All or Nothing: Jose Mourinho's soft side, and Danny Rose wants answers
- Published
Jose Mourinho had a tough winter with Tottenham
To some, the first three episodes of All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur were more 'All or Nothing: Jose Mourinho'.
There's no let-up in the next three.
We see a softer side to Mourinho, Danny Rose speaking his mind in the manager's office, and a massive injury list piling the pressure on.
Here's what we learned from the latest batch of episodes on Amazon Prime.
1. The death of Mourinho's dog proves he's a softie at heart
The most tender moment of the series so far occurs in episode four. It's Christmas Day and Mourinho fronts up to tell his team why he is lacking in festive cheer.
"Some of you think maybe that I am just an idiot, but the reality is that I'm dead because my dog died," he tells the players, looking as if he has cried quite recently.
"He is a Yorkshire terrier. For 13 years, he travelled everywhere... he dies on 24 December."
It is a rare glimpse of the man behind the headlines.
2. Rose wants answers
Mourinho has to deal with another Yorkshire terrier in episode five - Danny Rose.
The defender made only five appearances under Mourinho before moving to Newcastle on loan in January.
Mourinho imparts some wisdom on Rose against Liverpool
Sitting in the manager's office, Rose asks: "Gaffer, I just want to know what the problem is."
Mourinho asks what he means. "You know exactly what I mean," he replies. "How I'm being treated. If you don't want me to play, I'd rather you just tell me now and I'll stay at home."
He then questions some of his team-mates' performances in training and matches, and tells Mourinho he will speak to chairman Daniel Levy.
Ooft.
3. How Kane reacted to Eriksen leaving
There are some insightful scenes in episode five involving Eriksen, Mourinho and Levy.
Levy says he doesn't really want the Denmark midfielder to leave during the January transfer window, but he does just that - joining Inter Milan.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is captain Harry Kane's response.
"He wanted a new challenge. You can't blame someone for wanting to try something new," he says.
Cue transfer speculation aplenty about Kane?
4. Mourinho's medical staff are under pressure
From December to February, Tottenham's mounting injury list reads more like UFC than football. It includes Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Erik Lamela and Hugo Lloris.
Geoff Scott, head of the medical team, has to be the bearer of bad news - informing Mourinho that forward Son Heung-Min may have to miss the rest of the season because of a broken arm. You can probably imagine how well the manager takes that. At one point, he seems adamant that Son will play no matter what.
Apparently, players were tougher in his day.
"Exactly what I had," he tells Scott. "My arm was in the cast for a week and, on matchday, break that thing, bring the Elastoplast, put the arm like this and play, for months!"
'The stairs broke' - Mourinho's strange reaction to Son's injury