Mourinho backed to do the ONE thing Pochettino failed to at Tottenham

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Michel Vorm explained how Jose Mourinho is the right man to take the club to ‘the next step’.

Vorm respects the ‘take it or leave it’ approach Mourinho uses to deal with his players and believes his hunger for silverware will be key for Tottenham in taking ‘the next step’.

November 20 will mark a full year since the Portuguese’s surprise appointment as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement. In that time, he’s won 26 of his 49 matches in charge (D10 L13) and secured a top-six Premier League finish.

This season, however, has shown promise with star forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min thriving under Mourinho’s tutelage. Their recent form has even sparked talk of a Premier League title.

“Five or six years ago you couldn’t have imagined that he would become a Tottenham coach,” Vorm, who recently retired from football, told Voetbal International.

“He has a certain way of working and playing and that takes time. Now you can see his style more clearly at Tottenham. Now you can start judging him a bit more. Mourinho really insists on winning a prize.

“I get along very well with him. Look, people also have a certain image of Louis van Gaal. I also worked very well with him at Oranje [the Dutch national team].

“I also think Van Gaal is a nice man and I see similarities with Mourinho. Of course, I had a certain image of him. But when you work with him, it is different. I like a clear way of communicating and Mourinho is very direct. Take it or leave it.”

The club reached the Champions League final under Pochettino in 2018/19 and became regular top-four finishers in the Premier League, but never won silverware.

But victory away to West Brom on Sunday could lift Mourinho’s men to the top of the standings pending the outcome of the other games – like Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City, for instance.

Vorm added: “That is one of the reasons that Mourinho is now there.

“In terms of football it may not be as spectacular as under Pochettino, but with him they hope to take the next step.”