Jose Mourinho was grasping at straws as he made a comparison between his start to life as Tottenham manager and Jurgen Klopp‘s at Liverpool, asking for time to deliver.
Mourinho’s record since taking over at Spurs in November has been distinctly unimpressive.
Thursday night’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth was his 31st game in charge of the club, of which only 13 of those have been victories.
Spurs have drawn seven and lost 11, and ahead of Sunday’s north London derby they sit ninth in the table, a point behind Arsenal in eighth and 10 off the top four.
Qualifying for the Champions League should be the minimum requirement for last season’s finalists, but it seems an unlikely eventuality for a side managed by a three-time Premier League winner.
But speaking ahead of the visit of Arsenal, Mourinho compared his situation with that of Klopp early into his life at Anfield, saying “how long did it take for Jurgen and Liverpool?”
“Four years, four seasons,” he claimed.
“Buying one of the best goalkeepers in the world, buying one of the best centre-backs in the world and so on and so on and so on
“I’m focused on my three-year contract. I believe that in my three-year contract we can win trophies.
“If we don’t, but the club does it in the new era if I stay here only for three years, I will be happy with that.”
When Klopp took over Liverpool, it came after a season that saw Brendan Rodgers struggle to a sixth-placed finish, with Luis Suarez gone, Raheem Sterling agitating to move and Steven Gerrard in his final year.
They had reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the League Cup, but had bombed out of the Champions League, third in their group, taking just five points from clashes with Real Madrid, Basel and Ludogorets.
The transfer window that preceded the 2015/16 campaign saw a mix of talents make their way into the club, perhaps best symbolised by the divergent fortunes of Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino—a Rodgers signing and a committee signing, respectively.
Klopp faced a major rebuild at Anfield, and this should not have been the case for Mourinho at Spurs, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season and lost to Liverpool in the Champions League final.
A lack of signings was a clear issue throughout Mauricio Pochettino’s reign, but Tottenham had spent £53.8 million to bring in Tanguy Ndombele last summer, along with Ryan Sessegnon for £25 million and Giovani lo Celso on loan.
Mourinho’s appointment was intended to give the club an immediate boost, but their hopes have instead dwindled since.
His treatment of Ndombele, question marks over his application or not, is an indictment of a stubborn manager no longer able to build.
Ask many Spurs fans, and no doubt they will be ruing the prospect of another three years with Mourinho in charge—and desperate for an injection of positivity and genuine pedigree like that which Liverpool enjoyed in 2015.
Fan Comments