21 Apr 2021 09:42:31
Mourinho: The Inside Story

"It was half-time at the Etihad Stadium on February 13. Tottenham were 1-0 down to Manchester City but had barely been in the game at all. No shots on target, no corners, 35.9 per cent possession.

Jose Mourinho walked in and was unusually positive, telling the players they were doing well and to keep it up. Some of the senior players in the dressing room were shocked that such a passive, negative approach could be right for this club. “You really think this is good? " remarked one. Tottenham did nothing in the second half and lost the game 3-0.

As the reality of Mourinho’s methods became apparent, it did not take long for the Tottenham players to pine for the days of Pochettino. The players found themselves relying on the same attacking moves he had taught them, long after he’d left the club.

Under the Argentinean, the team had a clear philosophy of play which they would work on perfecting every day. Under Mourinho, that went out of the window. His approach was to tailor different tactics to every single opponent, designed to exploit their own distinct weaknesses. Players remarked that as they got closer to every match, the atmosphere was increasingly marked by fear of what might go wrong. Spurs were so fixated on what the opposition might do, they forgot to focus on their own game.

It did not take the Tottenham players to grow bored of Mourinho’s training sessions. They felt weighed down by the defensive focus, the hours spent working on how to defend throw-ins before facing Liverpool, and frustrated by the lack of attention to their own game. For years, Spurs teams of all levels had focused on building up from the back and passing the ball, but for Mourinho that was all forgotten.

“He has sucked the culture out of the club, " said one dressing-room source, “and destroyed what Spurs have stood for for years. "

The players were also struck by the lack of intensity in their training programme. Working under Pochettino was extremely hard, and the players would complain about the number of double sessions, and the lack of days off, as Pochettino and his staff got the team fit enough to play his aggressive, pressing football. But that same group of players then felt the opposite was true under Mourinho — that they were not being worked hard enough. They felt as if almost every session was either recovery from one match or tactical preparation for the next one, which made it especially difficult for the players who were not in the team to find any rhythm.

When they got what they felt was a harder week of training before the FA Cup visit to Wycombe Wanderers in January, the players were even relieved to have been worked hard. They would even joke among themselves that training at this intensity could prolong their careers.

Sacramento was meant to provide an update to Mourinho’s methods and a link to the players at Spurs. But in reality, he proved just as unpopular as Mourinho. Multiple sources report that the players struggled to connect with him, saying he lacked the emotional intelligence to deal with a squad of established Premier League stars. Rival coaches also picked up on Sacramento’s lack of experience, especially in comparison to Faria, with one even remarking to The Athletic how little authority he seemed to have on the touchline, barking tactical instructions to uninterested players.

The players felt, as the season wore on, that whatever went wrong they would be blamed for it, and that Mourinho was happy to throw them under the bus. Ahead of the line-up being announced for the game against Manchester United recently, one club source remarked, “I wonder which lambs will be sent out to slaughter this week. "

“Four or five players absolutely hate him, four or five like him, four or five just aren’t arsed, " said another club source earlier this month. “He just splits the camp, because of what he says and how he says it. "

Tottenham knew how much damage Mourinho was doing through his comments. Staff had been left embarrassed by how he would talk to the squad. Players such as Doherty had found their confidence shattered by the way the manager would criticise them. And while the club had told Mourinho to stop hammering the players after games, it did not always make a difference.

By this point, Mourinho had few allies left at Tottenham. Not only had he fallen out with the players but, according to multiple sources, many colleagues had been put off by his negative mood and demeanour. More than one source drew a contrast between the approach of Pochettino, who tried to create an inclusive environment and Mourinho, who essentially retreated into his bunker in the final months.

As results turned against him, Mourinho found almost no one was left on his side. “You always know what you’re going to get with Mourinho, " said one former colleague. “But it is still very unpleasant when you do get it. "

{Ed001's Note - could you please credit the publication you got this from DR. I don't want to steal someone else's work mate. Someone has put a lot of work into producing this, only fair for them to get their due credit.}

1.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 11:23:47
100% Ed001 totally agree mate.

The Athletic.

{Ed001's Note - cheers DR. I knew it couldn't have been me as it was written too well!} Become a Patron!