'Same coach, different players' – the line that finished Jose Mourinho at Tottenham

Portuguese manager refused to accept any blame for poor results and it lost him the dressing-room

Tottenham Hotspur coach Jose Mourinho ahead of the Premier League match against Everton at Goodison Park on April 16, 2021. The match finished 2-2 and was the Portuguese's last game in charge of Spurs before he was sacked. AFP

Tottenham's Jose Mourinho gives a post-match interview after the FA Cup third round football match against Marine on January 10, 2021. Tottenham won the game 5-0. AFP

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho watches the players warm up before the start of the Premier League football match against West Ham United at The London Stadium on November 23, 2019. It was Mourinho's first match in charge after succeeding Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs won 3-2. AFP

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho celebrates with his coaching staff after the Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on July 26, 2020. AFP

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho watches from the touchline during the English Premier League football match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 4, 2019. AFP

Jose Mourinho watches as midfielder Harry Winks vies with Olympiakos' midfielder Daniel Podence during the UEFA Champions League Group B football match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, on November 26, 2019. AFP

Jose Mourinho walks on the pitch before the Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on July 12, 2020. AFP

Jose Mourinho with striker Harry Kane and midfielder Harry Winks at the final whistle during the Premier League match against West Ham United on November 23, 2019. AFP

Jose Mourinho attends a team training session at Tottenham Hotspur's Enfield Training Centre, in north London on March 9, 2020. AFP

Mourinho gestures to the referee following a foul on a player during the English FA Cup fourth round football match against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on January 25, 2020. AFP

Mourinho reacts during the Premier League football match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in south London on July 26, 2020. AFP

Mourinho speaks with Manchester United's Ivorian defender Eric Bailly on June 19, 2020. AFP

Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp greets Mourinho ahead of the Premier League football match at Anfield in Liverpool on December 16, 2020. AFP

Mourinho speaks to his players during the Premier League football match against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on July 9, 2020. AFP

Manchester United's Daniel James collides with Mourinho on the touchline at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on December 4, 2019. AFP

Mourinho gestures on the touchline during the FA Cup third round match between Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, north-east England on January 5, 2020. AFP

Tottenham striker Son Heung-min celebrates with teammates and Mourinho after scoring their second goal during the Premier League football match against Manchester City on February 2, 2020. AFP

"Same coach, different players". This was the killer phrase, uttered after the draw with Newcastle, that in my opinion finished Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager.

It was a clear refusal to accept any blame for the dropped points, instead heaping guilt on the players.

The dressing-room does not forgive. Whether Mourinho, or anyone else, the players know what to do it in these cases.

It was obvious the connection between the Portuguese manager and the club's chairman, Daniel Levy, was gradually breaking apart but the bad relationship and skepticism within the squad was the main reason for the dismissal.

I am told from London that in the final few days, only Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg defended him among their teammates.

Criticism from players is nothing new for Mourinho. Paul Pogba, managed by Mourinho at Manchester United, just recently attacked his man-management style, accusing him of "going against players" and making them feel like "they don't exist any more".

Mourinho's response to Pogba was one of extreme arrogance, when he commented:  “I would like to say that I couldn’t care less with what he says. I am not interested at all.”

Tottenham became the most conservative, least imaginative, most backward and unconvincing version of Mourinho's managerial projects.

Hired in November 2019 to replace Mauricio Pochettino, he was given the task of taking Tottenham forward, winning silverware. He did not succeed.

Seventeen months on, his record was weak: sixth place in 2019-20, seventh place when he left, eliminated in the Europa League last-16. His biggest achievement, getting to the League Cup final, will now take place without him on Sunday.

All of this added to the rejection of the fans.

Mourinho, 58, leaves only one legacy at Tottenham: the documentary All or Nothing, produced by Amazon.

As a manager, his loss of prestige is a recurring topic of conversation among sports directors.

Mourinho insisted from the beginning it would be his way of managing players (see the case of Gareth Bale) and on his preferred approach of reinforced defence and counter attack.

It was difficult to understand why he did not mould his tactics to the strengths of players such as Kane, Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli, Sergio Reguilon or Tanguy Ndombele. However, he did nothing to adapt.

Tottenham players, advised by their friends from Manchester United and Chelsea, regarded the manager with suspicion. The first few months were peaceful. But before the pandemic, the first gaps were already appearing.

Spurs beat Southampton after Jose's departure

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris: 7 – Lloris made sure that Spurs stayed in the game, making a fantastic double save in the second minute before being called into action on several occasions. Was unable to prevent Ings’ well-placed header. EPA

Serge Aurier: 6 – The fullback defended well down the right flank but could and should have been tighter to Ings for the opener. Linked up well with Bale in the second half, overlapping and causing chaos for the Saints backline. Getty

Toby Alderweireld: 6 – The Belgian was rarely called upon but was kept busy by Saints’ attacking intent and movement throughout. Reuters

Eric Dier: 6 – The defender made some good blocks but was grateful to see Ings substituted. AFP

Serge Reguillon: 6 – He failed to clear the ball from the box in the first half, giving Southampton a chance and needed Lloris to save his blushes. The defender had an assist to his name, teeing up Son, before it was chalked off for offside. Reuters

Giovani Lo Celso: 6 – Played his way into the game, struggling at first but having a bigger impact in some of the attacking moves before being substituted in the 79th minute. Reuters

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6 – The Danish international kept the home side ticking, playing neat passes around to ensure they kept possession. Reuters

Tanguy Ndombele: 6 – The midfielder struggled to get on the ball and impact things in the final third for the home side before he was substituted in the second half. Getty

Lucas Moura: 6 – Moura failed to stamp his authority on the game, picking up the ball on occasion between the lines. He was also ruled offside for Son’s disallowed goal. Reuters

Heung-Min Son: 7 – Son caused issues with his movement at times, particularly for his disallowed goal where he broke free to coolly finish from the edge of the box. The forward later stepped up to convert from the spot to earn all three points. Reuters

Gareth Bale: 7 – The Welshman had a quiet first half but showed real composure with a neat finish in the second half to draw Spurs level. Bale and Aurier’s overlapping on the right caused some problems for the away side. Reuters

SUBS: Harry Winks (For Ndombele 73’) – 6 – Winks gave a composed performance, showing off his passing range at times and made sure Spurs recycled possession well. AP

Erik Lamela (For Lo Celso 79’) – N/R – Came on as a roll of the dice from Ryan Mason but had little impact in coming off the bench. Reuters

Steven Bergwijn (For Bale 83’) – N/R – Bergwijn came on to chase a winner for Spurs but did not get enough time to impact the game. Reuters

SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Alex McCarthy: 6 – The goalkeeper had a quiet game, making some routine saves and claiming well for his side. He was unable to do anything about Bale’s well-placed finish in the second half, or Son’s penalty. Reuters

Mohammed Salisu: 6 – The young full-back had a shaky game with some loose touches of the ball, but he defended well considering his hands were full with Bale and Aurier on his side. Reuters

Jannik Vestergaard: 6 – The defender wasn’t called into action too often but was undone by the Tottenham movement for the Bale equaliser. Getty

Jan Bednarek: 6 – Got drawn in by Tottenham’s attacking movement, which created the space to allow the home side to equalise. Defended relatively well otherwise. Getty

Kyle Walker-Peters: 6 – Defended well for most of the game, though lost concentration on a couple occasions, most notably the disallowed Son goal. Reuters

Nathan Tella: 6 – The midfielder put in a good performance without producing much in the final-third before being subbed off in the second half. Getty

Stuart Armstrong: 6 – Armstrong’s running and attacking play in the first half caused issues around the Tottenham box on many occasions, but he looked to fatigue as the game went on. EPA

James Ward-Prowse: 6 – The Saints captain put in a good all-round performance, covering a lot of ground, and grabbing an assist with a trademark set-piece. Reuters

Theo Walcott: 6 – The winger got into some dangerous positions in the game, looking most threatening when given space to drive at the Tottenham backline. EPA

Danny Ings: 7 – Ings had a great game, scoring a well-directed header at the half hour mark. The forward didn’t just cause issues offensively, but tracked back the length of the pitch to stop a cross. He came off with an injury ten minutes into the second half. Reuters

Che Adams: 6 – The Scotland international had a big chance to open the scoring in the second minute but he was denied by Lloris at close range. Reuters

SUBS: Ibrahima Diallo (For Ings 57’) – 6 – Had a quiet game when coming on for the injured Ings, as Southampton were on the backfoot for the majority of the second half. Getty

Moussa Djenepo (For Walcott 67’) - 5 – Came on to offer some fresh legs in the second half but his rash challenge just inside the box gave away a penalty late on. Reuters

Nathan Redmond (For Tella 84’) – N/R – Redmond was subbed on to add some legs to the field as Southampton looked to fatigue late on, having little impact on the final result. Getty

"Same coach, different players," was the last straw, confirmation that Mourinho had returned to his old ways. It's never his fault.

Levy is another loser in this case, thwarted in his plan to get Tottenham into the Champions League barring an incredible finish. They even trail West Ham in the Premier League.

They won just one of Mourinho's last five Premier League games in charge and were humiliated 3-0 by Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.

That night, Mourinho went to the opposing dressing-room at Maksimir Stadium to congratulate his rivals and started an open campaign against his own players.

What did he expect after that?

With this dismissal, Mourinho must be furious. He signed a 43-month contract with Tottenham, and was fired after 17, not impressive for a manager of his calibre.

And being fired six days before the League Cup, the only opportunity for Spurs to lift their first trophy since 2008.

Another vast sum in compensation, but an equally big blow to the ego.