Selfless Hojbjerg can give Mourinho heartbeat he craves in Spurs’ midfield
In his days as a serial champion, Jose Mourinho used to be defined by his own position at the top of a table.
In the construction of his teams, he likes to have what he terms a “positional midfielder” or a defensive midfielder. Whichever, Tottenham have lacked a quintessential ball-winning midfielder, a modern-day Claude Makelele or Costinha for Mourinho.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s signing from Southampton could address that. Eric Dier prefers to play in defence these days and has not really excelled in midfield for two seasons.
Victor Wanyama left for MLS after failing to find the form of a stellar 2016/17 in arguably Mauricio Pochettino’s best team. None of Tottenham’s very different central midfielders – Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Moussa Sissoko – wants to be the most defensive presence. Each would rather be the No 8 than the No 6.
Hojbjerg sees himself as a facilitator, a worker who can let others play. “My biggest strength is making other players better,” he told the Football
Ramble podcast. “Supporting them, playing the right balls, doing the right runs, fighting for them, feeding them, analysing the game, reading the game.
“Of course, I have qualities but to be the guy who brings the team together to get the best out of everyone is what I really feel very comfortable and strong in.”
Such words might be music to Mourinho’s ears. He has long liked footballers willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater cause. “Mainly it’s about responsibility,” Hojbjerg said.
The versatile Hojbjerg became a protege of Pep Guardiola
when the Catalan became Bayern Munich manager.
However, that affection did not translate to regular starts in a talent-packed Bayern team. If Hojbjerg was billed as Guardiola’s new Sergio Busquets, such predictions never quite realised. “I had him a bit too early in my career,” Hojbjerg reflected in 2018.
He became something else instead and if he has now crossed the great divide from Guardiola to Mourinho, a third manager has significance.
Ralph Hasenhuttl was quick to make the Dane captain, but Southampton’s all-action, front-foot football is more in tune with the footballing Zeitgeist.
Does Hojbjerg’s arrival suggest Mourinho is trying to move with the times, to play a more upbeat brand of football?
Certainly the centre-backs should benefit from added cover and the more creative midfielders from a supply line. And yet it is also about a fourth manager.
Carlo Ancelotti did not have enough pulling power to take Hojbjerg to Everton, whose wasteland of a midfield needed him even more than Spurs.
Everton’s mediocrity may have cost them the services of a target who could have alleviated it.
Tottenham are instead getting the man who regained possession in the Premier League last season. Mourinho should enjoy working with a man who relishes the ugly side of the game.