"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
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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.
