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Tottenham: Jose Mourinho can take Spurs to the Premier League title

By Graham Ruthven

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Lucas Moura of Tottenham Hotspur react during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 21, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth - by Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Lucas Moura of Tottenham Hotspur react during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 21, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth - by Pool/Getty Images) /
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In case anyone forgot that Jose Mourinho was a world class manager, he’s reminding everyone this season at Tottenham. 

Jose Mourinho shouldn’t have to reintroduce himself to the football world.

“There are two top, top coaches in the world,” Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy starts to explain to the camera in Amazon Prime’s docuseries ‘All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur,’ offering justification as to why Jose Mourinho had been hired as the club’s new manager. “One is at another club in the Premier League,” he continues, almost certainly referencing Pep Guardiola. “The other is Jose.”

There was was a time, not so long ago, when Levy’s comments would have passed without note. Indeed, Guardiola and Mourinho dominated an entire era of the European game, with their personal rivalry the greatest managerial duel seen since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

But while Guardiola has stayed at the top of the sport at Manchester City, leading the club to back-to-back Premier League titles in 2018 and 2019, Mourinho has looked a shadow of his former self in recent years. It’s been five seasons since he won a league title and three years since he got his hands on a piece of silverware.

In many years, it appeared soccer’s elite level had left Mourinho behind. His methods and ideas seemed outdated and ineffective against those at the managerial cutting edge. For instance, Tottenham’s Champions League exit to RB Leipzig last season saw Mourinho brutally exposed by the more forward-thinking, progressive Julian Nagelsmann.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has changed European soccer’s landscape this season. The 2020/21 campaign didn’t get under way until September, with teams only given two or three weeks as a pre-season. This has resulted in a certain volatility, making this season the most unpredictable in living memory.

Even though they started with a home defeat to Everton on opening weekend,  Mourinho’s side have gained momentum with almost every match they have played since then. Talk of a potential title challenge reached a crescendo before the international break, when Harry Kane’s late winner against West Brom put Tottenham momentarily top of the pile.

Following a hard-earned win over Manchester City on Saturday Tottenham sits atop the Premier League table, two points ahead of Chelsea and Leicester City and three points ahead of defending league champions Liverpool.

This season’s shortened schedule means the title race is likely to be a war of attrition. The winning side won’t necessarily be the best team in the Premier League, but the team that can take the most punches. Absorb the most adversity. This is where Mourinho thrives. This is what gives his Tottenham team an opportunity. If the elite level of the game had left Mourinho behind, it’s possible it has come back to him this season, even if normal service resumes by next summer.

“I believe the table now doesn’t mean much,” said Mourinho after the win over West Brom, playing down the significance of Spurs’ lofty position. “I believe that by February, March, you look to the table and understand the reality of the competition.” Privately, though, the 57-year-old’s outlook is surely brighter than it has been in years.

Indeed, there’s a glint in Mourinho’s eye right now. It’s not just the unique circumstances that have given Spurs a chance this season. He has forged a good team, bolstered by six new signings over the summer. While Mourinho suffered from a lack of boardroom support during his time at Manchester United, there has been no such trouble in his new job so far.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon all look to be quintessential Mourinho players, while Tanguy Ndombele has overcome a difficult first season at Spurs to become a key figure. Meanwhile, Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min are the most devastating attacking duo in the Premier League, registering a combined 15 goals and 10 assists so far this season.

Some claimed, with some justification, that Mourinho, European soccer’s go-to guy for instant results, would be a poor fit for Tottenham Hotspur, a project club for much of their recent history. A year from his appointment, Mourinho has mould Spurs to his specifications quicker and more effectively than anyone predicted at the time. Equally, nobody predicted how the Premier League landscape would change to suit Mourinho.

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