Jose Mourinho’s approach to managing Tottenham has been as dour and pragmatic as we have now come to expect.
That said, he oversaw progress from the situation the club was in when Mauricio Pochettino left – although it could be argued the Argentine deserved more time.
We’ve got three reasons why Mourinho deserves a clean slate next season, making him deserving of patience from Spurs fans…
Pre-season is so key
Taking the Tottenham job was the first time Mourinho was appointed mid-season since he took over at Porto in January 2002.
For a manager like Mourinho, who wants to drill his players, especially on the defensive side of the game, that makes a massive difference.
He had an extended period during lockdown to work with his squad and will now get his first pre-season in north London.
That should make a massive difference and it would be fairer to just Mourinho on his team then.
Injuries clearing up
In actual fact, the interrupted season meant Mourinho got to deploy players who would have been ruled out of an ordinary season through injury.
That said, trying to ease them back in during a frantic period of three games a week isn’t ideal.
Now, Mourinho should have something approaching a fully fit squad, rested and refreshed.
That means his tactical decisions will be based more on choice than necessity, and it is better to judge a manager on that basis.
He is a trophy winner
Mourinho wins trophies everywhere he goes.
There is a debate to be had over whether the fallout he brings is worth it in the long run, but he delivers silverware.
For Spurs fans, it has been 12 long years since they scooped the EFL Cup in 2008 and the quest for trophies is now desperate.
Would Tottenham fans forget a relatively tedious opening half-season in 2019/20 if 2020/21 brought a major trophy? Some likely would.
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