Tony Cascarino believes that Jose Mourinho has a lot to prove when Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action later this week, following the indifferent spell he has experienced at the club to date.
Tottenham’s results picked up when the Portuguese coach arrived at the club in November following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino but have levelled off considerably since the turn of the year.
Tottenham’s cause has not been helped by the fact that the squad has been ravaged by injuries with the likes of Harry Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Son Heung-min and Steven Bergwijn all being sidelined before the season was suspended.
The Tottenham boss was forced to shuffle his squad in the absence of key personnel and results suffered as a consequence, with the Lilywhites failing to win any of their last six games prior to the suspension of the league.
The suspension has proved to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise for the club as it has allowed the injured players time to regain their fitness and for Mourinho and his coaching staff to have a fresh start.
Cascarino believes that Mourinho now faces some major tests when Tottenham return to action, including getting the best out of Tanguy Ndombele.
The pundit told talkSPORT’s Weekend Sports Breakfast: “I watched them in their final game get battered by Leipzig.
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“They got beaten at the Tottenham Stadium 1-0 and then they go to Leipzig and lose 3-0.
“Yes, there was problems. There were injuries and he had to tussle where he played Lucas Moura because, obviously, Kane not being available.
“Jose had really felt he’d lost his way. They had gone six games without a win. Their performances they had a couple of draws.
“One of them was Burnley away, which I did a piece on, and Ndombele was subbed after 45 minutes.
“He’s one player that really intrigues me. He’s had a period of a break and now training like a pre-season type training because one thing was clear. The player they bought for £55million hadn’t shown up.
“Physically he looked out of sorts. He couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game. Jose was getting frustrated with him.
“After playing against Burnley he got subbed off after 45 minutes. He was now on the bench against Leipzig.
“He played younger players. That’s a £55million player, and they had injuries, and he found himself on the bench.
“Jose has to prove a lot as a manager in this period.”
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Now that Jose has a fully fit squad to work with, and has had time to drill the squad on the training ground, he really has no excuses. Hopefully, we can start with a win against Manchester United which can potentially serve as a big boost to the squad’s confidence.
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