Tottenham: One sack too many for ‘The Special One?’

Tottenham Hotspur’s relationship with Jose Mourinho has come to an end 17 months after he was appointed head coach of the North London club.

Mourinho was relieved of his duties alongside his coaching crew, while 29-year-old rookie, Ryan Mason, has been appointed coach in the interim just days before their Carabao Cup final with Manchester city at Wembley.

Mourinho was sacked over the club’s  poor run of form, it was learnt. It was also said that, Mourinho lost control of the dressing room. Other reports believe Daniel Levy’s ambition to be part of the newly found European Super League also inspired Mourinho’s removal.

Nonetheless, Mourinho’s sack will be the latest setback in his career and one too many in a series of sour ending that has befallen him in Europe.

He took over from Mauricio Pochettinho, who is now at PSG, with the hopes of bringing silverware to the club that has been on a dry spell for a very long time.

Mourinho, who has won trophies at  different clubs he has managed, was the most likely name to deliver results. But, after topping the table in November three months into the premier league this season in what looked like a bright start for Mourinho and made Tottenham prospects to win the league, the club’s performance took a sharp turn, suffered drawbacks and fell down the pecking order.

The inconsistent form of Tottenham under Mourinho extended to the Europa League as they exited the Round of 16 stages after humiliating defeat to Dinamo Zagreb. They are currently placed seventh on the table, five points off the Champions League qualification zone and have only managed one league win in their last five games.

Their last game was a 2-2 draw away to Everton after which Tottenham called it quits with Mourinho to continue his woes of never completing four consecutive seasons at any club – the third season syndrome.

Mourinho has had a fantastic reputation as a good coach and his career has lived up to the billing after he nicknamed himself the “Special one.” He is one of the best to manage teams at the highest level in football with trophies to show for it.

Mourinho led underdogs FC Porto to the unlikeliest of Champions League success, their first in 11 years; revitalised Chelsea  FC with a competitive spirit making them win their first top flight domestic trophy in 50 years.

He achieved success at the pinnacle of English football with a back-to-back premiere League victory, community shield and an FA cup in three years for Chelsea.

Mourinho also managed Inter Milan to a treble in the 2009/2010 season. He took over at Real Madrid and won the La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Super Cup trophies for the Los Blancos. At his return to Chelsea, Mourinho won titles for the club and also won the UEFA Europa league, EFL cup and the FA community shield in charge at Manchester united. These successes have put Mourinho on a pedestal as one of Europe’s most decorated coaches.

However, despite attaining this level of success and winning trophies wherever he goes to, Mourinho’s career has been drenched in a lot of controversies that has seen him exit clubs he has managed in the most unfashionable manner and to be sacked repeatedly. For a coach with an outstanding pedigree, Mourinho’s managerial quality and character has been called to question because of his ego and power play with players he manages and his inability to take charge of the dressing room, his squabbles with club owners and fall out with the press.

Mounrinho managed Manchester united and was sacked after two and half years with the club. The management pointed out that Mourinho’s ego was jeopardising the harmony of the club.

Mourinho fell out with some of the club’s senior players and stripped Pogba of his second captain role. The club was also not happy with youth development under Mourinho, lack of progress in form and style of play. The club decided to let him go of his job after he suffered a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on a super Sunday league game.

In 2015, Mourinho was sacked as Chelsea’s coach on his return to the club after a poor run of form that was their worst start of the season since 1978. Mourinho claimed the players were turning their backs on him and there was also report of disharmony in the Chelsea’s locker-room. Things got a bit heated for him after his row with team doctor, Eva Cameiro on the sidelines against Swansea. Mourinho was angry at Eva for rushing to treat Eden Hazard and reducing the team to nine men. He was asked to leave the club some days after with an ensuing legal battle with Eva Cameiro.

During his first stint at Chelsea, Mourinho was also muddled in controversy. A standoff with club owner, Roman Abramovic, did not go down well. He subsequently made the move to leave the club in what was wildly termed a mutual agreement.

Also at Real Madrid, Mourinho was again let go of his job by Floretina Perez based on mutual consent in a period that saw him embroiled in political squabbles between him and senior players like Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.

Mourinho is struggling to keep his job and also struggling to maintain the success he has achieved over the years in the clubs he has recently managed.

With this current trouble however, the big question will be where Mourinho is most likely headed to. And, what are the chances of replicating an outstanding performance we have seen him do before.