Former Mourinho favourite explains Spurs boss’ man-management issues

Portuguese legend Deco has presented one possible explanation as to why Jose Mourinho is struggling to get the best out of some players these days by suggesting that the Spurs boss has very little patience with today’s youth.

Mourinho’s strained relationships with Paul Pogba at Manchester United and Tanguy Ndombele at Tottenham have seen people questioning the Portuguese coach’s man-management skills (talkSPORT).

This is in stark contrast to his early days as a manager when he developed special relationships with his players during his time at Porto, Inter Milan and his first spell at Chelsea.

Former Chelsea captain, John Terry, recently suggested that perhaps the generational difference between the players during Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea and those today could explain why Jose’s confrontational methods may not work anymore (Sky Sports).

Deco has now voiced a similar sentiment by suggesting that the 57-year-old’s methods do not have the same effect on today’s youth.

The former Barcelona star, who played under Mourinho at Porto also delved into how the special one was a master at manipulating players’ psychology.

Speaking to Esporte Interativo, Deco said: “I think he (Mourinho) has less patience with today’s youth.

“In my day, we learned a lot, revolutionary things. He’s the guy who understood the player’s head the most, how each one worked.

“Winning or losing, he never interfered with our thoughts.

“He knew that people could do anything and that in the game and in training, it was scary how much we were going to fight.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Being the master of player psychology and pushing the right buttons to get the best out of each player was always Mourinho’s best trait. So it is certainly a plausible hypothesis that the generational difference with respect to how players respond to praise and criticism is one of the main reasons that he isn’t as effective as he used to be.

However, having said that, the Portuguese coach is more than smart enough to adapt his messages depending on who he is talking to. There is also a case to be made that while his tactical approach was revolutionary a couple of decades ago, the attention to detail that he embodied (particularly when it comes to defensive organisation) is now mainstream within football management, and so doesn’t have the same effect.