As the dust settled on Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at Burnley, a surprising statistic, rather, came to light. Is the Portuguese doing a pretty decent job? If yes, why doesn’t it feel like that?
The point at Turf Moor marked Mourinho’s 27th as Tottenham’s manager. Since he replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November, Only Manchester City and Liverpool have accumulated more.
In line with the assessment, Mourinho is doing a decent job at his new club. However, in some way, why doesn’t it feel like he is performing the good works?
When Mourinho condemned Tanguy Ndombele’s first-half performance, it was brutal and devastating. In other words, it felt like a diversionary tactic after another game Spurs had failed to win.
It is now five matches since they last tasted victory. This is Tottenham’s worst run since the 2016 autumn. Unless they overturn RB Leipzig’s one-goal advantage in their Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, it will be another campaign without a trophy.
It will also be the third time since 2003 that Tottenham will have ended the season without reaching the quarter-final of a cup competition.
Spurs is eight in the Premier League table. Four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea having played an extra game. Therefore, qualifications for next season’s Champions League is a tough task for Mourinho and his players.
Meanwhile, such statistics fuel the view of those who view Mourinho as a busted flush and that Daniel Levy made a major mistake in appointing him.
But somehow, Tottenham’s fans who pay to watch their team every week are somewhat forgiving.
Michael Nunes
One of the forgiving fans is in the likes of Michael Nunes who started following the club in the late 1960’s.
He says, “The jury is still out on Jose. But you have to give him a chance. He needs at least one close season to bring some players in.”
“The thing is when the club got to the Champions League final last season. it was great. We had a fabulous time in Madrid. But when you step back and look at it, the club was not ready. Since then, it has gone downhill fast.”
Under Nunes’ perception, it could be argued that the trouble began on Tottenham’s last visit to Turf Moor in February 2019.
Had the visitors won that day, they would have been two points behind Liverpool. But they didn’t. They lost 2-1.
From that day to this, Tottenham has played 42 times in the Premier League. They have won 16, lost 14 and drawn 12. By any measure, Tottenham has been distinctly average for over a year now.
As I conclude, those who know Mourinho properly tend to judge him less harshly. At Tottenham, he is liked by those who have to deal with him regularly. They see a humorous side that is not on public show very often these days.