney, who took on the role of player/manager for Derby to rather mediocre effect.

Jose inherited Mauricio’s cast, most of whom were, under the Argentinian’s leadership, in their prime and, for a period, flying at the peak of their prowess. But to Jose’s detriment, members of the mystifying cast, for one reason or another, have let the Portuguese gaffer down.

Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks, Serge Aurier, Ben Davies, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld have all, at some point, under-performed with the Special One at the helm. When it’s a cast that large, I immediately hold the manager accountable. However, there is merit in pointing the finger at the players.

Dele and Winks are the two who stand out most for their respective precipitous declines. Regardless of the reasons, they are professionals and need to show resilience and fight in the face of adversity. It feels like Dele has capitulated under Jose’s hard love mantra. I’m sure Dele has a altogether different opinion.

For good or worse, it’s clear that Jose inherited Mauricio’s team.

Jose’s recent sordid, tumultuous history with other clubs is well documented. He’s known to, usually sooner than later, alienate the locker room, creating a divide by his bellicose, affronting words.

But his players have a job to do. And no matter what, as top professionals, they need to perform, no matter who’s barking orders behind the scenes.

It will take a lot longer for the gaffer to handpick his own cast and crew. The big question is whether Daniel Levy has the patience and disposable funds to risk his club’s future on a manager who stubbornly persists with a dogged, dogmatic and defensive formula.