The Mourinho Effect?
Steindy (talk) 21:38, 28 November 2009 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Jose Mourinho is a polarising man, but his Tottenham Hotspur team appears galvanized under his leadership.
You could argue that Spurs are the least elite of Mourinho's teams since he left Porto to take up the reigns at Chelsea's in 2004.
Spells at Stamford Bridge, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Manchester United followed, but they all ended in acrimony.
Stints at clubs would often start well - he won league titles during his second season at Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Madrid, Chelsea again - while Mourinho finished second with United. In retrospect, that runner's up position with the Red Devils looks highly impressive now.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/apasciuto/, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
However, inglorious departures have followed the Portuguese manager wherever he's gone.
Accusations of a stale brand of football, an outdated management style, and an unwillingness to create successful long-term structures meant it was a massive surprise when Tottenham announced his appointment as manager.
They had verged from one side of the spectrum to the old, it seemed, and ditched an empire builder in Mauricio Pochettino for a success-and-exit expert in Mourinho.
Results were initially good but true to form, Mourinho, pleaded for a stronger squad and more control.
As the cult of personality around Jose grew, Tottenham showed signs of growth, and that's continued into 2020/2021.
Brian Minkoff London Pixels, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Spurs are currently topping the table and have only conceded nine goals this campaign. A 2-0 victory over Manchester City was his crowning glory so far, although victory against Chelsea will provide another reference point for the campaign.
Mourinho has been historically strong in his second season as his methods are at the peak of their powers.
For a club whose greatest achievements have been to finish second - in the Premier League 2016/2017 and the Champions League in 2018/2019 - winning the Premier League would be a phenomenal effort.
@cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The other side of the Jose coin generally happens in that third season when things start to fall apart, and the manager leaves under explosive circumstances.
But if he leaves with a trophy under his belt, his legacy as a serial winner will be restored, and Spurs will finally have earned the trophy they've been craving.
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