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The extraordinary statistic which suggests Mourinho has lost his touch – opinion

Jose Mourinho is one of the most distinguished Premier League managers in the history of the division and could be considered the most significant import ever to set foot in the English top-flight. Before being appointed as the new Tottenham Hotspur boss, a previous criticism of Mourinho’s footballing philosophy had been that the way he grinds out results is ‘boring’, along with former players having labelled his tactics as ‘defensive‘. That cannot be said of his time as Spurs manager, with the Portuguese coach reaching an unwanted milestone at an alarming rate.

Usually, the foundation of Mourinho’s success is built upon a solid defence, but since returning to the Premier League with Tottenham that has not been the case. The result is Spurs having kept the joint lowest number of clean sheets in the top-flight this season, two, the same as bottom side Norwich City. Not only that, but Mourinho’s side have conceded 20 goals in record time relative to the rest of his career. It has taken Tottenham a mere 13 games to let 20 goals slip by, while previously at Manchester United he required 19 matches and in his second spell with Chelsea, 23.

But the disparity is most startling when compared to Mourinho’s initial spell with the Blues; back then it took him 44 Premier League matches to concede 20 goals, in an astonishing level of defensive resilience. His record 16 years ago speaks for itself, but it is a stark contrast when compared with today. In fact, since the Portuguese manager took charge at Stamford Bridge for the first time, the number of games required to concede his opening 20 goals has dropped with every new appointment. It is a damning indictment of how his powers are waning and suggests he has lost the defensive touch which has made him of one the world’s most decorated coaches.

Fixing Tottenham’s leaky defence has to be the top priority for Mourinho, but history is starting to show he may no longer be the man for the job. The ease with which opposing sides are scoring against Spurs is beginning to suggest Mourinho has lost his touch.

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