For anyone wondering why Jose Mourinho seems to have a spring in his step these days (compared to his time at Manchester United), it could be down to the fact he has realised managing a team that needed a refresh but has Kane, Alli, Son, Toby, Lo Celso, Sissoko, Lloris etc, a brand new stadium, state of the art training facility was a great gig to achieve some of the factors required. But look a little deeper and you will find the reason sat right next to him on a match day.
Joao Sacramento, who at 30, is one of the brightest upcoming coaches in world football but the story started some 12 years ago, when Sacramento decided to go and study football coaching at a South Wales University where he studied, learned & ended up producing a piece of work on Jose himself (what he did well & what Sacramento thought he should change). If that wasn’t enough, he sent it to Jose & the experienced manager was impressed (Daily Mail).
The two kept in touch. Sacramento then got his break as a number two at Monaco, then at Lille (discovering a few players along the way). He has worked under Jardim, Bielsa and now Mourinho.
He then he got the call from Jose who not only impressed with the piece of work from his university days, had followed Sacramento’s career and (apparently and according to a number of articles I have read – Sky Sports), his attention to detail, especially the analysis of the opposition is what sets him apart. The more games we play, the more information he has to work with, and with a fully fit squad and if Jose gets his way, fully overhauled (hopefully in the summer) I am sure between these two we will win trophies.
As we have seen in January, the overhaul, much like when Pochettino arrived (people have short memories) the overhaul has started. ‘Poisonous’ elements from the dressing room removed (Eriksen, Rose).. younger squad being revitalised (Lo Celso, Jedson, Bergwijn, Tanganga) added to those already there (Dele, Sanchez, Winks, Son, Kane, Lucas) and don’t underestimate the significance of the return of our captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, he makes a huge difference. It is easy to forget how important the spine of a team is.. four elements, GK, CB, CM, STR.. we’ve been missing 3 of those 4.
As Pochettino said, rebuilding this squad/team will be a painful process (Standard). Since Jose arrived only Liverpool (39pts), Man City (26pts) have won more PL pts than us (23pts) and for the record (Arsenal 12pts, Chelsea 11pts, Man Utd 19pts) in that time and we have played Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea in that time. What do we need? In my opinion.. a right back, a left-sided centre back, defensive midfielder and we still need a striker.
So, patience, while we re-build, is probably the watchword and remember Jose Mourinho doesn’t accept failure. So, whether Jose is here for the long haul or just 2-3 years moulding Sacramento into Spurs next manager is irrelevant (at the moment), but rest assured our beloved club is in good hands for the foreseeable future from Owner/Chairman to Manager/Coach.
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