Dimitar Berbatov insists Jose Mourinho hasn’t been given a fair shake at Tottenham
Dimitar Berbatov has backed Jose Mourinho to succeed at Tottenham, with the Portuguese coach under-fire for a miserable run.
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss took over from Mauricio Pochettino with the North London club stuttering in late November.
A strong run of form saw Spurs rise back towards a top-four challenge, but another downturn has seen them fall back to eighth in the Premier League after defeats to Chelsea and Wolves – also falling out of the FA Cup and Champions League.
Dimitar Berbatov has backed Jose Mourinho at Tottenham after a poor run of performances
The former Spurs striker hit-out at Spurs’ players, calling some of them selfish in their play
The North London side have had a slump which saw them knocked-out of Europe
Mourinho has been frustrated by injuries and poor performances, while fans already feel frustrated.
However, Berbatov has called for patience at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
‘Things had gone sour under Mauricio Pochettino, anybody could see that, and I thought Jose Mourinho was a good choice to replace him,’ Berbatov told Betfair.
‘Tottenham haven’t gone backwards. Any head coach deserves a full season to bring in his players and implement his philosophy.
Mourinho has singled out Spurs’ record sigining Tanguy Ndombele for criticism this season
‘Spurs are going through a difficult period, but Mourinho should be judged on next season at the club.
‘Players take time to adjust to a new manager, especially when it’s one with a different style to his predecessor.’
Like Mourinho, who publicly criticised Tanguy Ndombele after substituting Spurs’ record signing at half-time in a lacklustre 1-1 draw with Burnley, Berbatov believes the players must take some responsibility.
‘Occasionally, I get the feeling that some players are not playing for the team, and that they are trying to take the glory for themselves. That can ruin scoring chances.
Berbatov shone at Spurs, spending two seasons in North London before his Man United move
‘When he’s back, Spurs should try to release Son quicker on the counter-attack.’
‘They have quality throughout the squad, and the players they have should do better. Mourinho has criticised Tanguy Ndombele, but he’s young and can still succeed.
‘I certainly expect Mourinho to spend.’
Mourinho would certainly have been grateful for Berbatov’s presence in the Spurs squad this season, with 57-year-old lacking a natural striker after Harry Kane’s injury.
The Bulgarian scored 46 goals and provided 24 assists in 102 games for Spurs, spending two seasons at the club before moving to Manchester United.
