Jose Mourinho’s interviews often offer fascinating insights into one of the greatest minds to ever grace the touchline.
In terms of legacy and trophies, few come close to Jose and with Tottenham, he seems to have found another winning recipe for his style of management.
There is one slightly unusual trend coming from his interviews at the minute though, this fascination with animal metaphors. Last week Mourinho described his side as “not a horse, we’re just a pony” when talking about their chances at winning the league.
The manager went one further after Tottenham’s impressive victory over Arsenal in the North London derby, making us wonder whether he’s messing with us all.
After being quizzed about the world class partnership between Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, Mourinho pointed out their work rate, saying the pair “work like animals.”
After making the comments, he seemingly panics at the prospect of causing any offence; “With all the respect for animals. I love animals. Don’t get me wrong, but working amazingly hard when the team didn’t have the ball” he quickly reassures.
? "They were working like animals, with all the respect to animals, I love animals"
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 6, 2020
Jose Mourinho on Harry Kane & Son's performances pic.twitter.com/rY1aU64x4T
It’s genuinely wholesome, if not a little weird. There appears to be genuine fear in the face of Jose, as his eyes widen at the thought of upsetting the animals used in his comparison.
The attacking duo continued their incredible run of combinations against Arsenal, putting them well on the way to becoming the most deadly pair in Premier League history.
With 11 goal combinations already this season, they’re just two behind Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton’s 1995/96 all-time Premier League record of 13 for Blackburn – and just five behind Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba’s all-time record of 36.
11 – Only Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton (13 in 1995/96) & Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson (12 in 2018/19) have combined for more Premier League goals in a season than Harry Kane and Son Heung-min this season (11). Synchronicity. pic.twitter.com/R8fSs08pWS
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 6, 2020
Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane have now combined to score 31 Premier League goals.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 6, 2020
Only Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have recorded more together (36). pic.twitter.com/k374O5gKIr
With Mourinho’s time at United didn’t exactly set the world on fire, things appear to be quickly clicking for him at Tottenham, with a side that looks perfectly built to suit his style of play.
In a season that’s clearly throwing out some unusual patterns, could he actually lead them to a Premier League trophy?
Featured image credit: Getty
