Are Jose Mourinho and Tottenham gradually unraveling?
It’s been a tough last two weeks for Jose Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur, who have gone from title contenders to fifth on the Premier League table. Spurs made an impressive start to the season but have fallen off the pace in recent weeks.
When Mourinho’s side played against Liverpool on December 16, they were top of the table and had the chance to extend their lead. However, Spurs lost to the Reds, and they haven’t won a game since.
For a team that looked unstoppable a few weeks ago, it’s surprising how Tottenham have declined so sharply. They no longer look motivated enough, and are not showing enough desire.
On Sunday, the North London outfit once again dropped points after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux.
Five games without a win for Spurs
Mourinho sounded very disgruntled following Sunday’s draw, and once again called out his players for failing to adhere to his instructions. It’s now been five games without a win for Tottenham.
The Portuguese’s overall mood since joining Spurs has been positive, but the last two weeks have seen him return to his old tricks. He has often criticised his players in the media and hasn’t shied away from slamming their lack of desire and ambition.
After taking the lead against Wolves thanks to a strike from Tanguy Ndombele, Tottenham rarely threatened their opponents.
They were completely lethargic in possession as Wolves seized control of the game. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side was getting closer to scoring, but Spurs had no answers whatsoever.
Wolves finally found a breakthrough when Romain Saiss headed home the equalizer in the 88th minute to snatch a draw for the hosts.
Things unraveling at Tottenham?
In the aftermath of the game against Wolves, Mourinho said Tottenham “didn't have that ambition, that desire to go for more” despite taking the lead inside the first minute.
"One point against Wolves normally wouldn't be a bad result because they are a strong opponent. But scoring in the first minute and having the control of the game for the rest of it and having 89 minutes to score more, there's a sense of feeling frustrated," Mourinho told Sky Sports.
"I know the way I prepare the team, I know what I asked of the players, I know all that and don't want to say much more than that. I give some credit to Wolves of course because they put pressure on us, pressure that we coped quite well with, controlling the game very well.”
Mourinho tends to get this way whenever things are not going his way but, hopefully, his players will respond well to these criticisms.
Otherwise, we could be witnessing another broken dressing room — as was the case during Mourinho’s latter days at Chelsea and Manchester United.