The headline story of this Premier League weekend was not Manchester City beating Chelsea at home, a fixture that was no doubt the strongest of match day 13. No, the real home page center piece was Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, coming back to manage Tottenham Hotspur.
His first assignment, almost a year (11 months) away from the game, was a road test at West Ham United. Spurs went up big, 3-0, in the London derby and held on to win 3-2. The victory moved them up from 14th to 9th in the table, getting The Special One a win in his debut with his new team, but the lackluster second half and extra time gave his plenty to work on for the next game.
“I’m not worried about my Tottenham career. I am worried about Tottenham and the players,” the Portugese said after the game.
“It was very, very important. 11 months without music in the away dressing room, without a smile, without happiness, they did it. I’m very happy with them, I’m very happy for them.”
Mourinho was certainly in the mood for self-reflection, and he thought about the transition away from managing, to the broadcast booth, and then back again to managing, over the course of a year.
“The thing for me that was the most weird where I was going to football stadiums and I felt to myself ‘what am I doing here?’ In a box or in the TV studio, what am I doing here?,” Mourinho responded when asked about his time away the game.
“I belong there, that is where I belong. Today the feeling was I was where I belong. It is my natural habitat. Was I extra emotional? No. Was I nervous before the game? No. I just love it.”
“Especially when things go in your direction. Of course, it is the best thing in football to win matches.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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