SILVERFOXED
Jose admits he’s under pressure – most of it self-inflicted – but insists he’s still the man to bring trophies to Tottenham
JOSE MOURINHO has admitted he is feeling the pressure – but insists he can still win a trophy this season.
Under the Special One Tottenham have suffered three league defeats in a row for the first time since 2012, when Harry Redknapp was in charge. Redknapp’s third defeat in that run was at Everton, where he was accused of playing Gareth Bale out of position on the right wing, and by the end of the season he was out of a job.
This time around Bale cannot get a game under Mourinho, who is getting hot under the collar over questions about the Welsh star.
Spurs fans are losing patience with Mourinho, especially after Thursday’s dismal performance in the 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager was always a strange fit for
Tottenham because his pragmatic style is hardly in the club’s footballing traditions.
If they were winning, the fans might tolerate it. But when results are as bad as the football, discontent grows.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy replaced Mauricio Pochettino with Mourinho to bring trophies and success to the club – they have not won anything since the League Cup in 2008 – and the expectation is clear.
Mourinho says he knows the spotlight is on him but insists he can handle it because he puts pressure on himself.
“I put pressure on myself every day. I don’t need others to put pressure on me,” he said.
“So it’s been
2012 since
Spurs had three defeats in a row? But how long since they won a title? Maybe I can give them one.”
When Mourinho said a title he clearly meant a trophy – Spurs have not won the title since 1961, as their supporters are all too painfully aware.
But he has a lot of work to do to regain their trust after the poverty of Thursday night’s performance. Tottenham, famed for style and flair, sat deep, hoping to play on the counter-attack. But this was at home to a team that at kick-off was below them in the Premier League table.
Spurs, with talisman Harry Kane absent, had no plan, no pattern, no panache, and, ultimately, no points.
Mourinho, glum-faced on the touchline, was prepared to watch Eric Dier, a centre-half, take a late free-kick from a promising position while a world-class talent like Bale was sat on the bench.
On paper the Londoners have one of the most dangerous forward lines in Europe in Bale, Kane, and Heung-min Son. But that’s on paper. Bale can’t even get on the pitch
It’s a crunch couple of weeks ahead for faltering Tottenham, who are just a point ahead of Aston Villa, having played a game more.
They face West Brom tomorrow when failure to win will see unrest grow. They play Everton in the FA Cup next midweek, Manchester City away next Saturday, and then it’s the resumption of the Europa League.
Mourinho added: “The most important thing now is West Brom – I don’t even want to think about Everton or about City.
“I think after City, we go to Austria in the Europa League, which is a big competition for us. We have good expectations in that competition. The reality is that, until the end of the month, we have great motivations in front of us. The Europa League is something we have put a lot of focus on this season.
“We had to play many many games to qualify for the group phase, and we were travelling all around Europe to do it.
“But let’s focus on West Bromwich because it’s the next match and after three defeats, we have to win against West Bromwich.
We cannot even think anything else.” of