Some call it superb man-management, others call it bullying, Jose Mourinho will no doubt label it as motivational.
The Portuguese has once again reverted to type and belittled one of his playing staff in the, somewhat vain, hope that he’ll knuckle down and get back to his best.
The plain fact of the matter is that Dele Alli clearly doesn’t want to be at Tottenham Hotspur any longer, and Mourinho making him stay against his will means that in the end, nobody wins in this situation.
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“In every dressing room are unhappy players,” Mourinho was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror.
“For sure. If any one of us, of my tribe, tells you that in his dressing room are only happy players, I don’t think it’s true. Or somebody is so so lucky to have a miracle in his hands.
“Then you can have [an] unhappy professional and the unhappy professional is the one that is unhappy but feels that his duty is to work, work, work and work.
“And there is the unhappy player that believes that it’s not his job to fight and to work every minute for the squad and for the club.”
It’s as if the manager wants to punish the player for not giving it his all whilst at the same time not playing him in any competition unless he absolutely has to.
That kind of management may work for some but it isn’t in Alli’s case and if he’s kept at the club until at least the end of the season, as seems likely, there’s little chance of Gareth Southgate picking him for the Euros.
Is it any wonder then why the player sees his future elsewhere…
I am not sure how Alli is supposed to prove himself when he is not being played even when a game cries out for his presence.
He is constantly being told via the media that he has to work harder( Mourinho’s narrative)
How? Is he that bad in training? When he has been used he has been like all other Spurs players – up and down.So is there different criteria for Alli?
Seems so.Of course this manager won’t tell you the real reason.
He is a bully and as with his previous clubs he targets certain players and we all know how that ended.His achaic tactics will lead to him losing the dressing room and eventually getting the sack as has happened at his previous jobs.The sooner the better for me before he does more damage.
Is possibly winning a trophy that important that we bury our heads in the sand and laud this guy with his negative tactics?
As a long suffering Spurs fan I would dearly love to see the team play the Spurs way.
Mou decides to play 7 defensive players against Fulham leaving Dele, Bale Moura on the bench because they cant defend (so called working for the team). No wonder his team will have 10% possession against SHU tomorrow because if the world was his, he would play eleven defenders. Mr Levy must please fire this man: he is in the process of destroying Spurs. Its so difficult to watch spurs these days: Dier boots it to Kane’s head and that is the blue print…..
I too have been a Spurs supporter for more than 50 years and a season ticket holder for more than 30 years. I could not agree more with Antonio’s words which are exact and concise. I can’t stand watching us play. I honestly believe we have the best and most talented squad we have had for many years which is being ruined and undermined by this conceited bully of a manager who must be sacked before every decent player( and we have many) leave the club. The way the league is going I believe we would be a real challenge for the top if we had a manger who was not scared of playing with any ambition and was more focussed on the team and its individuals than himself. The sooner we get rid of him and get a manager in who exploits the attributes of what is a very talented squad the better.
Agree 100% with Keith. I wonder – did the 6-1 win over United scare Mourinho? Sissoko would struggle to make Marine’s bench (they all seemed to know how to kick the ball, at least) yet he keeps being picked when we have many other (better) players who could do a far better job. All Mourinho’s decisions show a lack of trust and faith in the players – removing Tanguy after an hour if we are 1-0 up, not attacking to close out games, dropping players if they make one mistake (causing fearful performances) and not picking various players etc. etc. They are soon going to lose faith in him. I notice Sonny & Harry are dithering in signing a new contract. Troubled waters there too? It’s not all about you, Jose! Get a grip. 3 defensive midfielders against Fulham? Good grief! Pretty soon the 4 attackers left in the side to do the ‘winning’ will be killed off.