It has been an excellent start to the Premier League season for Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur, but how seriously should we take their title challenge?
Mourinho, in all he is and projects, is an antagonist. It is a role he actively seeks and in which he thrives, and this can be traced back to his first stint in charge of Chelsea. He arrived in London with the sole purpose of knocking Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United off their perch, and he did just that, and immediately too. He was young, charismatic and had joined the Blues off the back of unprecedented success with FC Porto in Portugal, with whom he lifted the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League trophy. That single triumph was to kick-start a career the public would forever be invested in, although we didn't know it at the time.
In his first season in England, Mourinho delivered the Premier League trophy and won the title the following year too. Mourinho, like he was with Porto in Europe, was the underdog you loved to see win, and it has been a recurring theme since. At Inter Milan, Mourinho won the Champions League during a time when FC Barcelona boasted the best team in the world, knocking Pep Guardiola's Spanish giants out in the semi-finals of the competition on the way to the final, and continued to seek Blaugrana blood when he joined Real Madrid in 2010. While he failed to win Europe's biggest club prize with Los Blancos, he did win the 2010/11 Copa del Rey, in which they beat Barcelona in a mesmerising final famous for that Gareth Bale sprint, and the LaLiga title in 2011/12, finishing above second-placed Barca by nine points.
Mourinho, it seems, prospers as a dark horse, which is perhaps what Spurs might have been considered before the 2020/21 season got underway. People laughed when he lured the experienced Joe Hart to the club on a free transfer, fans didn't know what to make of the signings of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt Doherty, but they, along with the likes of Bale, Carlos Vinicius and Sergio Reguilon, have helped shape the Lilywhites into serious title contenders. I was quite critical of many of Mourinho's decisions and actions during his two and a half years at Manchester United, but things appear much quieter and far more relaxed on his end, and I'm sure that is conscious on his part.
There was a time at the Red Devils when it felt like everything that came out of his mouth was negative, but that hasn't been the case this season. Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been more vocal than Mourinho over scheduling and player fitness issues, while he has also been full of praise for his performing players. Yes, he has lauded players in the past, but it now seems more pointed, more intentional, especially regarding players who've needed backing. Mourinho has been his old self when it comes to Dele Alli, but who could blame him? Alli doesn't seem to be meeting the Portuguese tactician halfway, but there is room for redemption, and we don't have to look further than Tanguy Ndombele for an example of that.
The Frenchman was completely frozen out during the 57-year-old's first six months in charge, but Mourinho repeatedly stated that the midfielder could get back into his team by showing full commitment on the training ground. He did that, and now he is a regular feature for Spurs. Mourinho was true to his word because he got the response he was looking for, the same response he was perhaps in search of from Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez in Manchester, and now from the 24-year-old Alli.
In terms of the actual football this Spurs side is playing compared to last season, a lot has changed. Reguilon's arrival has allowed for a better attacking balance between the two fullbacks, while Doherty's has indirectly inspired Serge Aurier to find his best form since joining the club in 2017. He has always been a capable footballer, but the Ivory Coast captain now seems more focused and controlled, less prone to a lapse in concentration. Competition for places is healthy, and now Spurs have four very good Premier League fullbacks, who are all playing important roles in both domestic and European competition.
In midfield, Hojbjerg has arguably been the best signing of the season. The former Southampton player has filled the role that appeared vacant for ages; a ball-winning, energetic defensive midfielder with strong physical, technical and mental attributes. Although just 25 years old, the Denmark international is constantly talking to his teammates, instructing them where to move and pass, possessing all the qualities of a genuine leader while simultaneously being smart with the ball at his feet and when defending. Mourinho is also quite clearly besotted with the ex-Bayern Munich starlet, whom he recently gave huge compliment to, saying: "He's a pain, asking questions about why we do this and why we do that. On the pitch, he reads the situation very, very well and the people that surround him are really compact, they read the game. Physically he's very, very strong and technically he's much better than people think."
Then, in attack, Mourinho knows that his most dangerous attackers are Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. He is getting the best out of them because he has stabilised his midfield with footballers able to get around the pitch, with Moussa Sissoko, Giovani Lo Celso and Hojbjerg falling into that category. They might not always all be on the field at the same time, but these three, in particular, are tireless runners who all contribute in different ways and will work as hard as possible to give their side the best chance of winning. Their presence in the middle third allows Son and Kane to cause damage in the final third, where they have hurt opposition defences week in and week out. Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, you name it. Son has contributed to 20 goals in 19 matches in all competitions so far, while Kane has contributed to 28 goals in the same number of appearances. Their productivity levels are currently at career-best levels. That is down to the tools being handed to them as much as their own individual brilliance and almost freakish form.
There are more factors, such as increased fitness and energy levels, particularly out of possession, as well as Mourinho's smart rotation system. He can start the likes of Bale, whom he seems to be managing back to full sharpness very carefully, Carlos Vinicius, Lucas Moura and Ben Davies in those midweek Europa League clashes, allowing his regular Premier League side some respite in an intense schedule. What the Portuguese has also done is bring those players on as substitutes for those Thursday night fixtures, seemingly with the aim to keep them playing, to keep them in form. It's a risky tactic considering how many matches they must train and travel for, but it's one that seems to be working for now.
In Manchester, Mourinho got a lot wrong, but it is quite clear he isn't finished, as some, even I, previously suggested. At Spurs, the two-time Champions League-winning boss has a squad of strong leaders who are all pulling together, a squad he inherited from a manager successful in his own right, Mauricio Pochettino, and a squad he has meticulously shaped in ways we haven't necessarily seen before.
It's a long way to go until the end of the season, but Mourinho is back to being an underdog, and Spurs are back to being dangerous, even more so than before.
