Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Dimitar Berbatov insists Jose Mourinho must be allowed at least one full season in charge of the North London club to make his mark (Goal).
The two-time Champions League winner, Mourinho was brought to Spurs in November of last year following a disappointing start to the season under Mauricio Pochettino (THFC).
After a slight honeymoon period under the new head coach, Spurs have struggled since the turn of the year with injuries dealing their hopes of another taste of Champions League a huge blow.
However, the former Spurs striker believes Mourinho must be given time before being judged for his time at Spurs.
“I hope Spurs finish as high up as possible, seven points from the top four is a big difference, but sometimes you can make up ground and surprise people,” said the Bulgarian.
“Next season will be the decisive one for people who are judging Jose Mourinho. Sometimes a team has to take a step back to take two steps forward.”
Mourinho has been without key players including Harry Kane, Moussa Sissoko and Heung-min Son for a key part of the campaign.
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The suspension of Premier League action due to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed Mourinho to regain a full-strength squad with players having recovered from their respective injuries.
He added: “I understand fans being critical after what happened to Mauricio Pochettino and the different style of play under Mourinho, but in the end this is the situation Spurs are in at the moment.
“Mourinho is there and he is doing his own thing and you can judge him on next season.
“In the end, Pochettino will probably return to Spurs one day, I heard an interview where he said he would like to go back there one day and everybody loves him there for what he did.
“Maybe one day he will be back, but at the moment Mourinho is there, a coach who has won so many trophies in his career, who deserves respect and time to make his mark,” added Berbatov.
Spurs Web Opinion
Unless the season takes another dramatic turn for the worse, I think just about every Spurs fan will write this season off. There is still a lot to play for, however, given the injury issues and abysmal start to the season we will be looking at what next season brings.
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