Levy praised for gambling on Mourinho
When Daniel Levy decided to call time on Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as Tottenham Hotspur boss, and then went all-in with the appointment of José Mourinho, more than a few eyebrows were raised at the time. Just over a year later, the Spurs supremo has received glowing praise for such a bold move.
The Portuguese coach has led his team to the final of the League Cup already this season, which could produce the first silverware since Juande Ramos won the same competition in 2008. Likewise, the latest English Premier League betting odds would suggest that Spurs are still contenders, albeit with more chance of being inside the top six with odds of 4/11, than actually lifting the trophy.
Some doubters still believe Mourinho is a ticking time-bomb, the kind of manager who comes with a best-before date, which once expired, may produce a similarly toxic situation that ultimately led Manchester United to wield the axe. However, nobody can deny that results achieved this season have been nothing short of impressive, despite one or two blips along the way.
During a recent chat with Football Insider, former striker Darren Bent praised Levy for the courage of his convictions, especially after the flak received when Pochettino was fired. “He could have brought Mourinho in, it could have been horrible, it could have been terrible. But the fact they’re in a League Cup final will show a lot of Spurs fans that this was the right decision.”
“But there will only be 100% validation if he actually wins something,” Bent added with a note of caution. Nevertheless, he praised Levy for “taking a great risk because it could have backfired,” positive that Spurs have the right man for the job in Mourinho. Thus far, his first full season at the helm is ticking along quite well.
We’ll have to wait until April before we know how the League Cup run concludes, with the final providing Mourinho with an appetising reencounter with one of his greatest foes, Pep Guardiola, not to mention a powerful Manchester City side once again on the rise. If he can navigate that challenge successfully, the doubters will most likely disappear between the cracks once again.
That said, while most fans appear willing to reserve their judgement, TV and radio pundits have no such reservations when it comes to taking swipes at the Tottenham boss. That includes former Spurs defender Jason Cundy speaking on TalkSport, quick to take aim after the recent 1-1 draw against Fulham.
“He’s playing with the handbrake on at the moment,” lamented Cundy, who believes Mourinho is being too conservative with his tactics. “I don’t think he trusts his defence,” he also suggested, which leads to the Spurs boss instructing his team to sit back, rather than try to extend leads after getting ahead in games.
While many might agree this is typical of Mourinho’s approach to certain games, he remains one of the most successful coaches in European football. Few can match his managerial achievements over the last two decades, therefore it’s also fair to assume he can ultimately prove successful at Spurs because Levy wouldn’t have taken the risk of his appointment, unless confident of an outcome featuring trophies.
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