Charmed & dangerous
Mourinho’s Spurs manifesto shows he is still box office
THE charm offensive was as predictable as it was seductive.
Jose Mourinho’s first interview could easily have been conducted to the soundtrack of that old Jane Birkin classic, Je t’aime.
With a glint in his eye, the wellrested 56-year-old promised passion for his job as well as passion for his new club.
Fancy a taster? How about a jab at Chelsea and Manchester United for apparently not being as good at producing players ready for the first team as they are at Spurs?
That will go down well at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. Welcome back, Jose – we thought we’d lost you.
By the time he had popped up on Spurs TV at about 5pm, Mourinho was still trending on social media. Commercially, contrary to the critics’ belief his image has lost its shine, Mourinho is still box office. Even after a year in the wilderness. In his opening address to a sceptical, apprehensive fan base he ticked all the right boxes.
For all the foundations laid by Mauricio Pochettino over the past five and a half years, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has – quite literally – picked a winner.
If Pochettino can persuade contract rebels Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen to sign new deals then he’ll go a long way to winning over his doubters.
Meanwhile, fans need a clear vision and firm leadership after the chaotic, uncertain last days of Pochettino. Here was Mourinho, setting out his manifesto.
He said: “What can I promise? Passion. For my job but also
passion for my club. It’s a privilege when a manager goes to a club and feels happiness in relation to the squad that he’s going to have.
“These are not words of the moment. They are not words of me being Tottenham head coach.
“These are words I’ve been told and I’ve repeated in the last three, four, five years even as an opponent. To play against Tottenham at White Hart Lane was always hard but beautiful.”
There were nods to the defeats by Spurs he had suffered as boss of Chelsea and United.
He said: “It was one of these places where I used to go with passion but also with respect.
“I always spoke about the club’s potential, about the qualities of the players, the magnificent work the club was doing.”
Asked what he thought of the north Londoners’ beautiful new stadium, he stepped it up.
Mourinho said: “When you say beautiful stadium you are too humble. You have to say the best stadium in the world. That is the reality. The training ground is second to none. It probably can only be compared with some American Football training grounds. You cannot compare with European football at any l e v e l – and I’ve been in the majority of the best places.
“It’s impossible to compare anything the same as the stadium. It’s something that has to make us all very proud. But not just that, the conditions you have to work in are absolutely amazing.”
His words were punctuated by shots of his first training session, held yesterday afternoon, with his players.
Some approached him to say hello during lunch. All listened intently as the man that had landed 20 trophies across the last 15 years spoke of his willingness to turn them into winners.
West Ham on Saturday had looked set to be Pochettino’s Waterloo. If Mourinho really does still have it, then it could just be the start of the most successful period in Tottenham’s history.