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José Mourinho wants to emulate Roy Hodgson and reach 70. The Tottenham manager faces his 73-year-old Crystal Palace counterpart at Selhurst Park on Sunday and believes he may be pushing for wins and fighting to strengthen the mentality of the players when they are of a similar age.
“I see it myself, yes, but who knows?” Mourinho said. “A great friend of mine got a job in the Portuguese Premier League on Thursday at the age of 74 [Jesualdo Ferreira at Boavista]. He’s a fantastic coach, incredible knowledge, incredible passion. Maybe you are tired of me because I have been here for 20 years, since 2000 when I got my first job. [at Benfica]But the reality is that at 57 years of age, because of work, because of the nature of work, I am very young ”.
It feels like Mourinho has discovered a new life at Spurs. When he was sacked by Manchester United in December 2018, it was difficult to see him coaching again in the Premier League, such was the acrimony of his final months at Old Trafford. But, having joined the Spurs in November of last year, he is now flying into his first full season.
His team has lost two of the 21 games in all competitions, progressing to the round of 32 of the Europa League and the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. Mourinho made it clear last season that the players had to be tougher and more unpleasant. He believes they are succeeding.
“We are improving as a team, that is not in doubt,” said Mourinho. “The concept of what the team needs and the type of mentality we need in the team, which is something that I have had very, very clear, we are improving step by step.”
Mourinho refused to be swayed by criticism from Sky Sports experts about his team’s counterattack style in last Sunday’s 2-0 home win over Arsenal. “I’m not going to be the expert’s expert,” he said. “They are professionals. I was an expert [for Sky] but not professional. I was an expert in my free time as a manager when I was not working. It was something that I enjoyed and something that helped me respect people’s opinions ”.
