Mourinho working under Levi 
What next for Mourinho?
- Thread starter 2cents
- Start date
this is so far the most reasonable outcome based on all the bits of info.
If you think there is just one way around, I think you’re wrong. Both are important, and what I intended to reference.
Someone thought Mourinho was a good fit to the Woodward/Van Gaal picked squad, I don’t. And when new players where brought in, surprisingly few of them seemed to fit the classical Mourinho success mold. Ibra, yes, and surely Matic, but Mkhitarian, Pogba, Lindelöf/Bailly, Fred? Either Mourinho was coaxed into trying to prove he could win it in a new way, or he was being compromised by Woodward+Scouting staff. Neither the players at the club nor the players brought fitted the strengths/weaknesses of the manager brought, which is prepairing for failure in my view.
I didn’t even want Mourinho, and was relieved when he left, but I do understand why he would rate himself (2nd with United) higher than himself (winners with Chelsea).
He already worked under Woodward who's literarly the best CEO of football. I could only imagine how these two worked togetherMourinho working under Levi
Trying to sign the players Mourinho would want on Spurs' rigid wage structureHe already worked under Woodward who's literarly the best CEO of football. I could only imagine how these two worked together
Money being made available would cause a a war.
A stable club's wage structure is linked to its income. You might have noticed that it has been significantly increased in recent months, so I wouldn't judge today's situation on a very old premise.Trying to sign the players Mourinho would want on Spurs' rigid wage structure
Money being made available would cause a a war.
The Spurs squad is the perfect squad for Mourinho, him coming in would convince those in the last year of their contract to possibly sign a new contract, Mourinho would have Dier and Sissoko sitting, with 3 behind Kane of Son,Ndombele and Lamela or Moura behind or alternatively play a midfield three.if he can get into the head of Aurier, then all that squad would need is a full back or two, come summer and centre backs in a two seasons, Mourinho could afford to get rid of Dele Ali, if Erikssen was to sign a new contract, considering Le Celso is still injured.
As for Mourinho's time here he actually done pretty well, although not asethetically pleasing, at times,when you consider that Pogba was out for most of the 2017/2018 season, and then when he came back, in December, started playing up, can only play in a left of a three.
Spurs would take winningtwo cups, a second place finish and another final after two years.
As for Mourinho's time here he actually done pretty well, although not asethetically pleasing, at times,when you consider that Pogba was out for most of the 2017/2018 season, and then when he came back, in December, started playing up, can only play in a left of a three.
Spurs would take winningtwo cups, a second place finish and another final after two years.
I agree that if the players can be excited and bought into the notion that Jose can give them a good chance of winning silverware, then it’s a win for levy. He gets to keep this group of players together at the current wage structure for another cycle and motivated for another run at silverware.
On the flip side, if the players don’t buy in to this move, it could turn a bit messy.
I think Levy is a smart businessman. Considering where the squad’s heads are right now, he either make this risky move and see if he can squeeze the last bit out of this group at these wage structure or risk losing them to other clubs the next transfer window and while limping through the rest of season until then.
The interim one.
That bolded bit is spot on. It seemed weird at the time, and is even more so in retrospect. In addition to the reasons you give, I believe that he was also stuck in the past to such an extent that he could only work with players he’d been familiar with earlier in his career, and that pool of players was getting smaller (and older) all the time.
I reckon the main determinant for who United have signed in recent years, though maybe no longer, has been players’ agents contacting Ed and “suggesting” what a good idea it would be to sign Player X.
I’d lost faith in Jose around the Christmas of his second season. Something seemed to happen round then and the football, which had been decent in patches up to then, became unremittingly awful. His terrible approach to Sevilla was totally unlike how the team had been set up in the group stage.
We DID finish second though, and our supposedly rubbish defenders generally played very well. People are very keen to belittle the former and flat-out deny the latter.
Some of Mourinho’s finest work happened where his team was a bit of an underdog.
Porto and Inter in the CL, they weren’t by no means the favorites to win it before the season started.
Even Chelsea the first time around, although they splashed the cash they still weren’t a Arsenal or a Manchester United, no one really knew if it would work or not, they weren’t a certain and the pressure in these jobs was lesser than at Madrid and Manchester United.
If he goes to Spurs, I think they would win something, but it won’t last.
Alli would be his no.10, Dier would be his RB or perhaps Ndombele’s midfield partner.
Their squad fits his philosophy, a hard working attacking midfielder on the left like Son, a target man no.9 like Kane, grafters like Wanyama and Sissoko.
Porto and Inter in the CL, they weren’t by no means the favorites to win it before the season started.
Even Chelsea the first time around, although they splashed the cash they still weren’t a Arsenal or a Manchester United, no one really knew if it would work or not, they weren’t a certain and the pressure in these jobs was lesser than at Madrid and Manchester United.
If he goes to Spurs, I think they would win something, but it won’t last.
Alli would be his no.10, Dier would be his RB or perhaps Ndombele’s midfield partner.
Their squad fits his philosophy, a hard working attacking midfielder on the left like Son, a target man no.9 like Kane, grafters like Wanyama and Sissoko.
Last edited:
I agree with this. I'm quite skeptical about who decided on most of the players bought in recent years. Interesting this bit about Fred in the Woodward article in The Athletic. Van Gaal has talked about this, Jose has hinted at this and if Ole has a brain he will have demanded at least one midfielder and an attacking option this summer, just to be let down.
Yes, there are some things that seem a bit perplexing. Now, unlike Moyes and Mourinho, Van Gaal got in important people in the scouting department, and many of the buys would seem LVG’esque. Schweinsteiger, Blind, Depay, Shaw, Martial, Schneiderlin sort of (at the time anyway). Maybe even Mata? (Certainly much more of an LVG player than a Moyes player!). Then you have the DiMaria and Falcao who are different.
Normally, you’d expect either a system of manager gets his players if it can be afforded, and manager sometimes pull a strop over spending (anyone under Mike Ashley), or a system of sporting director or DoF deciding on basis of scouting, managers wishes and scouting deoartment, and manager sometimes get cranky at DoF (Benitez: I asked for a sofa, they gave me a lamp, or whatever he said at Valencia). (Poor Rafa, victim of both plights...)
In United, none of these scenarios seem to fit the case, except maybe LVG and Solskjær, where VG got the money (and some unwanted players), whereas Solskjær didn’t get the same money (and possibly said no to the unwanted players?). Seeing how Falcao and Di Maria fared at United, I can understand that choice, if it happened. Still Solskjaær on a hiding to nothing with his forward players. Managers have quit for less. By his own statements during summer, it is obvious he didn’t get what he asked for, nor what he said was a minimum (replacing Sanchez and Lukaku).
I smell a rat, and it’s not a new smell.
You can a lot of things about Jose, but you can never accuse him of choosing the safest option, never. Yes, he is a top manager, one of the best in the world, and so surely he will only choose top teams which has the chance to challenge for titles. But none of his teams were huge favorites to win titles like Pep's teams. His 1st Chelsea team last won the league title 50 years back and he was fighting against the mighty United with SAF in charge and against the rampant Invincible Arsenal with Wenger in charge. Nobody gave that Chelsea team a chance to win title and his team has done it, not just once, but twice in consecutive years and also came 2nd in the 3rd year. And then with Inter he won back to back titles and also most notably won a treble (the first Italian club to do so) including the CL which Inter had last won 45 years back. And then he took charge of Real Madrid and won the league title in the second year against the best Barcelona team (probably the best ever club team) in the history. And in 2014-15 season, he won the title with Chelsea again who were not favorites to win it that year.
So, yeah... he always chooses the very very safest option. And yea, he joined United because it was the safest option as well.
Thing is that, you can dislike his tactics and may be his personality as well even without hiding the facts.
I don’t really remember it like that. Chelsea were no underdogs that year if I remember that correctly. United were in a weird transitional period around that time too.
When he was Inter manager, Milan were coming to end of their cycle with their great 05-07 team and Juve were rebuilding from their relegation.
not saying they were safe options as jobs but no where near as safe as you make it sound.
When he got United job we had just won FA cup and he was not long sacked again with his team lower than mid table. Our stock was much higher than his then.
Spurs dont have the kind of financial clout Jose would want to build a team. And they are more focused on buying young prospects and developing them, it's a total style mismatch from the ground up.
Spurs are about youth and academy players, and buying young players with potential to develop, Lo Celso and Ndombele for instance. If they do buy a finished article it will be a player with a specific skill set for a specific role, Alderweireld for instance. Jose's management isn't really about developing youth, he is about winning trophies, and being significantly backed to pursue said trophies.
Spurs are about youth and academy players, and buying young players with potential to develop, Lo Celso and Ndombele for instance. If they do buy a finished article it will be a player with a specific skill set for a specific role, Alderweireld for instance. Jose's management isn't really about developing youth, he is about winning trophies, and being significantly backed to pursue said trophies.
When he joined Chelsea, they just finished 2nd and CL semi finalists, Chelsea was by far the richest club in Europe and could outspend their local rivals ratio 3:1 Yes Chelsea was a huge favourite and safe choice in 2004
When he went to Inter, they had the Italian league on lock, Mancini had won the league back to back credit to Mourinho who won the CL for them
Next, he took the Madrid job, biggest team in Europe who had just bought C.Ronaldo and Kaka 2 balon dors
Man Utd was the biggest and one of the highest spenders in the league. It's not like he coaches the Evertons Udinese or the Sevillas of Europe, he picks the top teams in every league which is why he is rejecting Lyon Benfica. I am certain he won't be rejecting these offers if it was current Bayern, Juventus or PSG