Tottenham Spurs announced that they have parted ways with their previous manager, Mauricio Pochettino, after the Spurs chairman Daniel Levy terminated his contract. The chairman gave Pochettino the option to resign which he rejected, forcing Levy to take this decision, costing the team £12.5 million
In an announcement published by Spurs during Tuesday evening, they confirmed Pochettino departure, with Levy saying:
“We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the Board has taken lightly, nor in haste.”
As a replacement Spurs are now brining in the legendary manager, Jose Mourinho. The team now hopes with Mourinho running the show, they will turn the ship around and improve their game compared to how the season has progressed thus far, with only 3 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses thus far placing them in the lower half of the league.
Mourinho truly has an impressive record during his years as manager but the question people now are asking is if he will be able to succeed in turning things around for Spurs. If he will have better success here than he did with Manchester United back in 2018, when his contract was terminated by the Man United as the club was disappointed with his and the teams’ performance.
For him to turn things around for the team, he will need to bring out all the stops and perform his magic. Just like in horse races such as The Kentucky Derby, it all comes down to moving up the field with a strong finish.
In a statement published on the Tottenham Spurs homepage we can read:
“He has won a domestic title in a record four different countries (Portugal, England, Italy and Spain) and is one of only three managers to have won the UEFA Champions League twice with two clubs, FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.
“He is also a three-time Premier League Champion with Chelsea (2005, 2006, 2015).”
During the years of managing football teams, Mourinho has won no less than 25 honours, which puts him in a league of his own, as one of the most successful managers in football. Other interesting facts includes:
- Started his career at Benfica in 2010 and has since managed held a managing position 8 times, in the following order, Uniao de Leiria, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid Chelsea and finally Manchester United
- First ever manager to spend over $1 billion on player acquisitions throughout the years
- Just passed over 900 games played with him as manager
- He has won 4 domestic titles in different countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, England)
- One of only 3 managers to have won the UEFA Champions League twice in its modern era with different clubs, along with Carlo Ancelotti and Jupp Heynckes. First one in 2004 with FC Porto and the second in 2010 with Inter Milan.
- Three Premier League titles, all while managing Chelsea (2005, 2006 and 2015)
There is no doubt that he has both the experience, knowledge and tactical mind to turn things around for the team, but it will be an uphill battle for sure. Could be that Christmas came early for Spurs this year even if their chance to claim this year’s Premier League title is beyond their reach.
But starting his work with the team now, he will be able to reshape the team, possibly with new player acquisitions, improved tactics and in general, provide a calmness and stability in the team.
With that Spurs could be in contention in next years Premier League season. Of course, the goal for both Mourinho and the team is to finish the season better than they started it with a top 5 placement noting being that far away.
Getting into the top 4 would require that Spurs not only turn things around, it would also require that one of the four top teams start losing points as the current gap is simply too big.
It is without a doubt going to be interesting to see how Spurs develops under Mourinho’s guidance during this season but above all, how they will fare next year.
