Published 14:47 IST, June 23rd 2020
Jose Mourinho gets his facts wrong after claiming Drogba scored 186 goals under him
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho hit out Paul Merson's criticism by presenting stats of strikers who played under him. However, Mourinho got his facts wrong.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has a knack of delivering action-packed press conferences. A Mourinho press conference is football's version of a blockbuster, with the Portuguese delivering some memorable moments through his unflinching war of words, whether it is with the media, the fans, a certain club player, or Arsene Wenger. Earlier this week, ex-Arsenal star Paul Merson garnered attention during a Mourinho press conference for his comments on Spurs striker Harry Kane. Mourinho responded in classic fashion but it appears that the 57-year-old faltered in his research in his impassioned four-minute rant.
Jose Mourinho press conference: Spurs manager hits back at Paul Merson's comments citing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Drogba goals
After former Arsenal star Paul Merson hit out at Jose Mourinho claiming that the Tottenham boss is not getting the best out of Harry Kane, the Portuguese hit back, naming some of the world-class strikers he managed during his managerial career. Mourinho reminded Merson that Cristiano Ronaldo scored 168 goals when he was in charge at Real Madrid for three seasons.
The former Inter Milan manager also cited Didier Drogba’s stats under him at Chelsea, saying that he scored 186 goals for him over four seasons at Stamford Bridge. He added that the likes of Karim Benzema and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 78 and 58 goals respectively under his tutelage. He explained that Harry Kane should have no worries playing under him especially when he is fit. Kane has managed to score seven times in the 10 games he has played under Mourinho after the Portuguese replaced Mauricio Pochettino midway through the season.
Jose Mourinho press conference: Tottenham boss gets his facts wrong, makes gross error in Drogba goals stat
While the Mourinho press conference did not disappoint, the Tottenham manager's audacious rant did not match up to his usual standards due to his lack of homework. Mourinho claimed that Didier Drogba scored 186 goals under his watchful eye, but the actual numbers suggest that there have been only 73 Drogba goals under the tactician, according to Opta Joe. While Drogba was one the most prolific strikers during Mourinho's Chelsea reign, the numbers don't add up to that to that of the Mourinho press conference. Nonetheless, the former Manchester United manager made his point clear to Paul Merson ahead of Tottenham hosting West Ham United. Two managers who were once on the hot seat in the red half of Manchester will go head to head when the relegation-threatened Hammers visit north London on Tuesday, June 23 (Wednesday morning 12:45 am IST).
(Image Courtesy: Spurs Official Twitter)
Updated 14:47 IST, June 23rd 2020