When lost at at the start of this month it felt like another of Mourinho’s managerial reigns was about to implode.
Spurs were well beaten by Chris Wilder’s side at Bramall Lane, the hosts cutting through Mourinho’s defence with ease and forcing the visitors into a lacklustre display.
In the aftermath Mourinho said he was ‘destroyed a little bit on the inside’ by how his side rolled over and their slim hopes of qualifying for the next season were left in pieces.
HAS MOURINHO CHANGED SPURS SINCE POCHETTINO LEFT?
But was that performance an unfair representation of Mourinho’s time in north London so far?
After all, only Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool have won more points in the Premier League than Spurs since Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November.
Mourinho arrived with Spurs in 14th and barely resembling the side that came within 90 minutes of winning the Champions League last summer.
But now, after Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory over Newcastle, Spurs are in a strong position to qualify for the Europa League. It would be a welcomed end to what has been a turbulent season in north London.
Spurs are just one point off sixth-placed Wolves but even seventh may be good enough for the Europa League if the FA Cup winners finish inside the top six.
There is no doubt Mourinho has a huge re-build on his hands but there have been positive signs that he can take this Spurs side forward next season.
Victory over Manchester City in February was a rousing moment for the club and finally felt like the big performance the club’s new £1billion stadium needed to finally feel like home.
They also won at Wolves, a venue at which City, Manchester United and Leicester have all dropped points this season, and provided enough resistance to prevent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s in-form United taking all three points when football restarted.
Victory over Arsenal in the north London derby last weekend will also do Mourinho no harm in the eyes of the supporters. Continue reading