Former Tottenham striker, Dimitar Berbatov has claimed that he has been proven right about Jose Mourinho’s appointment at Spurs backed his former side to push for the Premier League title this season.
It has been a year since Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the North London hot seat, with Spurs fans being rather divided over Daniel Levy’s call at the time.
However, Mourinho seems to have now won over the majority of the Tottenham fan base and Berbatov believes the club’s displays so far this season prove that the Spurs chairman was right to pull the plug on Pochettino.
The Bulgarian told Betfair (as relayed by Goal.com): “It is exactly a year since Jose Mourinho took over as Spurs manager. At the time I said it was a good appointment and backed Mourinho to succeed when many fans were unhappy about his arrival.
“I bet they’re not complaining now. Spurs’ league position shows Mourinho is taking the club in the right direction. And they’re not just playing defensive football either – just look at the brilliant form Son Heung-min is in at the moment.
“At the same time, no manager is more than two defeats from a crisis so he needs to keep up the good work.”
Tottenham’s clash against Manchester City tomorrow will arguably be the biggest test that the North Londoner’s have had so far, with Mourinho locking horns with his old nemeses, Pep Guardiola.
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Berbatov expects Tottenham to get the better of City and prove to the rest of the league that they are genuine contenders.
He added: “It will be fascinating to see Mourinho take on Pep Guardiola on Saturday. Their rivalry has been played out in some heady atmospheres – El Clasico in Spain and the Manchester derby – but in front of no fans in north London on Saturday, it will be different.
“There probably won’t be any verbal clashes between the pair because they wouldn’t want the TV cameras picking that up!
“The rivalry is always there between them and it will be played out on the pitch as they pit their wits tactically. I want to see Tottenham win, to say to the whole league that they’re serious about challenging for the title, and I believe they will win a tight match.
“Spurs have already sent a powerful message to the rest of the Premier League with their performances so far this season, whether that was demolishing Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford or grinding out victory at Burnley.
“If they beat City then Spurs message will resonate even more. City have had their problems this season but they’re still one of the best teams in the world. Spurs are capable of beating them and are genuine title contenders, especially in a year when the race looks wide open.”
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