Tottenham Hotspur: How José Mourinho is proving himself a poor choice

It’s not that José Mourinho is a poor manager, only that he is a dinosaur in todays game; his selection to succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham was, and is, a glaring mistake.

Why would Tottenham Hotspur, fresh off of a top four Premier League finish and UCL Finals loss to Liverpool, fire their heavily desired boss before December even rolled around?! Only to hire José Mourinho, long past his prime coming off of a disappointing stint with Manchester United? It is not an easy question to unpack, I’ve tried it in previous pieces.

At the time, I acted the part of optimist upon the move to replace Pochettino with José Mourinho; the Special One must surely have grown since his last, sobering stint in the Premier League? Really thoughtful intellects can reinvent themselves to overcome new challenges not previously experienced. But José Mourinho appears outmatched in my opinion, and Tottenham fired a coach who was not ever overmatched within his own team.

Tottenham sit sixth on the table today, with eight wins, six losses and seven draws. While that is an improvement on where Tottenham was earlier this campaign, this cannot be the entire lens by which we process alleged success; what is José Mourinho giving you for the future?

Tottenham with José Mourinho: A Future Outmatched and Outmanned

There are a few issues with José Mourinho on this front of the future; his tactics are antiquated comparatively speaking, his concepts are to slow the game down and his interpersonal communication is not fantastic.

While none of these issues ever destroyed him before winning hardware at previous stops, Tottenham likely won’t have the roster of talent long enough to even scrap together a few trophies. José Mourinho is in the unenviable position of attempting to bring trophies to a trophy starved fanbase with a squad that may not be intact very long.

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Christian Eriksen is reportedly leaving in January or the summer, there seems to be no possibility of remaining.  Jan Vertonghen hasn’t always looked phenomenal this campaign, but his contributions are still important; his departure has been speculated on as well. Harry Kane is a perennial target from inside and outside England, primarily from Spain however. Should two of those three leave, Tottenham will certainly have lots of resources to revamp their squad; who comes to Tottenham though?

While the location is desirable, the stadium is desirable and the competition is desirable, the manager is not. Their are many managers in every major European footballing league whom play a more interesting and provoking brand of football than José  Mourinho. Many, although not all, of those managers are also better at connecting with todays players, inciting them positively to grow and invest in the team.

Mourhino on the other hand, likes the older players because they appreciate his style and mannerisms better than the youth; that is a bad observation for Tottenham.

If Tottenham are to continue as a power in the future, they will need youth and growth, not the stars of yesteryear parking the bus in the 30’. Mauricio Pochettino could attract those younger players better because, despite not having won anything, his football and ambitions are more relatable to by the players he bosses.

A quick fix is sure to break again, only worse

So Tottenham is in sixth place currently, playing RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Round of Sixteen match in the UCL. The bottom line remains that José Mourinho needs to win things this year; he says he has ambition for the Premier League in the future but who comes into North London to play for him as a young man?

The falloff from this year, should José be capable of propping up Tottenham deeper into the UCL, will be more dramatic than this years was. When it occurs, the last English managerial position of José Mourinho’s career will crumble in an all too familiar fashion.

The failure of Tottenham Hotspur to adequately stick by Mauricio Pochettino will prove to be their ultimate undoing. While he goes on to manage Bayern München, Real Madrid, PSG or Manchester City, Tottenham will flounder inevitably. They chose an older commodity, rich in history but poor in recent relevance, instead of a still developing commodity years younger; in almost any circumstance, making those choices will lead to a poor outcome over the long term. Tottenham are only in the beginning stages; good luck in Europe and England!