Danny Murphy doesn’t think Jose Mourinho’s attitude at Spurs has been “anywhere near as bad” as in previous managerial roles, while he thinks Tottenham’s decision to sack him now is “strange” timing.
The 58-year-old paid the price for a disappointing campaign on Monday morning, with Spurs currently seventh in the Premier League and with little chance of making the top four.
That may not prove to be too much of an issue given Tottenham’s involvement in the controversial European Super League – but Mourinho will not be the man to lead them in the new breakaway competition should it materialise.
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Spurs face Southampton on Wednesday in the Premier League before travelling to Wembley at the weekend to face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
And former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Murphy reckons it was a weird time to give the ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss the boot.
“The timing is bizarre,” Murphy said on talkSPORT.
“You can talk about the style of play and how well they should have done with the squad they’ve got, but ultimately they’re a week away from the final they can win, which means a trophy and they have still got a chance to make the top four.
“So the timing of it is bizarre, for me. At any club I’ve been at where they’ve changed manager, it takes a week or two to bring stability.
“I don’t think supporters would be up in arms going, ‘oh he’s won us the League Cup, keep him, keep him. keep him’, but I am really surprised by the timing of it.
“They’ll have a plan, I don’t think Daniel Levy and the hierarchy will make a decision like that and will not know what to do, they’ll be a plan in place.
“But a week before a final… Jose Mourinho, for all his criticism, he knows how to win finals and he knows how to set up a team to win knockout games, and now he’s not going to get the chance.
“Some players will feel better about it, they’ll be a spring in the step of the players he didn’t get on with, but they’ll be a few with their heads down.
“It’s certainly no guarantee there’s going to be a positive effect on him going.
“It’s a really strange time to do it… but the style of football has been his downfall, not his attitude and what he’s said to the press.
“I don’t think his attitude has been anywhere near as bad as it has been in the past, the biggest problem Mourinho has had is the amount of times the team has been set up too negatively and played on the back foot.
“I think, though they had enough ammunition to get rid of him whether he won the League Cup or not because the style of play is so negative.
“That’s what the fans have been watching and they haven’t been happy for a long time.”
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