Cole thinks Mourinho can mastermind unlikely title tilt

Tottenham are just three points and a place outside the top four under Pochettino, following victories over Aston Villa and West Ham and draws against Arsenal and Chelsea in November.

“Sometimes I feel a bit embarrassed to be fair, their support is more than I could expect after such a bad season”, Mourinho said in a press conference to preview Monday’s game against Leicester. “I know that last season we were champions but this season has been really bad”. We needed the win against Porto to change the season.

In contrast, this time previous year Chelsea were top and Leicester were bottom, 26 points behind the Blues. I even don’t know who to react to how nice they are. Louis van Gaal’s United have been criticised by a number of their illustrious former players for their tactics, but a win on the south coast could go some way to proving their title credentials. I think just an answer they deserve is to speak about how well they are doing.

Oscar said: “It’s hard to explain why our performances can be so different, but we need to play [as we did against Porto] in the Premier League as well”. They are used to doing this as they are the champions. “I’m sure they will be ready to fight”.

Two years earlier, Mourinho was quoted as saying about a 56-year-old Ranieri: “At nearly 70 years of age, has won a Super Cup and another small cup”. He has tried everything to score a goal and he tries everything to help us to win games. I was absolutely convinced of a great December for us. I think, let’s be honest. It’s a good time to test our team at the moment. “They are the champions”.

After Chelsea, the Foxes are away at Everton and Liverpool, before hosting Manchester City.

And the belief is evident throughout a squad which, in Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, boasts the most prolific duo in the top flight, with 24 goals and eight assists between them so far. We need to win matches, we need what we are having now regularly, which is lots of clean sheets, very few goals conceded.

“This is the end of a bad period, but we still have always some negative results that bring us back to a position we are not very proud with”, he said. “Normally players and the team have an intimate relationship”, Mourinho said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.