Opposition View: Tottenham Hotspur

Last time Brighton played Tottenham Hotspur is a day that will live long in the memories of Albion fans. Yes, Spurs were dreadful but Brighton were brilliant, Graham Potter serving up the best performance we’ve seen from the Seagulls as a Premier League club.

Much has changed for Spurs since that wonderful October lunchtime at the Amex. Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked for starters, a controversial decision given that it was only six months earlier that he’d taken them to their first ever Champions League final.

Pochettino’s place has been taken by Jose Mourinho, an odd appointment given that Mourinho demands money to deliver success and often loses the plot before the end of his third season.

For a club who pride themselves on long-term planning and stability with a chairman who’s got a burglar alarm fitted on his wallet, it seems a very strange fit.

Will it work? Ahead of the Albion’s trip to the wonderful Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we caught up with Mark from Spurs Fanatic to find out.

We were taken aback somewhat by the decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino. Were you as surprised and do you think it was the correct decision?
I was surprised by the speed and timing. The season hadn’t started well for us and it was quickly evident that all wasn’t well within the club and that it was translating in to poor performances on the pitch. There were rumours around certain players causing trouble and also that Pochettino had fallen out with Daniel Levy, so it did seem ominous and it’s usually the manager that pays the price wherever the blame lies.

I really wanted Pochettino to stay and sort the mess out. He’d earned enough credit to be given some time. However, it was evident that this had all spiralled too far and that something had to be done. Unfortunately, it’s always easier to sack the manager than to turf out a number of troublemakers and if Pochettino had fallen out with Levy then there would only be one outcome. It’s tough to see one of the best managers Spurs have ever had depart, but the situation was just untenable.

And what of his replacement. Are you happy with the appointment of Jose Mourinho?
It’s still strange to see Jose on the touch line. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to it to be honest. We all know his brand of football and penchant for spending big on players to win now rather than building for the future, so it all seems to go against the Tottenham grain. Jose says he’s been studying the game in his time away and revising his strategy, so time will show if the leopard has really changed his spots.

To give him credit, the performances have been decent and the goals have returned. However, we are waiting for the first meltdown and if that will again lead to the usual ugly implosion that goes along with Mourinho, as the happy one turns in to the bratty one!

All those points you’ve mentioned make it seem like a strange fit – a manager who constantly complained about not getting financial backing at Manchester United taking over a club who don’t seem to spend much at all. Not to mention the whole ‘Mourinho falls about in his third season’ thing. Do you think it work?
Yeah Jose has had deep pockets to dip in to at all of his stops, so it does seem strange. However, he has continued to iterate that he likes the squad and the youthful players coming through.

Football tactics have really changed in the last five years. Young, highly athletic players are now required to play the rapid transition and up-tempo style that many managers wish to use. In his time away maybe Jose has revised his attitude away from having seasoned professionals that are easier to coach in to not make mistakes and win ugly to a faster more up-tempo style of play.

We’ve seen several signs of it already. Primarily, long passes from transitions to get quickly in-behind an opponent that plays a high defensive line. However, we’ve also seen a high number of passes to hit the channel between the opposing full back and centre back to create a shot at goal or an opportunity to cut the ball back across goal. This is very Klopp and Guardiola, both high volume scoring teams. So maybe Jose is adopting similar principles. Well see more of how this goes as the season unfolds. It’s something to watch out for.

What are Spurs’ aims for the remainder of the season under Mourinho?
Top four is now always the priority and I think he has enough time to achieve this. Anything else will be a bonus. Jose usually tries to get an early trophy in the bag and often focuses on the League Cup. However, as we’re out of that competition, I can see him taking the FA Cup seriously. Maybe he has one eye on the Champions League and instant immortality. That would be very Jose!

We’re expecting a very different Tottenham performance from the one we saw at the Amex back in October. What did you make of that game?
I thought that was the game that really confirmed something was desperately wrong at our club. Brighton were excellent that day and fully deserved to win. Spurs were sluggish and drastically off the pace. The early, horrific injury to Hugo Lloris didn’t help, but the players looked like they didn’t want to be there at all. Brighton were all over us from minute one and took full advantage. We got what our performance deserved to be honest. Definitely the worst match of the season for us so far.

We’re at the halfway stage of the season . Can anyone stop Liverpool winning the league and who do you think is going down?
Only a cataclysmic blow up is going to stop Liverpool winning the title. They’re the most consistent team in the league at the minute and playing continually at a high level. They’re so far in front and it’s tough to see them losing even a game right now let alone three or four.

At the other end of the table it’s far more interesting. I think Watford, Villa and Norwich will go down. There’s usually a team dragged in to it and Bournemouth look to be that candidate this year.

Finally, a prediction for Boxing Day please?
I’m going for an entertaining 3-1 to Tottenham.

Thanks to Mark for answering our questions. You can follow Spurs Fanatic on Twitter to keep track of how the Mourinho era pans out at Tottenham.