Chris Hatherall: Sacking Jose Mourinho comes back to haunt Spurs in Carabao Cup final
Tottenham Hotspur interim manager Ryan Mason (left) speaks to Son Heung-min during the Carabao Cup final.
There will be an awful lot for Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy and owners the ENIC Group to reflect on after a turbulent week which began with the sacking of Jose Mourinho, took in a European Super League climb-down, and then ended with another trophy failure.
It is 13 years and counting now in the club’s long wait for silverware and this setback could have significant implications for the next step in what suddenly seems to be a stuttering project.
There’s no doubt that Tottenham have been moving forward – their new stadium is outstanding, their ambition is higher than ever and they are earning greater respect from across Europe.
But the gulf in class against City was still obvious and the continued speculation over striker Harry Kane’s future will only grow after another season in which he has been unable to hold up a trophy.
Board level strategy should be on the agenda ,too, because the list of questionable decisions over the last two years is a long one.
That list includes sacking Mauricio Pochettino, who was so popular within the club and delivered a Champions League final with a style of play and personality the fans appreciated.
It includes the appointment of Jose Mourinho, who always seemed a bad fit for a club with a motto of ‘To dare is to do’, and then his untimely sacking just days before a major cup final.
And, of course, it includes the decision to go behind the backs of fans and Premier League clubs by signing up to the European Super League – not to mention the mealy-mouthed withdrawal statement which, unlike other members of the big six, stopped short of apologising to supporters for the ill-fated and ill-judged project.
That decision will be discussed long into the future, but it was always Mourinho’s sacking which had the potential to come back to bite Spurs at Wembley.
The timing, and indeed the logic behind it, baffled many onlookers.
Yes, the Special One has lost much of his glitter and played negative safety-first football in north London which frustrated supporters. He also criticised players in public and almost certainly fell out with key figures behind the scenes, with his team losing the race for Champions League football.
But nothing on that list of should have taken Tottenham by surprise. In fact, anyone who has followed Mourinho’s career will tell you they were all, with the exception of the team’s league position, inevitable.
He was brought in for one reason and one reason only: to win a trophy.
Even at Manchester United, where his reign was far from distinguished, he managed to deliver the Europa League as well as the League Cup, beating Southampton in the final 3-2.
In fact, in 15 major finals for clubs in four different countries he has won 12 and lost only three. That record includes four from four in League Cup finals, a competition he always took seriously after winning it for the first time with Chelsea in 2005 following a famous victory over Liverpool in Cardiff. So, why did Spurs not wait for him to lift the trophy at Wembley before making their move?
Manchester United were ruthless enough to do exactly that with Louis van Gaal, who was sacked soon after helping his side win the FA Cup against Crystal Palace in May 2016, a move which paved the way for Mourinho’s arrival at Old Trafford.
The decision to pass the managerial baton to young coach Ryan Mason, only 29 years old, raised eyebrows, too. Plenty of people spoke highly of his talent, and of his knowledge of Spurs culture having been involved with the club since he was eight years old; but few knew whether his tactical nous would stand up to a test of taking on Pep Guardiola and his champions elect.
It was by no means Mason's fault but in the end Tottenham never really grasped the opportunity ahead of them at Wembley.
The interim manager opted to risk just-about-fit-again Harry Kane up front, which boosted morale, but leaving another multiple trophy winner, Gareth Bale, on the bench seemed a strange choice when big-match mentality was so important.
By the time the Welshman was introduced after 66 minutes Tottenham had suffered a torrid first half in which they failed to lay a glove on Manchester City, and were indebted to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for keeping them in the game.
The lack of ambition was a disappointment and although the second half was tactically better, they were always second best.
Spurs did get closer to City as Kane’s influence grew, and at least they competed. But when Lloris saved superbly again, this time from Riyad Mahrez, it always seemed likely that the trophy was going to have sky blue ribbons in the end.
That became reality when Serge Aurier gave away a rash free-kick and Aymeric Laporte rose to head home from the set piece as Tottenham defenders lost their man. That’s a situation which is not new – individual errors and lack of concentration have been Mourinho’s frustration all season and it seems they didn’t leave the building with him.
Would he have had any greater influence on this match had he stayed? Would the tactics have been any different? These are not easy questions to answer, and Mason deserves no criticism - he has done an admirable job so far.
But just day after having to withdraw Tottenham from the European Super League, this is a set-back chairman Levy and owner Joe Lewis did not need with such a crucial transfer window ahead.
What next, then, for the Tottenham project? The team is trophyless and managerless after Levy's Mourinho gamble backfired, five points behind fourth place in the Premier League with only five games to play, and captain Kane’s future is on the line after a result which left him kneeling on the grass in disappointment.
Add in a financial re-think after missing out on the millions the ESL would have provided, money which could have been spent to close the gap on City, and a PR project to recover reputation tarnished by the way the ESL debacle was handled and it's a big summer ahead.
The next board meeting is going to have a very long agenda.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
