Premier League 2019-20: 3 reasons why Tottenham have been rejuvenated under Jose Mourinho

#3 Less reliance on Christian Eriksen

Mourinho has reduced Christian Eriksen to a bit-part player recently

Christian Eriksen became a key player for Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino, and many times, it felt like Spurs’ attacks were much less effective when the Danish playmaker was absent. Unfortunately for Spurs fans, Eriksen’s form appeared to fall off a cliff in the latter part of 2018-19, and with his refusal to sign a new contract at the club, questions emerged over his commitment to the cause.

That didn’t seem to bother Pochettino, who continued to use the Dane as his main creative outlet, even when Eriksen appeared to be firing nothing but blanks. Mourinho, on the other hand, has shown that he’s not reliant on the former Ajax star at all. Since the Portuguese arrived at the club, Eriksen has only played 3 times – all three appearances came from the bench – and has completed just 98 minutes.

While his arrival against Olympiacos appeared to swing that game into Tottenham’s favour, he’s since slipped back into a bit-part role. Mourinho has preferred to use the rejuvenated Dele Alli as his main creative hub with two more defensive midfielders behind him – essentially negating the need for the Dane completely.

This weekend, for example, saw Spurs thrash Burnley 5-0 – showing no issues with creativity – and yet the Dane was not involved. With Giovani Lo Celso also at the club competing for an attacking midfield spot, it seems as if Mourinho is willing to move away from the out-of-form Eriksen – which has in turn helped with Spurs’ rejuvenation.