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Mourinho and Arteta: A Tale of Two Coaches

7 min read
by Jack Howarth
It’s safe to say that not many gave Tottenham a sniff of Champions League Football, let alone the title.

The year is 2019; the days are growing shorter and the nights are never ending. Darkness clouds North London from Haringey to Highbury. Tottenham Hotspur, on a spiralling comedown after a once in a lifetime journey to the Champions League final in Madrid in June, have just sacked the beloved Mauricio Pochettino who had transformed the club from Premier League mediocrity into a European powerhouse. Every Spurs fan remembers where they were when they heard the news.

The majority – tremendously sad that their most idolized manager in the last 30 years had been betrayed and thrown out into the cold that November night. Others – relieved and optimistic that the torturous performances may be turned around by a much needed shake up at White Hart Lane. Within nine days, Unai Emery, the heir to Wenger’s decrepit throne, is cast aside after a similarly appalling start to the season to the delight of the previously spoiled Woolwich contingent.

I, like many Spurs fans I know, was genuinely hurt by the way that Pochettino left the club, and even more sickened by the immediate appointment of that miserable bloke who used to manage Chelsea. The same manager who we were all told was past it due to his defensive style of play being redundant in comparison to the high-pressing, swashbuckling football that had swept the Premier League thanks to the likes of Pochettino, Klopp and Guardiola. Furthermore, the rumours of the progressive, tactically astute, promising young protege to the heralded ‘Pep’ taking the hot seat at the Emirates had the Gooners purring.

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He was appointed a month after Mourinho took his first training session at Hotspur Way. To top things off, Pochettino was a big fan of his friend Mikel Arteta. The two had shared the pitch during their playing time at Paris Saint-Germain, and in Mauricio Pochettino’s book ‘Brave New World’, written by Guillem Ballague, the Spanish writer revealed that Pochettino had always tipped Arteta to be a top coach after his playing days were over.

Furthermore, Arteta told Woolwich’s media team that Pochettino was “like a father” to him when the Argentine first led his Spurs side to the Emirates to play against Wenger’s Woolwich, captained by Arteta. It was a strange time to be an avid Tottenham supporter. The fanbase seemed divided into the football purists who had bought into the philosophy and culture that had been installed at White Hart Lane in the past 5 seasons and the others who were fed up at Tottenham living up to their unwanted ‘nearly club’ title, who were invigorated by the appointment of serial winner Jose Mourinho.

Fast-forward 9 months and Woolwich are seemingly flying high having just beaten Chelsea to win the FA cup in front of an empty Wembley Stadium to the dismay of Spurs fans across the globe. This victory came shortly after the Tottenham coaches Mourinho and Sacramento wildy celebrated on the touchline after being held to a point by Crystal Palace to secure Europa League football for the following season. A feat that had been achieved during post-lockdown football in empty stadia, which some argue played into the hands of Mourinho’s turgid, results driven style of play, which may well have been unacceptable viewing for the paying fans had they been there to watch it.

The results were decent on the whole, but when you play in that style, whilst getting comprehensively beaten at newly promoted Sheffield United and stinking out the Vitality Stadium in a goalless draw with soon-to-be-relegated Bournmeouth, even the hardiest Mourinho backers were filled with frustration. How the mighty had fallen in a year since THAT night in Amsterdam. On the other hand Arteta was receiving praise from pundits, fans and fellow coaches, as well as some Spurs fans who were worried that Woolwich had found the next top manager in the modern game.

The summer transfer window was a much needed opportunity for a rebuild at Tottenham, and the pulling power that a multi-champions league winning coach like Mourinho has on players throughout world football (and his effect on Chairman Daniel Levy) saw big signings coming to the club. The return of Tottenham legend Gareth Bale stole the limelight from the canny signings of the enterprising fullback Segio Reguilón from Real Madrid and the long-awaited midfield general Pierre-Emile Højbjerg among others. Arteta had made notable signings of his own, seeing the deals of Willian and Atletico Madrid’s highly rated destroyer Thomas Partey over the line before the transfer window closed. Shrewd business was done by both managers and the new season loomed.

After Spurs put out one of the driest opening day performances in recent history, losing at a whimper to Everton at home, Mourinho’s Tottenham seemed to be as average as they were in the last campaign, justifying the views of all 25 BBC pundits (including our own Jermaine Jenas and Chris Waddle) of whom a grand total of 0 predicted Tottenham to finish in the top 4 at the end of the 20/21 Premier League season. It’s safe to say that not many gave Tottenham a sniff of Champions League Football, let alone the title.

In fairness, only one predicted that Woolwich would finish in the top 4, but after the FA cup win, Arteta’s stock was almost certainly higher than Jose’s at the start of the season. However, Tottenham remain unbeaten in the Premier League since the opening day and are sitting pretty in first place after an emphatic run of results against Manchester City, Chelsea and Woolwich, taking 7 points from the 9 available. Not to forget the 6-1 dismantling of Jose’s former club Manchester United at Old Trafford. A performance that no one could have foreseen.

You have to look a long way down the table to find Woolwich sitting in 15th after their 4th consecutive home defeat and the stock of Arteta has plummeted beyond recognition. Arteta’s tactics have been reduced to repetitive passing moves ending in an abundance of aimless crosses into the box with very little success. The Gooners can’t buy a goal in the league at the moment and their main man Aubameyang has been as successful at finding his own net than the oppositions since signing his lucrative new contract which followed the redundancy of over 50 staff members at the club.

The downfall of Aubameyang, Lacazette and co has coincided with the explosive form that Spurs partnership Kane and Son have found this season, combining for 12 goals so far, just one behind the premier league record for goal combinations in a season. And we are only 12 games in. Woolwich have scored just 10 Premier League goals this season, the same amount as Son Heung-Min.

However, it’s not just in front of goal that Mourinho has outdone Arteta, but in all areas of the pitch. Woolwich are a shambles at the back, whereas Jose has transformed Tottenham into the best defensive side in the country. The signing of Højbjerg is an obvious factor in the defensive improvement but the turnaround to the Spurs careers of Serge Aurier and Eric Dier should not be overlooked. There is steel in the backline at Tottenham. There is discipline in the performance of every player in every game. It is a team of 11, a unit, in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, at least in the defensive periods of play.

Woolwich on the other hand are a mess both on and off the pitch (see Mesut Ozil) and Arteta would give anything for his players to show the discipline that Mourinho has drilled into his squad. An astonishing stat supporting this notion is that since Arteta’s appointment Woolwich have received 6 red cards, twice as many as any other premier league club. The Spaniard appears out of his depth.

Who knows what the rest of the season holds, but it is a good time to be a Tottenham fan so enjoy it. Even the hardiest of Pochettino backers, like myself, will surely now be fully onboard with Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur at least for this season. It may not be pretty at times but the winning mentality is there and we should embrace it. Possession based football is not everything, look at Woolwich. Look at Arteta.

Come on you Spurs.

Sources
aresnal.com


Brave New World – Guillem Ballague – Orion Books
bbc.co.uk

talksport.co.uk


Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min Close in On Prolific Premier League Duo Record

Premier League Table – Football – BBC Sport


Ranking every Woolwich red card in the PL under Mikel Arteta from least to most idiotic

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

1 Comment

  1. Lucy
    15/12/2020 @ 11:23 pm

    Great article! Come on you spurs!

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