Jose Mourinho is back, and the Tottenham Hotspur manager has truly defied all the odds this time around.
For the past decade, it looked for all the world as if Jose Mourinho was dead as a top-level manager. New, more fashionable coaches like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp had usurped him. They played better football, won more trophies, and they came across as more personable to the press.
Now, it’s Klopp who’s moaning, Guardiola who’s under pressure, and Jose Mourinho who’s charming the media once again.
When he’s quipping in press conferences, you know it’s going well for Mourinho. But why is it going so well all of a sudden?
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When he was let go from Manchester United, it almost symbolised the crumbling of a dynasty. When he was hired by Spurs, it was universally panned as a terrible match.
However, it has turned out to be a brilliant match. Why? Because Mourinho is an underdog again, and he loves it.
At Porto, Chelsea (the first time) and Inter Milan, Mourinho wasn’t expected to be successful. He fostered and relished the ‘us against the world’ mentality and achieved great things with those clubs.
At Real Madrid, Chelsea (the second time) and Manchester United, Jose was the favourite. There was nobody to prove wrong, nobody to stick two fingers up to. Tottenham currently top the Premier League, playing a disciplined style with all the cynicism and controlled aggression Mourinho is famed for.
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Jose has been a divisive figure in his career. Some players hate his guts. Some, though, can’t speak highly enough about him. What he has done well for Tottenham is to not make it about the Cult of Mourinho as much. Instead, he’s praised his players and created the team spirit that has worked for him in the past.
After a decade of sulking and antagonism, Mourinho seems to have finally found a home again.
