The arrival of the new ‘humble’ Mourinho
Jose Mourinho ‘The Special One’ in his new position as manager of Tottenham Hotspur has been winning many fans over with his charm minus the supposed ‘arrogance’. Some would call it ‘confidence’, but the line between arrogance and confidence often gets blurred by success or the lack of it. And it is success that best describes Mourinho, he has won trophies galore at every club he has ever been in. It looks as though ‘The Special One’ has turned a new leaf, after describing himself as ‘humble’ and happy. The new charming Mourinho has impressed many, since his return to the touchline.
"I was always humble. The problem was that you didn’t understand that. I was always humble but it was in my way" - Mourinho
Mourinho was sacked from Manchester United in December 2018 after losing the dressing room, fans often criticised his defensive approach to games.
“I’m not going to make the same mistakes. I’m going to make new mistakes. I’m going to be stronger,” - Mourinho
But Mourinho insists that he has learnt from his mistakes. There certainly is change- from describing himself as ‘a Special Oone’ to now describing himself as ‘humble’.
His warm praise and hug of Alli and Son seems to have got the best out of both of them. His handling of Dele Alli especially has been brilliant. The first thing that Mourinho told him was: “Are you Dele or Dele’s brother?”
From there, Mourinho poured out some love for a ballboy Callum Hynes who helped the team win by being quick in returning the ball. Mourinho at best was charming, full of humour and witty. After a spell in Manchester United where he often looked grumpy, it looks as though Mourinho’s mojo is back. A note to a spurs fan John Kessler who is seriously ill has touched hearts. The way he has been affectionate to everyone from players to fans is being overkill for many though.
Not all defensive
Mourinho often gets criticised unfairly for playing defensive football, his Real Madrid team scored a massive 102 goals in his first season and followed that up by smashing 121 goals in the following campaign. Even in his troubled third season they got 103 goals. His Chelsea and Inter teams very rarely fell below an average of 2 goals per league game.
His ability to adapt to different teams is rarely emphasised. Now, he has adapted to the Tottenham way of playing and has not changed their game style drastically, change if any, will be slow and effective. He has not dismantled the ethos of the team, not yet anyway. Not even 'The Special One' can wave a wand and transform a team into world beaters, the flaws in the team were evident in the games against United and Bayern.
Mourinho insists that he is the same person and has not changed.
"It’s not about me. People speak about Jose Mourinho updated, this version and that. It's not me, it’s them” - Mourinho
Maybe he is ‘The Special One’, maybe he has changed into ‘The Humble One’, but the winner in him will remain.