Humble Jose is dead and the old Mourinho is back. That’s according to former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson.
Merson famously chats nonsense via Sky Sports but his latest Spurs-related point actually seems fairly valid.
Jose was a miserable git during the latter part of his time at Manchester United, before becoming a beaming ray of sunshine following his appointment by Spurs.
But is he drifting back into his grumpy old ways?
Mourinho subbed off Dele Alli during Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by Leipzig, before the former MK Dons ace threw a tantrum.
Asked about the incident, Mourinho told the Metro: “I think he was angry with his performance, not with me. I think he understands why I took him off and our performance improved.”
That is in direct contrast to what he said after his first Champions League game for Spurs, in which he hooked Eric Dier on 29 minutes with Olympiakos 2-0 up in N17.
talkSport quoted Mourinho as saying sorry to Dier. He said: “It hurt the player but hurt myself. It’s not easy for the player, but also not easy for myself.
“It’s important that the player understands, and I was lucky that my choice was a with a very intelligent boy and a boy that has very good understanding of what a team is, because I did it for the team.
“I needed at that time a second creative player. I had to do it for the team.
“I apologise for Eric. He knows I did it for the team and not with an intention to hurt him.”
Jose’s different approach with Dele is not Merson’s only piece of evidence to support his theory of the Spurs manager’s regression.
Merson also took issue with Mourinho’s recent claim that a top-four finish with Spurs would eclipse all of his previous achievements with other clubs.
“What the managers of them clubs [Arsenal, Man United and Man City] come out and say what he said that it would be the biggest thing in his career if he got fouth?” Merson told Soccer Saturday.
“Like seriously?! When he first got into the job, he brings Dier off and Dier knows the game. You have got to understand he’s a great player, this and that.
“Forward it one two or three months, he brings Dele Alli off and ‘oh, look how much better we were when he come off’. It’s like back to the old Mourinho way now. It’s like my way or the high way.”