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Jose Mourinho has transformed the fortunes of a rather mediocre Tottenham Hotspur after taking over the reins of the club a little over a year ago.
After an indifferent start to the season - one that cost the previous Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettion his job - Jose Mourinho propelled the beleaguered club to a respectable sixth-place finish in 2019-20.
Five Tottenham Hotspur players who have improved under Jose Mourinho:
This season, Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur have made a good start and even led the Premier League at one stage. The improved performances of a few players under the Portuguese tactician's tutelage have been key to the positive upturn in Tottenham Hotspur's performances, especially in the Premier League.
On that note, let us have a look at five such Tottenham Hotspur players who have flourished under Jose Mourinho.
#5 Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been a revelation since his arrival at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
He did not take much time to hit his stride at his new club, as he particularly stood out in Tottenham Hotspurs' impressive Premier League win over Manchester City.
Hojbjerg has arrived at Tottenham Hotspur with a reputation of breaking up opposition play after winning possession more times than any other player in the Premier League last season.
Endeared by these attributes, Jose Mourinho - a manager who doesn't mind winning ugly - brought the Danish midfielder to a high-flying Tottenham Hotspur.
The player has brought much-needed steel to the Spurs midfield and is quickly becoming an indispensable player under Jose Mourinho, who said in this regard:
“Pierre is very intelligent, he reads the game very well, he understands the game very well. He is going to be a coach one day, for sure. He is a pain (in training), always asking questions why we do this and that. On the pitch he reads the situation very, very well and the people that surround him they are really compact and they read the game. Physically he is very strong. and technically he is much better than people think."
Hojbjerg's ability to do more of the dirty work could be pivotal in Tottenham Hotspur going all the way in the Premier League this season.
#4 Tanguy Ndombele
After arriving on a club-record £55 million transfer, Tanguy Ndombele, beset by injuries, was almost deemed surplus to requirements last season.
Nevertheless, Jose Mourinho backed the player to come good after a difficult start, saying in this regard:
“I believe Ndombele can turn it around. Football is full of players who have made difficult starts and then ended well. When Modric arrived at Real Madrid, after six months he was labelled the worst signing in their history. So when the talent is there ,many things can happen with adaptation."
Jose Mourinho's words turned out to be prophetic, as Ndombele has been a player reformed this season.
The central midfielder has become a key player for Tottenham Hotspur this season, as he has made 15 Premier League appearances, where he has scored two goals - one of them coming in Spurs' 6-1 win at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman would hope to remain in the manager's good books as Tottenham Hotspur strive to end a long trophy drought this season.
#3 Serge Aurier
After arriving at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2017 from Paris Saint-Germain, Serge Aurier took time to adapt to his new surroundings.
However, under Jose Mourinho, the Ivorian right-back has flourished this season.
Aurier impressively made as many as ten tackles against defending champions Liverpool - the most by any player in the Premier League this season. However, his efforts were not enough, as Tottenham Hotspur came up second best in the game.
Despite his penchant for conceding penalties - one of them came in the loss against Liverpool - Jose Mourniho defended the player, saying:
“I know my players’ qualities. Serge was phenomenal against Liverpool – probably our best player – and today, he made this mistake. It’s not fair to say if it cost us the three points."
#2 Harry Kane
Harry Kane was already a prolific scorer even before Jose Mourinho arrived at Tottenham Hotspur.
However, under the tutelage of the Portuguese tactician, the English striker has added a new dimension to his game - the ability to conjure assists for teammates.
The Tottenham Hotspur and England forward has scored 11 goals and assisted as many in 17 Premier League games this season while striking up a devastating partnership with Son-Heung Min (more on him later).
Kane's off-the-ball work after dropping deep has earned him rich plaudits, with former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher observing in this regard:
"There's a little bit of the Zidane in (Kane) when he gets the ball in that position. How he sort of shields it and protects it. He has been spectacular... (he) has got both centre-backs where he wants them."
Kane himself has admitted the positive influence of Jose Mourinho in his evolution, saying:
"I think he saw in my game that I like to drop deep so he made it clear (the rest of the squad) that if I do drop deep then they need to be the ones running in behind. I think that’s been the real difference. It’s allowed me to create space and get the ball but have an option going forward as well. He’s been great, and I look forward to obviously the months ahead and getting on really well.”
#1 Son-Heung Min
Son-Heung Min is arguably the Tottenham Hotspur player who has improved the most under Jose Mourinho.
The 28-year-old has never been a prolific scorer, only twice tallying 12 goals in a Premier League season prior to the ongoing 2020-21 campaign. However, the Tottenham Hotspur man has already equalled that tally in only 17 games this season and looks good for more after a blistering start to the season.
Forming a devastating partnership with Harry Kane up front, the South Korean and the Englishman have scored goals and provided assists galore for the other this campaign.
Son-Heung Min has evolved into a force to be a reckoned with and is undoubtedly an automatic starter in the Tottenham Hotspur lineup when fit.
Recently, Jose Mourinho lauded the player's attributes, saying:
"That's the humility of a player. That's Sonny. That's the human nature. He's like that. Some other guys they are not like that. For him it's the team."
The Tottenham Hotspur man has already scored 16 goals in all competitions this season, which is only two behind that of Kane.
