THE old rascal was on a charm offensive from the first moment until the last.
There was a fire in the belly, there were winking eyes and there were warm words on his lips.
Spurs chief Jose Mourinho is all smiles but will his happiness last?Credit: Getty – Contributor
If the Premier League audience had not been on this journey three times before, we might have mistaken Jose Mourinho for the toppermost of blokes.
Our hearts might have gladdened when Tottenham’s new manager announced he felt back “where I belong” after the misery of an enforced 11-month sabbatical.
This won’t last, of course. With Mourinho, it never does.
Soon, there will be internal conflict, imaginary sieges and media blackouts.
But for now this is an old master of his craft, happy to be back in his workshop.
Tottenham have won their first Premier League away match since January, having played with great purpose and composure for the opening hour.
And Mourinho is at one with the world again.
He said: “To confess, the most difficult moments for me were this summer, when I didn’t have a pre-season and was looking at other managers, clubs and teams doing pre-season.
“The most weird feeling was going to stadia and I was asking myself what I was doing here — here in the media box, or in the Sky television studios.
“Today is where I belong. My natural habitat. Was I extra emotional? No. Was I nervous before the game? No. But when things go your direction, it’s the best feeling.”
Mourinho was high-fiving and fist-bumping the West Ham mascots as soon as he emerged from the team bus.
During the match, he was constantly back and forth from the dugout to the technical area — a significant distance in this vast, soulless stadium — and good for the 10,000-step target on the pedometer.
Spurs fans appreciated the efforts of their previous boss but welcomed the new man in chargeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And at the final whistle, Mourinho waited on the touchline as Dele Alli and Son Heung-min went over to applaud the Spurs fans, who sang their new manager’s name as if his two spells at Chelsea had never happened.
George Graham never received such acknowledgement in three years as Spurs boss.
Dele, emerging from a year of struggles with his form and fitness, is clearly going to be a pet project for his new manager and he was excellent here.
The midfielder played a key role in the opening two goals, scored by Son and Lucas Moura before half-time.
After Harry Kane headed the third from a wicked Serge Aurier cross on 49 minutes, a classic Mourinho team would have pulled down the shutters and ensured a clean sheet.
This lot still have much to learn. They gave a woeful West Ham side a sniff, when Michail Antonio rammed home 17 minutes from time and Declan Rice had an effort disallowed for offside before Angelo Ogbonna netted deep into injury-time.
Mourinho would normally be hopping mad about this sort of defensive laxity but he was charitable towards his new charges — blaming the physical and mental fatigue of international duty followed by a managerial change.
No matter how successful the first five years of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign had been, the Argentine had grown moody and distant in recent months, his squad looking tired and stale. So Mourinho — or at least the man Mourinho tends to be when starting a new job — was always likely to give Spurs a lift.
No one has doubted his abilities in the short term, he won his first Premier League matches with Chelsea, twice, Manchester United and now with Spurs.
He has tended to prompt a positive reaction for a year or two.
But before too long, the mood always turns bleak.
His relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy — a hard-nosed tightwad — will be intriguing.
This local rivalry with West Ham possesses genuine bitterness, especially at boardroom level, dating back to the turf war over this old Olympic venue.
Spurs dodged a bullet on that one — ‘you sold your soul for this s***hole’, as their fans crowed towards their hosts yesterday.
Harry Kane made it 3-0 to Spurs in the early stages of the second halfCredit: PA:Empics Sport
So Levy would have revelled in showing off his new toy to the West Ham board, who now have a decision to make over their own manager.
Manuel Pellegrini is seriously underachieving with a squad that should be challenging for Europe but are instead sinking worryingly towards the relegation places.
The Hammers have taken one point from their last six Premier League matches, are winless in eight overall and have shipped nine goals in three games.
Things will get tougher for Mourinho. Most weeks Spurs will encounter a keeper who can catch a ball, unlike West Ham’s Roberto, and a centre-half who will win the odd challenge, unlike Issa Diop.
But this was a fine start for the new Tottenham manager.
The “mental barrier” of an away win was overcome, the players are motivated and the fans are instantly onside.
They all need to enjoy it while it lasts.
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Mourinho praises Spurs star Dele Alli as the Special One wins his first match as Tottenham boss
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
