Nagelsmann, Rodgers in line to replace Jose
JOSE Mourinho's failed Tottenham Hotspur project is evidence his coaching methods are not as effective as they once were as he leaves a club without a trophy for the first time since the early days of his coaching career in Portugal.
The Portuguese, once lauded as one of the best coaches of his generation, was sacked by Spurs yesterday with the club seventh in the Premier League and having already been eliminated from European competition this season.
Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is the bookmakers' favourite to replace Mourinho, while Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is also a contender.
Nagelsmann has also been linked with Bayern Munich, who are set to lose boss Hansi Flick in a move that could have persuaded Tottenham to act on Mourinho now rather than wait until the end of the season.
Despite winning Manchester United their last trophy in 2017, many fans were not disappointed when Mourinho was sacked in December 2018, with United 19 points behind then leaders Liverpool.
The same issues came to the fore at Spurs ever since Mourinho succeeded the hugely popular Mauricio Pochettino. Despite a wealth of attacking talent at both Spurs and United, Mourinho's negative tactics drew much criticism.
Former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp said in December Mourinho was "asking for trouble", while ex-striker Darren Bent labelled Mourinho's tactics "outdated".
While Jurgen Klopp's high intensity approach has revolutionised the way Liverpool play, and Pep Guardiola's everevolving Johan Cruyff-inspired system has steered Manchester City to much success, Mourinho's style has remained unmoved.
Chairman Daniel Levy wanted a blockbuster name when he went for Mourinho, but on the morning after Spurs joined the prospective 12-team European Super League, Mourinho was surplus to requirements.
His record is not as imposing as it once was. He won just 51% of his games in charge in all competitions at Spurs and only with Leiria (45%) – his second ever job – has he posted a lower win ratio with a single club during his managerial career.
Spurs' 10 defeats this campaign is the most a Mourinho side has ever suffered in a single league season, while only in 2015/16 with Chelsea (0.9) and 2018/19 with United (1.5) has a Mourinho side averaged fewer points per game than Spurs in 2020/21 (1.6).
What's more, once a serial winner, Mourinho has won one league title in the last nine years. His great rival Guardiola has managed five, likely soon to be six, in that time.
There is much uncertainty in the game after the announcement of the much-maligned Super League, with it unclear what the footballing landscape will look like across the continent.
Mourinho's future looks equally up in the air.