Tottenham sack two time Champions League winner after underwhelming leaves the London club currently seventh in the Premier League
by Craig Humpage
Football Writer, Sporticos
Published on Monday 19 April 2021
Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho surely never enjoys getting sacked but he's probably getting used to it. One thing he'll dislike even more is the fact that his dismissal will undoubtedly be an afterthought on a day dominated by news of a proposed European Super League. The Portuguese guided Spurs to sixth in the league last season and looked set to achieve a similar finish this year. He did however have the chance to secure their first trophy since 2008 in this Sunday's Carabao Cup final. That responsibility will now seemingly fall on academy coach Ryan Mason who takes charge of first team training on Monday morning. He will likely be supported by club legend Ledley King among other background coaches. Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff including Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos and Carlos Lalin have also been relieved of their duties effective immediately. His final game was the 2-2 draw with Everton at the weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel levy said: "Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club."
Levy added: "Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged. He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution."
Mourinho's performance at Spurs in the Premier League and Europa League
It's been a period of ups and downs for Jose at Spurs. Their performance in his first season in charge was mixed but with the challenging times of the pandemic and the now infamous Amazon documentary made about them, many were ready to let it slide and have some faith. Afterall, Mourinho only joined mid season to replace Mauricio Pochettino and needed time to put his mark on the squad. It now appears that initial faith has worn off among supporters and the board.
They've been in poor form since the turn of the year, crashing out of the Europa League in March after a humiliating defeat against Dinamo Zagreb, and picking up two points from their past three Premier League games. He's come under fire for some of his selection choices and tactics. Jose Mourinho is synonymous with boring and overly defensive football and those who see him as a dinosaur of the game will be bolstered by this latest setback.
We should however remember that this season things started quite well. Gareth Bale returned to the club on loan which was a real feel good factor for the fans. They beat Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford. The Portuguese became only the second ever Spurs manager to win his first two North London derbies when they beat Arsenal 2-0, a victory which took them top of the league. Things were looking bright but that euphoria was short lived as they dropped to second later that month after losing to Liverpool. Mourinho's biggest mistake may have been his "Same coach, different players" quote in which he blamed his squad and refused to take responsibility for poor results including their exit from the Europa League at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb.
Where does Jose Mourinho's career go from here?
Surely Jose will take some time off to relax and think about his next step. It's tough to see where he'll end up next. It really is a sad day when one of the greatest coaches in history seems so out of his depth. Given his achievements in his last few jobs and more importantly the defensive style of play he is sticking with, it's hard to imagine any of the European Super League clubs taking a punt on him. He's now worked at three of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. Which other big clubs would want him? It's a similar story with big clubs across Europe. At the very least he should take some time to decompress and maybe think about adapting his approach to the game.
If I were his agent I would be recommending he wait for the Portugal job which Mourinho's been linked to for decades. That would be a great job for him. There would be no huge expectations. If he did really well it would make him an even bigger national hero than he already is. If they didn't win anything, you could hardly call that a failure. His pragmatic style could also fit really well when it comes to going far in international tournaments. The same could apply at his old club FC Porto who today announced that they have refused the opportunity to join the new European Super League. He could try to repeat the unbelievable feat of winning the Champions League with them again. Where will Jose Mourinho go next? Hopefully to the sofa at least for a few months.
What next for Spurs?
Tottenham Hotspur will now go into their Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in disarray but we all know about the "new manager bounce" and perhaps that will be visible this weekend. The players will probably be led by a caretaker team made up of guys who love the club and should be able to give them a lift. If they undo the chains of Mourinho and let the players express themselves, they might just go and win it. After that, chairman Daniel Levy will be hoping to quickly move for a new coach. That being said, looking at the list of bookies favourites, Spurs could be waiting until the summer. Julian Nagelsmann is currently favourite and it's very doubtful he will leave RB Leipzig mid season. The same goes for Brendan Rodgers who is also linked. He'd be crazy to leave Leicester City who are currently third for what I would argue is a lesser team. Massimiliano Allegri is still available and he could be a good shout. Perhaps they'll decide to go with one of their own in Ryan Mason. I suppose we will have to wait.
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