From car accidents to secret meetings, it’s fair to say the opening episodes of Amazon Prime Video’s new Spurs documentary has it all.
talkSPORT has been shown the first three episodes of ‘All Or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur’, which launches on 31 August, with some incredible behind-the-scenes moments from Spurs’ turbulent season.
With the opening episode of the series predominantly focusing on the awful start to the campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, the series kicks into life upon the arrival of Jose Mourinho at the club in November, much to the amazement of the squad.
Mourinho’s arrival
One of the more fascinating nuggets from that crazy few days in November came from striker Harry Kane, who revealed to teammate Jan Vertonghen he had spoken to Pochettino on the night of his sacking. The axed boss, though, told Kane he had no idea of his imminent dismissal.
Delivered in brutal fashion, he says: “The chairman came in and said [to Pochettino], ‘can I talk? You’re being sacked. You need to pack your things and leave tonight.'”
To counter what seems a savage way to go, Daniel Levy, the chairman himself, seemed genuinely troubled by the decision, revealing it was one made with “a lot of heartache.”
Amazon Prime
The early days under Mourinho making for promising viewing for Spurs fans.
Demands on the training ground to pass more quickly and instinctively were immediately put into action. Dele Alli’s assist for Heung-Min Son in the away trip to West Ham was a carbon copy of a drill seen in the opening episode, highlighting just how quickly the Spurs team adapted to the orders of their new boss.
Secret meetings
Fans also get to see a variety of one-to-one meetings between Mourinho and his players. The relationship between Dier and Mourinho is quickly established as an important one.
Dier, who reveals he was a Man United fan growing up – much to my surprise – reveals he cried when Mourinho’s Porto knocked United out of Champions League in 2004, also making no secrets about the fact the boss tried to sign him on several occasions.
One of the more fascinating parts of the exchange between Dier and Mourinho is that the entire meeting is conducted in Portuguese – the player having grown up in Lisbon. The new manager asks Dier bluntly why he wasn’t a regular under Pochettino, with the defender saying he was close to leaving the club because of his lack of playing time.
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Mourinho’s whirlwind beginnings in north London don’t stop there.
At half-time in the 4-2 win over Olympiakos back in November, the manager reveals his worry about Serge Aurier’s potential to concede sloppy penalties in front of the entire team.
“I am afraid of you as a marker because you are capable of doing a s**t penalty,” Mourinho tells the right-back, much to the amusement of teammate Alli.
Speaking of which, the private meeting between Dele and Mourinho hints at something fans often criticise the midfielder for.
The Portuguese plainly tells him he’s a lazy trainer, and hints at a lack of professionalism off the pitch as being the reason for his frequent dips in form. The meeting ends with the manager telling Dele to demand more from himself, which is advice we now know worked rather well over the winter months.
The car crash
Episode three opens with a surprising exchange between the players on the club plane.
Kyle Walker-Peters reveals to the cameras he had been in a minor car accident with Dele Alli the day prior, with Alli quick to defend himself saying he couldn’t see where he was going because of the young defender’s bright car lights.
The midfielder later revealed his car ‘didn’t even have a scratch on it!’
Just when you thought they couldn’t surprise you anymore, Kane of all people later interrupts the manager in a team meeting.
The England captain stops Mourinho following the defeat to Manchester United to say his teammates, this season, far too often aren’t giving their all for the shirt. We all thought it, Harry.
The Eriksen dilemma
It’s fair to say one of the more significant parts of Spurs’ season was the situation surrounding midfielder Christian Eriksen.
Eriksen, who joined Italian side Inter in January, is a central character to the episode. In a meeting between Levy and Mourinho, the chairman reveals the situation surrounding his future is a difficult one, citing complications with communication between the club and his agent as the main issue around his contract.
In a later scene, we see Eriksen come over to Levy and Mourinho in the club canteen, with Levy asking his manager: “can you turn him?”, with Mourinho replying: “I can try again.”
With the series spanning nine episodes, the opening chapters certainly set the rest of the series up rather well.
Speaking as a Spurs fan, despite reliving such a painful season, it’s fascinating to see the inner workings of the club in such close detail. I cannot wait to see the rest.
All Or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur will launch on Amazon Prime Video on 31st August.
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