DATED TACTICS, A FRACTURED SQUAD AND FALLOUTS WITH STARS
How it turned sour for miserable Mourinho — as we knew it would!
THE timing of the announcement was surprising; the fact Jose Mourinho lost his job yesterday certainly was not. Behind the scenes, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had started the process of shifting the blame — trying to convince those around him that he was almost railroaded into offering the Portuguese the manager’s job in 2019.
Those at Spurs had seen this before, Levy shifting into sacking mode. And it is no wonder.
The discord between Mourinho and a significant number of his squad was unmistakable and the self-proclaimed Special One did not help himself.
For instance, in February 2020 he pleaded with Toby Alderweireld to leave his newborn baby and wife to play against Aston Villa in a game Tottenham won 3-2 — with the Belgian scoring for both teams.
Two weeks later, Alderweireld was axed for a game against Wolves after Tottenham had lost 2-1 at Chelsea.
The central defender wasn’t best pleased — understandably so. You can imagine what Alderweireld was thinking when Mourinho falsely accused him of missing training earlier this month.
Mourinho’s lack of communication with fringe players was another trait that irked members of the squad. England’s Dele Alli and Harry Winks were both marginalised without so much as an explanation.
Full back Serge Aurier stormed out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the loss to Liverpool in January because of a disagreement with Mourinho at half-time. The manager’s treatment of Eric Dier and Gareth Bale has also surprised many at the club in recent weeks.
This was a squad who were growing tired of Mourinho and his methods. There are those who remained loyal. As players filtered into training yesterday, they had no idea what was about to happen. Then their session was delayed. As the news broke, some were relieved — even happy.
Others were not so impressed — in particular Harry Kane, who is said to have been among the most disappointed by the decision.
Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were some of those most distressed by the sacking.
But make no mistake, this squad was fractured. One well-placed source described the atmosphere at the club’s Enfield HQ as ‘ horrendous’ during the final weeks of Mourinho’s reign.
His ‘ dated’ coaching methods and pragmatic style of play had begun to grate on the players.
There was a belief that Mourinho would have been sacked long before yesterday if fans were allowed in the stadium.
Tottenham supporters would not have stood for Mourinho’s approach and would undoubtedly have made their feelings clear long before now.
A significant section of the squad were of a similar view. Mourinho was disregarding the club’s attacking traditions and some players did not want any part of that.
They also disliked Mourinho’s eagerness to publicly blame them for defeats. It was never the manager’s fault.
It was not just the players who had grown tired of the 58-year-old. At least one senior member of the club’s recruitment staff is understood to have had a strained relationship with Mourinho in recent months.
Privately, Mourinho felt he simply did not have the players, particularly defensively, to carry out his instructions. Who should shoulder the blame for that? It certainly was not going to be him — despite spending £60 million on defensive reinforcements Sergio Reguilon, Matt Doherty and Joe Rodon.
The tension was showing on Mourinho, too. Insiders say the Portuguese would regularly report for training like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
It has been a case of when, not if, for some time now. Even up until a fortnight ago, the feeling was that Mourinho would see out the rest of the season.
Spurs play Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Sunday — their first domestic final since 2015. The result would not have had a bearing on Mourinho’s future. He was gone regardless, as Sportsmail reported in February.
But surely you let him have the final, even if only for the opportunity to argue his appointment was not a complete disaster.
Levy cannot escape the fact, however, that yet another failed appointment has happened on his watch. From the moment Mourinho (below) signed a threeand-a-half year contract, you knew it was going to end in tears.
Well, everyone did apart from Levy, who was starstruck by Mourinho, as witnessed during toe-curling exchanges in the Amazon documentary All or Nothing. Recent attempts to distance himself from the move fooled no one.
Levy made the decision to sack Mourinho as he travelled back from Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at Everton last Friday. Levy was frantically texting at Goodison Park. His eyes were not on the game. We know now where his focus was.
But the Spurs chief only needed to speak to his players to make up his mind. Not that they were consulted. This was Levy’s decision. Now, after so many missteps, he needs to get his next one right.