Gary Neville says he has been forced to change his mind dramatically on Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur side due to their fantastic recent form and Harry Kane's improvements.
Mourinho recently passed his one-year anniversary in charge of Spurs and he marked the date nicely with the impressive 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday. It was a perfect example of Mourinho’s style of football, as Spurs turned 34% possession and just two shots on target into a comprehensive victory over Pep Guardiola’s possession-based City.
While the defence dealt brilliantly with crosses and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg led the midfield magnificently, it was Kane who caught the eye of Sky Sports pundit Neville.
"I have to say that for a period under Jose Mourinho I didn't feel as though Spurs had an identity,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “They almost looked like a team in transition out of a really good style of play under [Mauricio] Pochettino, into a style that was different and wasn't being taken on board by the players.
"I will be that critical - I thought it was a case of 'they're not having this'. I watched Harry Kane's body language in the early Mourinho era and thought: 'I'm not sure this is going to work'.
"I have to say, I'm changing my mind dramatically, because I'm now watching a really brilliant Harry Kane that's playing differently and Mourinho is getting the most out of him, in a different position, he's adding more to his game, and the team look really up for it and they fancy the challenge.”
Kane was excellent with and without the ball against City, holding up play, winning fouls and pressing from the front, while he also provided the assist for Giovani Lo Celso’s goal.
He has added new strings to his bow in recent months under Mourinho, dropping deeper in possession to open up space for Son Heung-min to run in behind.
The two Spurs forwards have combined to devastating effect under the Portuguese boss, scoring 16 of the club’s 21 league goals this campaign. The duo have been at the forefront of Spurs’ success, which includes 13 wins from their last 16 games in all competitions.
As a result Tottenham find themselves at the summit of the Premier League table heading into their away game against rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
