It all went wrong off the pitch for Spurs on Wednesday night but matters are not going particularly well on it either. Eric Dier’s charge into the stands made the headlines, although the performance was not much to write home about.
They crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of the Premier League’s basement side, and it follows a period in which they’ve lost to Wolves and seen their hopes of Champions League qualification drop.
Add in the fact that they are a goal behind from the first-leg against RB Leipzig and Spurs are clearly in a bad period.
Tottenham are in a bad run and manager Jose Mourinho is inevitably facing some of the blame
They suffered a penalty shootout defeat against Norwich in the FA Cup on Wednesday night
There are issues afoot and Jose Mourinho is inevitably getting blamed for a number of them, but the situation might not be that simple.
After all, the rot had long set in before he made his way to Spurs. Mauricio Pochettino was not exactly shining with this squad. In some cases, can the Portuguese really be blamed?
Sportsmail has taken a look at the growing problems in north London and whether current manager Mourinho is at fault or if the issue runs deeper than the man in the dugout.
1. They don’t have any fit first-team strikers…
Sometimes, luck does come into football and when it comes to Spurs’ striker crisis, misfortune is the only way to explain the sheer number of forward options that find themselves in the treatment room.
It really began with Harry Kane, who ruptured a tendon in his left hamstring during the game against Southampton on January 1. He required surgery and there has long been a sense he would not play a part in the rest of the season.
Not a problem if Son Heung-min stayed fit. After all, there has occasionally been an argument that Tottenham are a better side with the South Korean leading the line.
The injury suffered by Harry Kane has caused serious problems for Tottenham’s season
Then came the 3-2 win at Aston Villa, when Son scored twice. He hurt himself during the game and it was later revealed that he had fractured his arm. Mourinho immediately ruled him out for the season.
Now Spurs have just Lucas Moura as a fit first-team player who has any real experience of playing up front. Dele Alli has been used there in the last two games but has not been particularly effective.
In truth, Spurs have long had a problem up front, not least because they went into the season with only Kane in their squad. They do not have any other proper senior No 9s, and have had to make do with alternatives whenever he drops out of the side.
That type of squad building was inviting a problem like this.
NOT Mourinho’s fault
Son Heung-min being ruled out for the campaign means Spurs have no alternative to Kane
2. … but he is not willing to give young stars like Troy Parrott a go
It is worth remembering that at one stage in his career, Kane was a young striker who was only trusted with Europa League and League Cup games. Mauricio Pochettino had to take a punt on him over more expensive and experienced options.
In the event of a crisis in a position, it is worth dipping into the youth team. In Troy Parrott, Spurs have a ready-made option that should be given a go by the manager.
Sportsmail’s Secret Scout recently said: ‘Playing centrally, he now looks a proper leader of the line. I like his natural inclination to get involved. Not always waiting for the ball to arrive, he found space to drag his marker deeper and wider.
Mourinho has not given many opportunities to Troy Parrott from the Tottenham academy
‘Like all youngsters, he requires opportunities to progress but I see only an upward curve if he stays grounded.’
That sounds like a player who deserves to be given a chance, especially given the Republic of Ireland have already given him senior caps.
Yet Mourinho clearly does not have the same faith. He did not start Parrott against Norwich and has given him few opportunities. How can he complain about a lack of options when he has not exhausted them all?
Mourinho’s fault
Given the lack of striking options, Spurs should really have given the youngster a proper go
3. The squad has been run down…
The truth is that the Spurs squad needed a refresh in the summer. Mauricio Pochettino recognised that he had taken the group as far as he could, which is why he was happy to jettison the likes of Danny Rose, Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
Victor Wanyama was always going to leave, while there were other senior stars on the chopping block under the Argentinian.
Yet Daniel Levy would not fund a serious rebuild. While they snapped up Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon, the latter has struggled to make an impression and the former has been hit by injuries.
Then-loanee Giovani Lo Celso also took time to work his way into the manager’s thinking.
Pochettino lost his job as the squad he had identified as having problems failed to match up to expectations. Mourinho is now having to deal with the same issues.
NOT Mourinho’s fault
Daniel Levy has not backed his managers with enough funding in the transfer market
4. … but did they spend money in the right areas in January?
The defence has been a problem all season long. That was long identified as an area that required serious improvement in the January window.
Along with that, the lack of backup to Kane was a clear issue and when he went down injured on the opening day of the window, it seemed a replacement for him should be a priority.
Yet Spurs invested in a winger and a central midfielder and found themselves scrabbling around to sign a striker at the end of the window.
Having splashed £27million on Steven Bergwijn, they tried to sign Krzysztof Piatek on a loan rather than paying money out for him. That was also the approach to any other striker they had an interest in.
While neither Bergwin or Gedson Fernandes have been bad, Mourinho clearly should have been more forceful with who the club targeted in January. His striker crisis could never have existed if he had been more laser focused with his targets.
Mourinho’s fault
It does not feel as though Mourinho spent money in the right places in the January window
5. The defence is a shambles
Spurs have never looked particularly solid this season. They shipped seven goals against Bayern Munich under Pochettino.
The back-line was an issue throughout and has not been suddenly become one when Mourinho walked in the doors.
Yet he has not resolved the issue, which is a concern given his reputation as a manager who is able to drill a defence, giving the rest of his team a platform to go and win.
In fact, that reputation must be part of the reason he was brought into the club in the first place.
Tottenham’s defence have only managed to keep two clean sheets since the start of the year
Spurs have not kept a clean sheet since February 2, and they have only managed two since the start of the year. Since then, they have shipped at least two goals in matches against Wolves, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Against Wolves at the weekend, they conceded 14 shots at their goal at home.
Alderweireld, Vertonghen and their like have stopped looking as though they can stop the team from conceding. Whether it is the shape or the manner in which they are coached, Mourinho is clearly not having the desired impact.
Mourinho’s fault
6. They have stopped playing good football
From the off, it became clear that Mourinho would look to play a long ball game at Spurs, with the intention of hitting Kane and building from there.
It stood in contrast to a slightly more possession-based style that had been the approach under Pochettino.
‘We have to adapt to something new because for almost five years we’ve tried to build it up from the back,’ Son admitted after the West Ham win that kicked off Mourinho’s reign.
Spurs have stopped playing good football since Mourinho became manager of the club
Yet that is causing consternation. Spurs are now dreadful to watch, offering little in good play up the field and then just picking up scraps in and around the box to try and secure a result.
It means there is tension between fans who feel they are being fed woeful football compared to what they had before, and the manager. It makes every problem seem significantly worse.
Mourinho’s fault
His instruction to play in a more direct style has made them more difficult to watch
7. Their goalkeepers have become error-prone
This is only a small note, but there has been a problem with all of Tottenham’s goalkeepers this season.
Hugo Lloris injured himself in the midst of a massive mistake against Brighton. Paolo Gazzaniga had a good run but there were moments when goals he conceded cost Spurs in crucial games.
The issue was particularly highlighted on Wednesday night as Michel Vorm’s mistake let Norwich equalise through Josip Drmic.
Without his error, we probably would not be discussing what, exactly, is going wrong at Spurs. There’s little Mourinho can do around those situations anyway.
Not Mourinho’s fault
Michel Vorm’s error against Norwich allowed them to equalise and go on to win the tie
8. The excuses are already coming out
After the game on Wednesday, when Mourinho had dealt with the conversations around Eric Dier’s charge into the stands, he rattled off what is becoming a familiar refrain.
‘In this moment I have to think about what’s next and I have to speak to my club because I think some of these boys to have a chance to fight Tuesday for a Champions League position they just can’t play on Saturday,’ said Mourinho.
‘Particularly in forward positions, behind we’ve got options but not going forward,’ he added.
Essentially, he was getting in an early excuse for the clash with Burnley in the Premier League, pinning it on the board and suggesting they had to pick a win there or against RB Leipzig.
The Portuguese managers is making excuses ahead of Spurs’ crucial upcoming matches
Mourinho is now playing the greatest hits. This stage took longer to reach at Manchester United and during his second spell at Chelsea, but he loves making it sound as though his hands are tied.
Admittedly, squad-wise there is more of an issue at Spurs than there ever was at United or Chelsea. It does not reflect well on the Portuguese though, that he cannot conceive of a way to go for both games.
He did not exactly pick a full-strength side against the Canaries. Playing his first-team against both Burnley and Leizpig should not be difficult. It is a way of deflecting before the whistle even blows.
Mourinho’s fault
He suggested his players did not have it in them to win against both Burnley and RB Leipzig