When you think of Jose Mourinho’s greatest strengths, then being able to out-think and out-class his managerial counterparts is right up there – the ‘Mourinho masterclass’ as it were.
Whether it’s the notorious ‘park-the-bus’ approach, or simply getting into people’s heads with his pre and post-game comments, the Portuguese man has undoubtedly been successful with it. His tactics have earned rich rewards, including two Champions League titles, and multiple domestic trophies wherever he has been.
But on Tuesday night, RB Leipzig brushed past his current Tottenham side 3-0, sealing a 4-0 aggregate win over the course of their two legs. And the man who masterminded such a triumph? Julian Nagelsmann. The man who is 25 years younger than Mourinho, and barely into his own managerial career.
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Spurs were comprehensively outplayed over the two legs, and whilst there may be mitigating circumstances like injuries to key players, the north Londoners cannot feel aggrieved at bowing out at this stage of the competition. There were no hopes of any Amsterdam miracles here.
As per Sofascore, both home and away legs were dominated by Leipzig, who registered more possession, and had 11 more total shots than the English side.
Spurs could barely lay a finger on the Bundesliga contenders, and in truth, were fortunate that the score-line wasn’t perhaps even more damning than it is – Nagelsmann’s team had numerous opportunities in the first leg in particular to go out of sight, but were denied by some poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Hugo Lloris.
The big calling card for Mourinho has been his ability to outfox opponents, and even when his team are the underdogs or are up against it – think back to Porto and Inter – he can somehow even the playing field.
But Spurs’ Champions League exit was an embarrassing indictment on Mourinho’s credentials – he could find no way to address Spurs’ Harry Kane and Heung-min Son problem, and failed to stop Leipzig’s attacking threat either.
And now, the wider picture is that he can no longer win a trophy this season. This after all, was something Daniel Levy pointed to at the announcement of his appointment, when he described him as a “great tactician” who has won honours at every club.
“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”
Mourinho will go trophy-less this year, and perhaps even more worryingly, he was outwitted at his own game by someone who is still carving out his managerial career at the highest level. It’s made a complete mockery of Levy’s proud claim.
Meanwhile, this Spurs star just offered another reminder of Pochettino’s magic.
