For all their attacking vim Chelsea are vulnerable to rapid counterattacks, and José Mourinho’s Spurs can take advantageW hen José Mourinho arrived at Tottenham a month ago, his side trailed Chelsea by 15 points. Six league matches later, Spurs will go above Frank Lampard’s side if they beat them at home on Sunday. The turnaround has been remarkable, not only in the way Spurs seem to have rediscovered their edge but in the withering of Chelsea. From apparently clear skies a crisis is approaching and the next two months feel critical for Lampard’s managerial future.Nobody at Stamford Bridge is grumbling too much yet. Lampard, as one of the club’s greatest heroes, was always going to be indulged more than some...
Early exit of Unai Emery was no surprise in these times, so now Mourinho’s no-frills, quick-fix style is the perfect strategyIt was fortunate Liverpool emerged victorious against Salzburg on Tuesday because otherwise they might have been out of the Champions League, with speculation growing that Jürgen Klopp was for the axe. I jest, of course, though it’s not quite as an absurd idea as it may sound.Klopp has worked wonders at Liverpool, creating arguably the finest team in the world at the present time. In all competitions the only side to beat his team so far this season are Napoli. But it should be noted the manager of that Napoli team, Carlo Ancelotti, a three‑times winner of the Champions League,...
Once hailed as a winner, the Portuguese is regarded in the new orthodoxy as pure plutonium, but his expensively badged pragmatism may be what Arsenal needsStrange how easy it is to end up missing things. Misplaced nostalgia is as old as people being old. Although oddly it is often the things that weren’t that good for you in the first place you end up missing most.Take, for example, José Mourinho, who has this week been linked with a return to the Premier League at Arsenal, albeit most likely by some covert arm of the Mourinho-Industrial complex. Related: Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend Continue reading...
From his Russian tumble to a Spain prison sentence, the erstwhile United manager has had a dim week. At least it’s entertainingAfter so many years of refusing to give the public what they want, it’s great to see José Mourinho finally serving up something highly watchable. On Monday the erstwhile Manchester United manager staged a spectacular pratfall at an ice hockey game in Russia. By Tuesday he was being handed a prison sentence. (Suspended, agonisingly, but still.)Barely a week after Gemma Collins made her ice‑fall in ITV’s Dancing on Ice, the Portuguese supplanted The Only Way is Essex star as the most hilariously viral rink‑based tumble of 2019. Related: José Mourinho accepts prison sentence for tax fraud but will not...
Manchester United’s former manager fails to show any hint of humility or to acknowledge he made mistakes at Old TraffordThe people who used to work with Sven-Göran Eriksson tell a story about the former England manager, going back to the European Championship in 2004, when he did something that was totally out of character. He almost lost his temper.England had just been knocked out by Portugal. Inside the dressing room was a scene of desolation and the Football Association’s staff saw something in his face that day they had never seen before: fury. A bad refereeing decision had denied Sol Campbell a late winner and Eriksson wanted to know where the official was. He was puce with anger. He left...