SportsMourinho's Trying Week Of Football In The EPL

Mourinho’s Trying Week Of Football In The EPL

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BEVERLY HILLS, December 20, (THEWILL) – Only last week, Jose Mourinho, manager of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, was in unassailable good spirits.

He had triumphed over London arch-rivals Arsenal with a devastating display of his duo of central strikers, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, had asserted his team as Group leaders in their Europa engagement and they were on a domestic unbeaten streak of 11 matches after an opening day loss to Everton.

All these stats meant they were tied at the top of the Premier League table with champions Liverpool. Mourinho could credit it all to his impact at the Tottenham Stadium which was reaping the benefits of a revitalised Kane and a clinical Son while firming up weaknesses at the backline.

Glo

The Portuguese was enjoying the spoils while employing his mind-game antics again and again.

The slate of fixtures ahead bothered him very little. Domestic victories over Manchester City and Arsenal by two unreplied goals each earlier this season and better results against less competitive sides in the Europa meant he could look forward to ties against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Leicester with that typical Mourinho bravado whilst trying to get inside the heads of their coaches in preparation for victory.

But, that was last week. And what a difference a week makes in football.

Palace came at Spurs with the confidence of the 5-1 drubbing of West Bromwich Albion in their preceding tie and were unfortunate not to have ended Mourinho’s unbeaten run. With an inspired Vincente Guaita between the sticks, the points were shared at the end of the day as it finished one goal apiece.

A similar scenario appeared to be playing out in the subsequent game at Anfield. First half goals from Mohamed Salah and Son had the fixture tied at 1-1 late into the game. Considering the opposition he was up against, Mourinho may have accepted the draw and kept his unbeaten run intact. But, Roberto Firmino met an Andy Robertson cross in stoppage-time to score and spoil Mourinho’s day.

While Wednesday’s loss to Liverpool bore evidence of some fight on the part of Spurs, that appeared to be lacking in Sunday’s 2-nil loss to Leicester. Big-game Foxes’ player Jamie Vardy stepped up to the plate to condemn Mourinho’s charges to their second straight defeat and their second at home this season.

And Mourinho, who began the week tied at the top, finishes in fifth. On Wednesday, they have what, on paper, appears to be an easy EFL tie against Stoke City. But, as the recent week exactly emphasises, there is no telling how these fixtures will pan out. Even for a Mourinho.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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