LONDON (Reuters) - When Tottenham Hotspur recently embarked on a five-match winning run to revive a season that was disappearing down the plughole it appeared Jose Mourinho had recovered his magic touch in the nick of time.
When Argentine winger Erik Lamela conjured a piece of wizardry to put Tottenham ahead against Arsenal last Sunday with a 'Rabona' goal it seemed it was rubbing off on his players.Arsenal claimed a deserved 2-1 win against a feeble Spurs with Mourinho afterward accusing some of his players of"hiding". If that was a tough pill for fans to swallow, what happened in Zagreb on Thursday left them asking whether something rotten has infected the core of the club.
After the most humbling European night of his glittering managerial career an ashen-faced Mourinho accused his players of failing"with the basics of life". Mourinho criticised the attitude of his players, while Lloris's comments hinted that despite a world-beating training HQ and stadium, something is broken in the club.
Defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday would leave Tottenham's hopes of a top-four finish hanging by a thread and while they do have a League Cup final ahead against Manchester City, even winning that might not placate Spurs fans. Levy's presumably thought Mourinho's winning mentality would help Tottenham shake off their under-achievers tag.