Published 12:36 IST, November 22nd 2019
Jose Mourinho pays classy tribute to Mauricio Pochettino in his first press conference
Jose Mourinho presided over his first press conference as manager of Tottenham. The Portuguese paid a classy tribute to the outgoing Argentinian manager.
Jose Mourinho is back in the Premier League with another London club, Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham decided to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino after the Argentine spent five and a half seasons with Spurs. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy decided to hand former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho the managerial reins in a bid to salvage the Lilywhites' season.
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Jose Mourinho's heartwarming words for Mauricio Pochettino
In his first press conference as manager of Tottenham, Jose Mourinho displayed a rather humble image. Mourinho also spoke a little about his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, and surprisingly delivered a heartfelt tribute to the Argentine. Mourinho congratulated Mauricio Pochettino for his work with Tottenham during his spell. He also said that Tottenham's doors are always open for Pochettino if the Argentine misses his players a little too much. Jose Mourinho then went on to reassure Mauricio Pochettino that he will find another great club again and have a long and successful future in football.
Jose Mourinho's Tottenham reign will kick off at the London Stadium this weekend when Tottenham face off against West Ham United. Both sides have flattered to deceive this season despite a wealth of talent at their disposal. Both managers have been involved in title races in the Premier League. The threat of relegation, however, will be new to both Jose Mourinho as well as Manuel Pellegrini.
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It will be interesting to see how Jose Mourinho sets up his team for the game against West Ham. Mourinho earlier stated that the quality of the squad was one of the key factors in his decision to take over at Tottenham. It is perhaps cruel that Mauricio Pochettino will not be able to integrate his new signings Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon into the Tottenham squad after being backed in the transfer window by Daniel Levy. However, Jose Mourinho will have a close to full-strength squad to choose from, aside from the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Erik Lamela. Lloris is still nursing the elbow injury he suffered in the loss against Brighton. Reports in England indicate that the French shot-stopper is expected to make his return after the New Year.
Updated 14:08 IST, November 22nd 2019