5 mistakes Jose Mourinho has already made at Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho reacts during the English FA Cup fourth round replay football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on February 5, 2020. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 05: Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the FA Cup Fourth Round Replay match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 05, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus) /

4. Trusting Eric Dier

Whereas Foyth is a player who didn’t get enough opportunities under Mourinho, Dier is a perfect example of a player who has been given too much rope by his new manager. His performances just don’t justify the playing time he’s received.

It’s clear that he was a favourite of Mourinho’s from the past. He tried to purchase him while at Manchester United but was strongly rebuffed by the higher-ups at Spurs. In retrospect, Tottenham missed a golden opportunity to sell him at the height of his transfer value.

Every time Dier comes onto the pitch now he looks much too slow to serve as an adequate midfielder. Perhaps he still has some value as a defensive midfielder who can help close down tightly contested games, but his lack of quickness is still a serious issue under those circumstances.

It’s a bit surprising that Mourinho hasn’t tried to move Dier back to centre back on any sort of regular basis. It’s possible his lack of foot speed would be less of an issue there. Right now he looks to be a fringe squad player at best. Any minutes he receives in the immediate future run the risk of costing Tottenham valuable points in their race for a top four finish.

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