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Mauricio Pochettino’s last fixture as Tottenham boss was at home to a newly-promoted Sheffield United team.
For Jose Mourinho, the pressure is mounting as Spurs host West Brom, another team new to the Premier League this season.
After 12 games of the 2019/20 season, Tottenham sat 14th in the Premier League on 14 points with chairman Daniel Levy deciding to dismiss Pochettino from his role. Fast forward to present day and Spurs have taken 13 points from their last 12 fixtures, a worse return than their spell under the Argentine.
With just three wins in that time, including three consecutive Premier League defeats heading into Sunday’s fixture with the Baggies, Tottenham fans are beginning to grow frustrated at their team’s result and brand of football.
So, why is Mourinho’s sacking not imminent?
It’s clear Levy’s ambition for silverware could still be achieved. After sacking fan favourite Pochettino, Levy, Tottenham’s chairman since 2001, could well have opted for another ‘project manager’ with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann’s stock both rising in that period.
Instead, only hours after the departure of their previous coach after five-and-a-half years in charge, Spurs fans knew their new manager and he couldn’t have been further from the appointment of Pochettino back in 2014.
Now over a year into the role, Mourinho is under pressure by fans. Reports suggest that unrest could reach Levy should Spurs fail to beat Sam Allardyce’s struggling West Brom team.
Whilst this may be true, the 58-year-old will also have an eye to April’s Carabao Cup final. Pochettino’s Tottenham was undoubtedly their finest of the modern Premier era, but Juande Ramos’ Spurs still remain the most recent to achieve a trophy due to their solitary Carling Cup win in 2008.
“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.” – Levy on the appointment of Jose back in November 2019
The buzzwords of ‘successful’ and ‘honours’ from his appointment could prove pivotal. It was clear the message was to win and win now as the trophy drought from that 2008 win against Chelsea continues.
In his final year in charge, Pochettino used the ‘painful rebuild’ phrase repeatedly when talking to the press. He’d managed the same group of players for five years and with limited financial resources, the restricted turnover contributed to his downfall.
Rather than carry this financial burden, Levy took the gamble of appointing a manager with a wealth of accolades to his name, the hope being that he could inspire performances out of the squad. At the beginning of this season, after a positive end to the 2020/21 campaign, the appointment exhibited evidence of success.
Results were good, Tottenham were top of the league and Jose’s side cruised past Arsenal in the North London derby in November. Their Portuguese coach was backed in the transfer market as seven new arrivals bolstered a squad which was thin under Pochettino beyond his starting XI.
Since that derby win in December, the wheels have started to come off. A failure to secure wins when leading has cost Tottenham ten points over the season and injuries to key players is now threatening to continue the slide down the table.
With the Carabao Cup final in his credit, Jose will be afforded more times despite the results. Spurs fans’ absence from the stadium also omits the chorus of boos almost certain to have occurred after the midweek performance against rivals Chelsea.
3 – Tottenham have suffered three successive Premier League defeats for the first time since November 2012 under André Villas-Boas. Fractured. pic.twitter.com/iPR55F2fHY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 4, 2021
After a kind draw in the Europa League and a fixture against Everton in the FA Cup in midweek, his record in the cup competitions could soon become the focus of Spurs’ season.
It’s well known that Levy had headhunted Mourinho for some time, having missed out on the Portuguese coach when he first arrived in England in 2004. His debate will be the one many in his position will have had to ponder with Mourinho at the helm, should he sacrifice the football for results.
In one of the strangest Premier League seasons, Tottenham are within touching distance of the top four despite their poor form. The return of Harry Kane and a ‘good Dele Alli’ could be crucial as Mourinho bemoaned after the loss to Chelsea, although current performances with the talent at his disposal are still below-par.
Tottenham’s ‘Special One’ will envisage victory over Manchester City in April but Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off feels as important as his position continues to be precarious. Victory against the West Midlanders followed by progression to the quarter finals of the FA Cup would begin to rebuild faith in Mourinho’s project.
Levy’s ambitions will be challenged if results and performances continue. Is a Carabao Cup win, no guarantee against a City team pursuing their fourth consecutive win in the competition, more important than Champions League qualification in the Premier League?
An upturn in form before April would relieve tension in N17 but should events continue at their current rate, the pressure exerted from the fanbase may well leave a decision at Levy’s door.
Tom Hardy will be at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Spurs’ fixture against West Brom.
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