No Champions League, a big debt and Jose beginning to upset players ... Tottenham are in a mess

WHICHEVER way you look at it, Tottenham aren’t qualifying for the Champions League… which is exactly what Jose Mourinho was brought in to do.

That’s why, as much as I genuinely like him as a manager and a person, the fans will look at the fact they were in the final last season, but aren’t even qualifying this time – and see it as an abject failure.

I want to make this clear.

Regardless of what people think of Mourinho, whether they like his style of football or not, you can’t argue with his record.

Everywhere he’s gone, he’s achieved something.

He’s not doing that this season, not with Tottenham, and that gives them a major, major headache.

They had a manager in Mauricio Pochettino who was popular, who was impressive and who was highly regarded. And they sacked him because they feared that he wouldn’t finish in the top four.

That’s the reality of their situation. They have spent in excess of a billion pounds on a new stadium, and accrued that much in debt to finance it.

You don’t have to be an expert to know that debt needs servicing. That brings massive pressure, because success is the best way to pay for that amazing new stadium with its superb facilities for fans… who can’t actually use them at the moment.

I’m guessing, but it seems clear Pochettino went because the board feared they wouldn’t make the Champions League – and didn’t want to face the hit that would bring.

So they turned to the tried-andtrusted achievement of Mourinho.

Fundamentally, that means they have not achieved what he was brought in to do. In fact, their form now suggests they may not even make the Europa League, and the big picture suggests if that happens – no Europe next season – they will have to look at the situation. Players do.

This is a club that was in the Champions League Final a year ago and, if they don’t even make the Europa League, then I suspect a few will think about what they want and where they want to be… not that it’s easy to get away from there with Daniel Levy (right) in charge!

That brings pressure on whoever is in charge.

They need to be in Europe, full stop.

The bottom line is that when clubs don’t achieve what is expected, what is demanded by the fans, then questions are asked and that brings pressure.

When I look at Spurs, I keep seeing Arsenal of a few years ago.

They invested heavily in a new stadium and that restricted the spending for Arsene Wenger.

In the end, that brought fan pressure and change. That went well, didn’t it?

I’m a fan of Jose, as I say, so I’d ask the question: when does the chopping and changing stop?

You can’t keep burning through managers because of financial demands.

There’s a problem, though. He seems to already be having a go at certain players, leaving them out, and you can’t do that these days.

When he was first a manager, it was common for bosses to lay into players to get a reaction from them. You can’t do that any more.

I honestly don’t think that’s who he is, he’s doing it for his ego or anything like that – I’m sure he must believe he is trying to get a reaction.

But you lose the players and that’s it. You’re history.

It all adds up to a mess at Tottenham because I’d be amazed if they had much money to spend this summer – with the coronavirus crisis gripping football – even though Mourinho will desperately want it.

And that could mean a very short stay for Jose.

The barb Mourinho aimed at by Wenger Arsene applied could be this to him season I’M not reading much into Liverpool’s defeat at City – other than they clearly had a party I wished I’d been at. Yet it may just give the chance for Jurgen Klopp to go in and say to his board that they need to spend money this summer so the team don’t stand still next season. What I saw was a decent Liverpool performance in the first half, where they should have been ahead, and then a few mistakes, which were punished severely. It doesn’t show Klopp’s team will be poor next season – they were far from awful, even if they were carved apart. It does show, though, that City are already looking towards next season. It was an angry performance from them – a reaction to the fact that they were miles off Liverpool’s pace this season. No way will they be that far behind after the quick turnaround this summer. They will spend, too. They need a centre-back and will want to be looking at lining up eventual replacements for Fernandinho and even Aguero. They will be better – and they were still incredible at times this season. So Liverpool have to be ready for that. How do they do that? Well, Klopp has every right to go in and say, ‘Yes, we do need more players’. I’m sure he was looking at it and saying this is what we need next season. That’s what the fans want, obviously, and for once they may have a point. Liverpool didn’t strengthen last summer and it helped them because they were settled. It may be time now.