Tottenham’s dressing room is becoming ‘increasingly unhappy’ with Jose Mourinho’s methods following the club’s concerning run of form in recent weeks.
Spurs have dropped to ninth in the Premier League following a run of five defeats in their past six league fixtures, the north London side currently 23 points adrift of league leaders Manchester City and nine behind fourth-placed West Ham in the race to secure Champions League qualification.
Mourinho’s position has come under increasing scrutiny and the Spurs boss came out in defence of his methods earlier this week, though The Athletic are now reporting that there are increasing concerns amongst the club’s dressing room.
According to the report, several players are ‘unhappy’ with training sessions and feel there is an over emphasis on defence and focus on opposition, with a lack of the intensity that was associated with predecessor Mauricio Pochettino.
Mourinho has often been criticised for a perceived pragmatic approach to the game and his defensive style has been questioned fiercely in recent weeks, Spurs picking up just 12 points from their past 12 league fixtures with a bright start having faded fast.
The Athletic state the club’s attacking players are unhappy with how little focus there is on coaching ‘complex offensive patterns’ with a number of stars remaining reliant on moves and finishes honed under Pochettino.
There is also an unhappiness with how focused sessions are on opposition sides and dealing with the threat of opponents, rather than prioritising Spurs’ own attacking style and play.
Mourinho was hired with the aim of bringing long-awaited silverware to north London with Spurs having not won a major trophy in more than a decade, but there is an ever increasing view that his methods are somewhat outdated in comparison to many of his managerial contemporaries.
Spurs face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final in April and have enjoyed success in games – notably against the ‘big six’ – where their defensive and counter-attacking style can exploit gaps, though it is a style that has failed to produce consistent results against Premier League sides across the division.
Spurs next face the second leg of their Europa League round of 32 clash with Wolfsberger tomorrow and have a 4-1 advantage from the first fixture, before hosting Burnley in the Premier League this weekend.
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