Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SPURS PRIZE
Unlikely title contenders? Don’t rule it out with Kane, Bale, Son and Mourinho
THE twinkle in Jose Mourinho’s eyes tells you he thinks something special is brewing at Tottenham.
They are riding high in the Premier League, two points off top spot, and have a world-class reinforcement approaching full fitness and already among the goals.
In a season i n which scorelines continue to raise eyebrows, there might just be a surprise package in the title race.
Few gave Spurs a chance of the top four yet their start to the campaign suggests that might be the very least of their ambitions.
Gareth Bale was a superstar signing designed to give Tottenham’s season a boost.
Harry Kane is in the form of his life with six goals and eight assists, and Heungmin Son is also flying.
Mourinho (right) looks a bit more like his old self rather than the Mr Angry he so often seemed last season.
His little jibe about Bale after the defeat of Brighton at the weekend was classic Jose. It was the Spurs boss at his best, poking fun at Bale’s parent club Real Madrid and getting payback on his former employers. “When I have five minutes I’m going on the Real Madrid website to see what they are saying,” said Mourinho.
If this truly is the Happy One – as he described himself when he arrived at Tottenham after a troubled spell at Manchester United – then maybe Spurs really are on the way back.
People behind the scenes talk of a manager completely fixated on success.
Tottenham fans have taken time to warm to
Mourinho because they loved Mauricio Pochettino so much. It didn’t help that the style of play Mourinho so often encourages is alien to Spurs. And being a former Chelsea boss has been a further hurdle to overcome.
But Tottenham’s trophy cabinet has hardly been overflowing in recent seasons and maybe they need a ‘serial winner’ to get them over the line.
Mourinho’s updates on social media have also gone down well – from eating crisps on a private jet to revealing his public frustration at performances. At a time when fans are excluded from stadiums, they have been given a glimpse of the secret Mourinho.
Spurs star Eric Dier says Mourinho’s single-mindedness has left the players believing they can win every game. Dier said: “It’s very y early on but t our motivation is clear. For r us, we’re going into every game to try to win. We know now that’s not possible but that’s our ambition t i on .
We’re going g into every y game believing ving we can win.
“That’s a great feeling to have. The manager sets that tone from m above. We’re focusing game ame by game and trying to win in every game.”
It was only nly a month ago that Spurs demolished Manchester United nited 6-1 at Old Trafford. But they started the season n with a tame defeat against Everton and dropped silly points at home against Newcastle and West Ham. Dier hardly poured cold water on the idea of Spurs winning the title.
The England defender, referring to the setbacks suffered by Manchester City and Liverpool, added: “It’s been very difficult for everyone, what with the short preseason and teams starting at different times.
“We’re happy with where we are but we could be happier. If you l ook at some games – the Newcastle game with the p e n a l t y, the
Everton game, which wasn’t acceptable, and then the West
Ham game, we could easily have more points. It’s great to be up and running with a win at home and we’ ll keep working kingg hard.”