100% starting runs never last forever, yet for Jose Mourinho and Tottenham, it still feels like it has prematurely ended.
Spurs fell to a 2-1 loss to a Manchester United side who outplayed the north London side as stats from Understat show in a fixture that saw Mourinho lose to his former club, and it was a game that showed the extent of Tottenham’s problems on the pitch.
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Since taking charge of Spurs, Mourinho’s side have conceded two goals in every game the Portuguese manager has been on the touchline, and whilst it is all well and good when Tottenham are outscoring these sides as they did against West Ham, Olympiakos and Bournemouth, it is a dangerous strategy to deploy against a side like United who know how to defend against big teams.
Indeed, the result was a clear sign that the Tottenham job won’t be a clear walk in the park for Mourinho, far from it in fact, and the defeat to the Red Devils was an indicator that the Portuguese manager will need to work his former magic on the squad if they are to return to their former best.
And it seems like Mourinho has a plan on what to do with this squad. Dele Alli appears to be the club’s new talisman as the England international was yet again fantastic on the night for Spurs, scoring an audacious goal to tie the game up as the 23-year-old looks reborn under the former Real Madrid boss, and the obvious absence of Christian Eriksen could show that the Danish playmaker already has one foot out the door heading into January as reported by The Evening Standard.
Mourinho will have his work cut out for him with Spurs over the course of this season and beyond, and the Portuguese manager will need to be prepared that this job won’t be a simple walk in the park like many expected after his first few games in charge of the north London side.