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#5 More misery for Mourinho
Considering the weak way that Tottenham Hotspur limped out of the Champions League against Red Bull Leipzig on Tuesday night, a break from the competition next season could actually prevent José Mourinho from suffering the same embarrassment again next season. Injuries to key players have inevitably affected the form of Spurs in recent weeks, but their recent results and performances are not reflective of the quality that is still available to the controversial Portuguese boss.
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The new stadium and the appointment of Mourinho was intended to take the club forward into a new and exciting era of domestic and European success. The sad reality of the situation is that that Spurs under Mourinho are currently a shadow of the team that Mauricio Pochettino took to the Champions League final last May. The early enthusiasm that he brought to the job appears to have already wavered, and the season cannot end quickly enough for Spurs as the aura of his negativity spreads around the club.
There is always next season, but while they are desperate for the return of Harry Kane, failing to qualify for the Champions League could see the striker depart for a club competing against Europe’s best. The investment into the project at Spurs means that mediocrity will not be tolerated at the club for too long, and Mourinho will know that he is already under pressure to turnaround a concerning run of poor results and performances under his command.
The Champions League is a competition that has defined Mourinho’s career to date. From his initial success with Porto in 2004 that elevated him to prominence within the European game, to emulating his success at Internazionale in 2010, the Mourinho of today cuts a very different figure. While the desire may remain, the character and emotion that portrayed it at his professional peak now takes on a very different guise, and the Mourinho that Spurs appointed last year is not the same Mourinho they actually need to take this project forward.
