Rightly or wrongly, two distinct characteristics have become synonymous with a career once crystallised by Jose Mourinho’s infamous self-coronation as “The Special One” all those years ago.
The first is a reluctance to trust young players, to the extent that the likes of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne are now serial trophy winners for Chelsea’s rivals, and the second is the prioritisation of a resolute defence over the free-flowing football you might see at Liverpool or Manchester City, or for that matter Tottenham prior to Mourinho’s arrival in November.
Indeed, as is the case with all seemingly revolutionary figures who last long enough to avert the romantic adage of the good dying young, Mourinho has slowly transitioned from being the standard bearer of football’s new order to becoming a blockade for progress and change.
While Pep Guardiola is busy completely transforming the parameters of stylistic expectation at England’s top clubs, Mourinho’s still deploying a double pivot, keeping his full-backs tucked in and chipping it up to the big man leading his line. At least he would be if Harry Kane wasn’t stuck on the sidelines.
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And thus, news that Mourinho wants to bring Diego Godin to Tottenham is as unusual as it is unsurprising. You won’t see many top Premier League clubs actively look to recruit a 34-year-old who can’t even guarantee himself a starting berth in Inter Milan’s starting XI.
Of course, Godin has enjoyed a fantastic career and remains a top class defender in his own right. He was Atletico’s on-pitch orchestrator for nine years as they continually defied expectations by setting up in the most compact 4-4-2 known to man to lift a Copa del Rey, a La Liga title and Europa League titles. Speed never came into the equation because Atletico always sat so deep, and if a team were to play to his strengths he would no doubt still be an asset at the back.
But that’s precisely the problem. In the tactical context of the current Premier League, where just four clubs have averaged less than a goal per game this season, who wants to be playing to Godin’s strengths? Who wants to sit deep, encourage crosses into their own box, protect ageing centre-halves and hit teams on the counter? Maybe Burnley, maybe Palace, but that’s about it.
Except Mourinho apparently, and Godin is exactly his wheelhouse; an ageing addition akin to bringing back Didier Drogba during his second Chelsea spell or Nemanja Matic to Old Trafford, and someone entirely focused on keeping the ball out of the net rather than putting it in at the other end.
What’s so confusing about this, though, is that Spurs don’t really need another experienced figure at the back. Jan Vertonghen is 32. Toby Alderweireld is 31. Ben Davies is 26. Serge Aurier is 27. Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth, the comparative youngsters of the group, are 23 and 22. Between them, those six players boast an average of 61 caps. Naivety of youth doesn’t seem to be the problem.
Ironically, for Mourinho’s former club Man United, who Mirror Football claim the Portuguese may have to beat to the centre-back’s signature based on their prior reports citing Corriere Dello Sport, the Godin interest makes a lot more sense.
The concerns over having to play to the veteran’s strengths remain but in comparison, the only two defenders aged 30 or over to represent the Red Devils in the Premier League – Marcos Rojo and Ashley Young – went elsewhere in January, either on loan or permanently. If we take Phil Jones out of the equation as well, the 28-year-old having made just two Premier League appearances, United’s oldest regular defender is Harry Maguire at 27. Clearly there’s a void of experience and leadership Godin can fill at Old Trafford.
Ultimately though, this is a symptom of how different Mourinho and his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino are as managers. Pochettino always angled towards younger players who could be moulded around his philosophy – perhaps the only real exception to that in recent years was the arrival of veteran striker Fernando Llorente. Mourinho, on the other hand, has a penchant for the finished product, or failing that, an old, wise head who knows how to win games pragmatically.
The problem though, and especially in Godin’s case, is that old, wise heads just aren’t as exciting as the next big thing breaking through. This potential swoop won’t win any Mourinho doubters over – in fact, it’s almost textbook Jose.