Joe Cole has insisted that José Mourinho needs time to turn things around at Tottenham and get them competing again.
The 57-year-old was appointed in November to replace Mauricio Pochettino, but things haven’t gone to plan this season.
After crashing out of the FA Cup and Champions League, Spurs face a battle to qualify for Europe’s premier competition next season through their league finish.
Injuries haven’t helped with the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Heung Min-Son and Harry Kane sidelined for significant periods, but a poor run of form has led to Mourinho facing scrutiny and criticism.
However, Cole has insisted that his former Chelsea boss needs time to stamp his mark on the squad before he can be judged fairly.
“Jose has gone into a difficult situation,” Cole is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. “In the media, in particular, there is a lot of anti-José, people who are very quick to jump on José’s back, especially for someone who has been as successful as him.
“You need to look at the job in perspective, I think it had run its course under Pochettino. I think the team wasn’t playing well, it needed a change.
“But it’s like turning a cruise ship, you can’t just turn it on a sixpence, it takes time. He needs time, he needs to bring the right players in.”
Cole went on to add that provided chairman Daniel Levy backs Mourinho and brings in the players he needs, he is confident that Tottenham will turn things around next season.
While the coronavirus pandemic has ground things to a halt in the Premier League until the end of next month at the earliest, Spurs have nine games remaining and a seven-point deficit to make up on fourth-placed Chelsea.
COYS