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Mourinho’s Spurs tenure – Bad luck? Special glory days behind him?

2 min read
by Editor
This manager had a proven history of success, and a brimming cabinet of silverware achieved with numerous clubs in diverse leagues.

When Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino as manager of Tottenham Hotspur last November, there was a cautious feeling of excitement and anticipation among Lilywhites fans. This manager had a proven history of success, and a brimming cabinet of silverware achieved with numerous clubs in diverse leagues.

But it also seemed as though his glory days were behind him, especially after the unceremonious sacking from Manchester United in 2018. Signing the ageing tactician was a gamble, and his introduction hasn’t brought about an immediate transformation in the club’s fortunes. But could it all be a case of bad luck?

Kane Loss a Big Blow

Mourinho has been a huge fan of Harry Kane for some time. Indeed, when the 57-year-old was the manager at United, there was speculation among bettors that he would try to sign the striker. The Red Devils are still linked with the Spurs star, and there are special markets on them getting his signature in the future. In the football odds across the Betfair site, the prolific hitman can be found at 6/4 to join the Manchester outfit, at the time of writing.

Mourinho will be desperate to keep hold of his main player, and will doubtlessly look to build his squad around Kane’s strengths. It was highly unfortunate for the former Chelsea manager that the 26-year-old was side-lined through injury so early on in his tenure. Kane suffered a hamstring injury in the 1-0 defeat to Southampton at St Mary’s on the 1st of January, and has been out of action ever since.

Son Injury

When Kane was laid off, the attention of bettors turned to Son Heung-Min when it came to bagging the goals. The South Korean has been extremely reliable in the past when it comes to filling in for the England captain.

The 27-year-old rewarded those who chose to stake on him to score and bagged four goals in three games against Norwich, Man City, and Aston Villa. This purple patch could have easily propelled Spurs up the table, but unfortunately, the forward suffered a fracture in his right arm in the 3-2 away victory over the Villains.

Mourinho was left with few options in attack, and bookies had to reassess the likelihood of Spurs finishing in the top four. They are now considered outsiders to do so with Manchester United, Wolves, and Sheffield United all better-placed to snag a Champions League spot.  

With the sale of Christian Eriksen to Inter Milan – along with the loss of Kane and Son through injury, Mourinho’s start at Tottenham has been marred with misfortune. Bettors may already be speculating that the Portuguese manager could be out of a job soon, but most fans will be hoping that he is given more time.

It is hard to assess what kind of impact the seasoned coach has had when he hasn’t been able to utilise his star players. Mourinho needs more time, and Spurs fans have to hope that his glory days are not yet behind him.

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