Tottenham Hotspur’s first leg of their last-16 clash in the Champions League against RB Leipzig was a night to forget for Jose Mourinho’s troops as the Bundesliga outfit secure a thoroughly deserved 1-0 win.
Inevitably, it was Mourinho who got the most stick following such a disappointing result.
The Portuguese manager has something to prove in the Premier League following his divisive spell at Manchester United, and it seems some believe his approach is outdated in the modern game.
But former Spurs midfielder, Jamie O’Hara, thinks the criticism is largely out of order.
Here’s what he said for TalkSPORT:
“It’s a little bit out of order. To say he is yesterday’s man is complete nonsense, they just beat Man City. Spurs have got two of their best players out – you take those players out of any team in the Premier League, you’re going to struggle. He’s had to adapt.”
😡 “To say Jose is yesterday’s man is complete nonsense.”
🙏 “#THFC's best players are out & he’s adapted!”
🤦♂️ “He gets a lot of stick… he’s one of the greatest ever managers!”@MrJamieOHara1 defends Mourinho after Tony Cascarino said modern football was leaving him behind. pic.twitter.com/uGXpoT51qF
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 21, 2020
O’Hara does have a point.
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are two of the club’s most potent attacking players, and their collective absence clearly impacted the team on Wednesday night.
The latter possesses the type of natural speed, flair and tenacity which the home side were lacking for large spells of the game, while it’s certainly too soon to write Mourinho off as a has-been manager given how long he’s been in charge in north London.
But Mourinho will have to find a solution soon if he wants to alter opinions and silence his contingent of doubters within the media.
In other news, many Spurs fans were fully behind one pundit’s harsh verdict on Dele Alli…
