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Tuesday 21 April 2020 11:15, UK
Has there been any improvement and what has been the style change under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham this season? The jury remains out as we assess the numbers.
In his 12 Premier League games at Spurs, Mourinho has won 20 points, that's six more points than Pochettino's 12 games in charge this season.
Goals for and against are similar as are chances created, however, Jose's side have been more direct in their approach play. The percentage of long balls played this season has risen from 8.8 per cent under Pochettino to 11.8 per cent under Mourinho.
His tendency to bypass the midfield is evident when you see that Harry Winks - the Spurs player with the most touches per 90 mins this season - averaged 92 touches per 90 mins under Pochettino compared to only 78 touches per 90 under Mourinho.
Interestingly, Mourinho's side have won possession in the final third of the pitch more than any other side in the Premier League since his arrival in late November, winning more than twice as many balls higher up the pitch compared to Pochettino's side where they ranked fourth lowest in the Premier League between August and November.
Mourinho's side have shown more aggression in the final third too with high turnovers going up 40 per cent and pressed sequences up by 38 per cent. High turnovers are sequences that start in open play and begin 40 metres or less from the opponent's goal, while pressed sequences are those where the opposition has three or fewer passes in a sequence with the sequence ending within 40m of their own goal.
There is a striking difference with Tottenham's possession stats at home this season. They averaged 65 per cent possession in Pochettino's six league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season compared to an average possession of just 47 per cent in Mourinho's six home League games so far which have included four games against the current bottom eight in Bournemouth, Burnley, Brighton and Norwich.
However, the 57-year old Portuguese boss has been able to implement his winning mentality when his side have taken the lead in games. Spurs have not dropped any points in the five Premier League games that they've led under him, by contrast Pochettino's side dropped 12 points from the 12 games played under him this season, which was the worst record in division.
Even though Tottenham have kept the joint fewest clean sheets in the Premier League this season with three, there are some improvements defensively.
Spurs need to improve on their challenges inside their box, no other side has faced more penalties since the arrival of Mourinho (4) with his side conceding a penalty in each of the last two Premier League games.
Mourinho's side have improved on defending set-pieces in recent weeks. Four of the 15 Premier League goals conceded under him have come from set-pieces (excluding penalties), however, they have not conceded from a free-kick or a corner in the last five league matches. Pochettino's side had an enviable record of not conceding from a set-piece in their opening 12 Premier League games this season.
The jury is still out for Mourinho.
If Tottenham are to maintain their top-four push, he will hope that in the coming weeks he will be able to call upon a more settled side and performance levels which in turn should breed more consistent performances and results.
