Tottenham 2020 review: Mourinho's roller coaster, Amazon documentary and Bale's homecoming

Only 13 months ago, Tottenham fans struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Mauricio Pochettino, the club's most successful manager of the modern era, had been sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho, one of football's most decorated but divisive coaches. It's been quite a journey for Spurs since the Portuguese took over the reins at the North London club with several ups and downs.

In August 2020, Spurs had their first episode of the 'All or Nothing' documentary - which focused on their 2019/20 campaign - released by Amazon Prime. In September, Spurs saw Gareth Bale return to the club after seven years as they signed the Welsman on a season-long deal from Real Madrid. Here's a look back at Tottenham's 2020.

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Tottenham 2020 review: Jose Mourinho's first year as Spurs manager

It was on November 19, 2019, when Tottenham decided to sack Mauricio Pochettino following a dismal start to their campaign, which saw them languishing in 14th place on the Premier League table. However, not many expected Jose Mourinho to be appointed as the new Spurs boss just 24 hours after the Argentine was dismissed. Either way, the 'Special One' swiftly got to work and earned his first win as Spurs boss only three days into his job - a 3-2 win over West Ham United. 

Despite an early form bounce, Mourinho’s time at the helm hadn't gone quite as smoothly as he would’ve hoped. There were moments of quality from his team but Spurs’ form in the early part of 2020 was far too inconsistent to mount a challenge for a top-four spot, and just before the COVID-19 lockdown, the North London outfit were staring at a mid-table finish, alongside crashing out of the Champions League and FA Cup.

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However, the 100-day break from playing was widely viewed as a boon for Spurs as it allowed recovery time for the injured duo of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. Spurs churned out much better performances following the restart and looked a lot more custom to Mourinho’s style. They even managed to land a Europa League spot on the final day of the season, leapfrogging Wolves, and finishing sixth.

The 'All or Nothing' Documentary then captured several instances of the events that took place during the 2019-20 season at Spurs including shock defeats in their domestic cup campaigns against Norwich City and Colchester United. The other events that were seen in the Spurs documentary included Eric Dier climbing into the stands to have an altercation with a fan who was abusing his younger brother.

Dier received a four-match ban and a £40,000 fine from the Football Association for the incident. Spurs teammates Heung-Min Son and Hugo Lloris also nearly came to blows at half-time during the 1-0 win over Everton and the backstage drama was captured in the series. Mourinho's interactions with his Spurs players was also a fascinating watch.

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Gareth Bale Spurs return

In September, Spurs completed a deal to sign Gareth Bale on a season-long loan. The Welsh star left Tottenham for Madrid in 2013 and helped the LaLiga giants to four Champions Leagues and two Spanish league titles. However, his last season at Madrid ended up being a nightmare as he was frozen out by Zinedine Zidane.

Bale has failed to get regular football at Spurs since his return to North London but has already chipped in with three goals across all competitions. However, it appears that the 31-year-old is set to play a key part for Mourinho's team this term.

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This season, Jose Mourinho has gained the reputation of being a pragmatist who isn't afraid to shun an expansive style of play if he thinks it will bring the best results. Some of the noticeable results, in particular, was the record-breaking 6-1 victory against 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford. There was also a 5-2 win at Southampton and, though the 3-3 draw with West Ham was the result of a spectacular collapse by Spurs, it certainly wasn't boring.     

Spurs are currently in seventh place on the Premier League table but only six points behind leaders Liverpool. They have failed to win a game in their last four league matches, losing twice in the process. Spurs did, however, finish top of Group J in the Europa League to book their spot in the Round of 32. 

 

Image Credits - Spurs Instagram