Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur in November.
Martin Keown has suggested that Jose Mourinho’s time has ‘been and gone’, as he questioned why he hasn’t changed from a tactical standpoint.
Speaking to Sports Report on BBC Radio 5 Live (22/02/20 at 5:15 pm), Keown was critical of Mourinho’s comments about his injuries, as he claimed that Tottenham have ‘enough bullets in the gun’.
On whether Mourinho is being defeatist or realistic in regards to his striker comments: “Well, when Lamela comes on, it shows that they have got players available to be attacking,” Keown told Radio 5 Live. “It was the only time in the match [when they scored] that they got bodies in the box.
“If you are going to play so deep, as he is Mourinho. I just look at Mourinho now and think is Mourinho’s time been and gone. Where is the innovation from his tactics?
“I’m struggling to see what he does as a manager now. I know when I watch Guardiola it’s four at the back, it’s a midfield player that sits and they are really creative in front. Same with Klopp.
“He [Mourinho] has to have a good look at what he wants to do as a manager. And what way does he want to play? He has got good players there. It’s not enough to say that I don’t have enough bullets in the gun because he does.”
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are Tottenham’s two standout players who are missing through injury, as there could be the potential that they might not return again this term.
When Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the Spurs dugout in November, the club were sitting in the bottom half and 12 points adrift of the Champions League places.
They are now four points off fourth-placed Chelsea, which is a big improvement, but the style in which the North London club have played has been questioned.
Given their injury problems, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Spurs now miss out on a top-four finish despite it looking likely that they could secure that spot when Kane and Son were still fit.
But given Manchester City’s European ban, it has provided Spurs with a chance to secure Champion League football by finishing fifth.
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