What Jose Mourinho said: Hello. I have been smiling for two days. But I do it with some sadness and I have to speak about Mauricio. I have to congratulate him for the work he has done. This club will always be his home. This training ground will always be his training ground. The door will always be open for him. He can come when he wants. When he misses the players, when he misses the people he worked with. The door is always open for him.
What he really meant: His pass card has already been revoked and his mugshot circulated around the security staff.
What he said: I know you would like to keep me at Sky! But this is my life.
What he meant: Sky can’t pay me as much as Daniel Levy.
What he said: I had a feeling that I was going to get a club mid-season. I knew that I would be in a situation where I would only get one or two days before my first game. I cannot come here and think it is about myself. It is about the players and getting a base of stability.
1/26 Tottenham’s winners and losers
Tottenham have this week made the controversial decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino and replace him with Jose Mourinho. But who are the winners and losers in the Tottenham dressing room following Daniel Levy’s bold decision?
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2/26 Hugo Lloris
Tottenham’s captain has said on more than one occasion that when Pochettino leaves, he leaves. That he’s currently out injured only means Gazzaniga has even more time to assert himself as Tottenham’s number one.
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3/26 Paulo Gazzaniga
A winner by default. Mourinho has no choice but to play him.
Action Images via Reuters
4/26 Michel Vorm
He’s somehow back at Spurs despite being released on a free transfer in the summer. More than that – he’s jumped up a place in the pecking order. He’s living his best life, regardless of who’s in charge at Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
5/26 Danny Rose
Rose knew what he was doing when he sought out the media to publicly undermine Pochettino’s authority last week. From that, you have to conclude that he got what he wanted.
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6/26 Toby Alderweireld
Another big winner. Mourinho was desperate for United to sign the Belgian, only to be thwarted by Ed Woodward. Don’t be surprised if a new one-year contract extension suddenly materialises.
CameraSport via Getty Images
7/26 Jan Vertonghen
Was dropped at the beginning of the season for daring to criticise Pochettino’s tactics. In recent weeks it increasingly began to look as though his time at the club was over. But – like Alderweireld – likely to be welcomed back into the fold.
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8/26 Davinson Sánchez
One of the biggest losers from Levy’s decision to replace Pochettino with Mourinho. Pochettino saw him as the future of the club and, in recent matches, had played him ahead of both Alderweireld and Vertonghen. Likely to lose his place under Mourinho.
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9/26 Kyle Walker-Peters
Had been completely left out in the cold by Pochettino, who did not think he was good enough. He at least has a chance to prove that assessment wrong under Mourinho.
REUTERS
10/26 Juan Foyth
Another big loser. Pochettino rates him incredibly highly but he had been forced to wait a long time for his chance in the first-team. That finally came this month – but he now risks falling back down the pecking order.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
11/26 Serge Aurier
The maverick right-back has been in and out of the team this season. Perhaps Mourinho will see something in him. Or perhaps he will conclude that, at 26, Aurier’s inadequacies are too ingrained to fix.
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12/26 Ben Davies
Davies had fallen out of favour with Pochettino, who has preferred Rose this season. Now has a chance to win his starting place back.
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13/26 Harry Winks
Another to have lost his place in the starting team in recent weeks, but given what we know about Mourinho’s enthusiasm for big and powerful holding midfielders, it’s difficult to see how he benefits from this.
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14/26 Erik Lamela
Would have left the club long ago were it not for Pochettino.
Getty Images
15/26 Victor Wanyama
Difficult to remember a time when he was not woeful. But a quintessential Mourinho player who may now be retrieved from the back of Tottenham’s sofa, dusted off and shoved back into the match-day squad.
REUTERS
16/26 Eric Dier
The big winner. Another player that Mourinho was desperate to sign during his time at Manchester United. Factor in that Dier had been struggling for minutes under Pochettino and it’s difficult to think of a Spurs player that has benefited more.
Getty Images
17/26 Moussa Sissoko
Pochettino turned him from a figure of ridicule into one of the club’s best players. He will sorely miss his guidance.
Action Images via Reuters
18/26 Giovani Lo Celso
Made the decision to sign for Tottenham Hotspur because he wanted to work with Pochettino. Look how that turned out!
REUTERS
19/26 Ryan Sessegnon
Another lured to the club by the prospect of working with Pochettino, who has a much better record than Mourinho for developing young players.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
20/26 Dele Alli
He owes everything to Pochettino. But it had gone stale. His career was flat-lining. He needed this change more than anybody.
Getty Images
21/26 Christian Eriksen
Probably doesn’t give two shits either way, but here’s what Mourinho had to say on his situation at Spurs earlier this season: “I don’t like to keep players that don’t want to stay at the club. I think it is always really difficult. I am not thinking about the economical perspective, I mean from a motivational point of view.”
Getty Images
22/26 Lucas Moura
A cult hero for his hat-trick against Ajax last season, but has barely had a sniff these past few months.
AFP via Getty Images
23/26 Tanguy Ndombele
Pochettino’s top transfer target this summer and the man he wanted to build his new team around. Could now struggle with the additional defensive responsibilities that are about to be heaped on his plate.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
24/26 Oliver Skipp
WINNER
Mourinho loves throwing a young English player in at the deep end in a not-so-subtle message to his boardroom and Skipp could be the big winner in this regard.
AFP/Getty Images
25/26 Son Heung-min
WINNER
One of Pochettino’s most loyal players. But Spurs are not blessed with a great number of attacking players and Mourinho has spoken before of his admiration for the South Korea international.
Getty Images
26/26 Harry Kane
WINNER
Hear us out. Mourinho will make him captain and build the team around him. Kane, like many others, had an outstanding relationship with Pochettino. But Kane will benefit from working with a new manager with so much experience.
EPA
1/26 Tottenham’s winners and losers
Tottenham have this week made the controversial decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino and replace him with Jose Mourinho. But who are the winners and losers in the Tottenham dressing room following Daniel Levy’s bold decision?
Getty
2/26 Hugo Lloris
Tottenham’s captain has said on more than one occasion that when Pochettino leaves, he leaves. That he’s currently out injured only means Gazzaniga has even more time to assert himself as Tottenham’s number one.
Getty Images
3/26 Paulo Gazzaniga
A winner by default. Mourinho has no choice but to play him.
Action Images via Reuters
4/26 Michel Vorm
He’s somehow back at Spurs despite being released on a free transfer in the summer. More than that – he’s jumped up a place in the pecking order. He’s living his best life, regardless of who’s in charge at Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
5/26 Danny Rose
Rose knew what he was doing when he sought out the media to publicly undermine Pochettino’s authority last week. From that, you have to conclude that he got what he wanted.
Getty Images
6/26 Toby Alderweireld
Another big winner. Mourinho was desperate for United to sign the Belgian, only to be thwarted by Ed Woodward. Don’t be surprised if a new one-year contract extension suddenly materialises.
CameraSport via Getty Images
7/26 Jan Vertonghen
Was dropped at the beginning of the season for daring to criticise Pochettino’s tactics. In recent weeks it increasingly began to look as though his time at the club was over. But – like Alderweireld – likely to be welcomed back into the fold.
Getty Images
8/26 Davinson Sánchez
One of the biggest losers from Levy’s decision to replace Pochettino with Mourinho. Pochettino saw him as the future of the club and, in recent matches, had played him ahead of both Alderweireld and Vertonghen. Likely to lose his place under Mourinho.
Getty Images
9/26 Kyle Walker-Peters
Had been completely left out in the cold by Pochettino, who did not think he was good enough. He at least has a chance to prove that assessment wrong under Mourinho.
REUTERS
10/26 Juan Foyth
Another big loser. Pochettino rates him incredibly highly but he had been forced to wait a long time for his chance in the first-team. That finally came this month – but he now risks falling back down the pecking order.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
11/26 Serge Aurier
The maverick right-back has been in and out of the team this season. Perhaps Mourinho will see something in him. Or perhaps he will conclude that, at 26, Aurier’s inadequacies are too ingrained to fix.
Getty Images
12/26 Ben Davies
Davies had fallen out of favour with Pochettino, who has preferred Rose this season. Now has a chance to win his starting place back.
Getty Images
13/26 Harry Winks
Another to have lost his place in the starting team in recent weeks, but given what we know about Mourinho’s enthusiasm for big and powerful holding midfielders, it’s difficult to see how he benefits from this.
Getty Images
14/26 Erik Lamela
Would have left the club long ago were it not for Pochettino.
Getty Images
15/26 Victor Wanyama
Difficult to remember a time when he was not woeful. But a quintessential Mourinho player who may now be retrieved from the back of Tottenham’s sofa, dusted off and shoved back into the match-day squad.
REUTERS
16/26 Eric Dier
The big winner. Another player that Mourinho was desperate to sign during his time at Manchester United. Factor in that Dier had been struggling for minutes under Pochettino and it’s difficult to think of a Spurs player that has benefited more.
Getty Images
17/26 Moussa Sissoko
Pochettino turned him from a figure of ridicule into one of the club’s best players. He will sorely miss his guidance.
Action Images via Reuters
18/26 Giovani Lo Celso
Made the decision to sign for Tottenham Hotspur because he wanted to work with Pochettino. Look how that turned out!
REUTERS
19/26 Ryan Sessegnon
Another lured to the club by the prospect of working with Pochettino, who has a much better record than Mourinho for developing young players.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
20/26 Dele Alli
He owes everything to Pochettino. But it had gone stale. His career was flat-lining. He needed this change more than anybody.
Getty Images
21/26 Christian Eriksen
Probably doesn’t give two shits either way, but here’s what Mourinho had to say on his situation at Spurs earlier this season: “I don’t like to keep players that don’t want to stay at the club. I think it is always really difficult. I am not thinking about the economical perspective, I mean from a motivational point of view.”
Getty Images
22/26 Lucas Moura
A cult hero for his hat-trick against Ajax last season, but has barely had a sniff these past few months.
AFP via Getty Images
23/26 Tanguy Ndombele
Pochettino’s top transfer target this summer and the man he wanted to build his new team around. Could now struggle with the additional defensive responsibilities that are about to be heaped on his plate.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
24/26 Oliver Skipp
WINNER
Mourinho loves throwing a young English player in at the deep end in a not-so-subtle message to his boardroom and Skipp could be the big winner in this regard.
AFP/Getty Images
25/26 Son Heung-min
WINNER
One of Pochettino’s most loyal players. But Spurs are not blessed with a great number of attacking players and Mourinho has spoken before of his admiration for the South Korea international.
Getty Images
26/26 Harry Kane
WINNER
Hear us out. Mourinho will make him captain and build the team around him. Kane, like many others, had an outstanding relationship with Pochettino. But Kane will benefit from working with a new manager with so much experience.
EPA
What he meant: I only got here on Tuesday. So if West Ham win on Saturday – it’s definitely not my fault.
What he said: I’m not going to make the same mistakes as before. I’m going to make new mistakes. I am humble. I am humble enough to try to analyse my career. Not just the last year, but the problems and the solutions. The principle of my analysis was never to blame anyone else.
What he meant: This time round I’ll make sure to scapegoat the performance analyst rather than the club doctor.
What he said: I was always humble. The problem was that you didn’t understand that. I was always humble but it was in my way.
What he meant: I’m humble. I’m The Humble One. I’m the most humble man who ever lived. I’m more humble than Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa and Jesus of Nazareth. Added together. Multiplied by ten.
What he said: Am I still Mr Chelsea? I think I am Mr Porto and Mr Real Madrid – and all my other clubs as well. I am whatever club I am at. I wear the pyjamas of the club and sleep in them. I am a club man – but I am a many club man.
What he meant: I will manage whichever club pays me the most. And club pyjamas are at least more comfortable than the dressing gowns at The Lowry.
What he said: The best gift is the players who are already at the club. I do not need new players. I just need to get to know these ones better. I know them well – but you never know them well enough until you meet them. I told the players I came here because of them. I tried to buy some for different clubs and some I didn’t even try, because you know how difficult it was.
What he meant: Sign me Nemanja Matić. And Zlatan Ibrahimović. Or else.
What he said: I want to play in a very similar way to before, under Mauricio. Of course I will try to add details – and sometimes details can make the difference. The style of play must be adaptive to the club culture and also the players here.
What he meant: I will play in a similar way to Mauricio – just with all the attacking players replaced by defensive midfielders. And, fortunately, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier are still on the books.
What he said: We cannot win the Premier League this season. Next season, I’m not saying that we will win it, but we can win it.
What he meant: We won’t win it next season, either.
