Mark Lawrenson believes that Jose Mourinho’s appointment will not be enough to inspire Tottenham to a win over West Ham on Saturday lunchtime.
The Hammers go into the game on the back of a six game winless run, and while Lawro doesn’t believe that they will pick up all three points against Spurs, he doesn’t see them losing either.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “I think appointing Mourinho as manager is a gamble for Tottenham, I really seriously do.
“They have replaced a very popular manager with someone who, after his time at Manchester United, we are not quite sure if we have seen the best of him already.
“Will it affect the way Tottenham play? Well, they probably won’t be as expansive as they were under Mauricio Pochettino.
“But, whatever happens long term, on Saturday Mourinho will give them a lift straight away – he is a different voice, and gives them a fresh approach.
“It is going to be interesting to see the way Spurs play, and I don’t mean just in terms of their performance against West Ham. I mean in the subtle changes that he might make, if any, to their shape and their playing style.”
Lawrenson predicts a 1-1 draw.
OPINION
A lot is being made of Jose Mourinho’s shock appointment at Tottenham, and perhaps understandably so, but this game could be a massively significant one for West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini too. His side have been fairly shocking over the past few weeks, and you have to ask yourself how much longer this can go on for. With Arsenal, Chelsea, and Wolves all to come in quick succession after Saturday’s game, it could well be a while before his side bring this slump to an end, and by that stage it would almost certainly be too late to consider them proper European football contenders. To that end, would a draw be enough for the Chilean? It certainly wouldn’t be the worst result in the world, and it would rain on Jose’s parade a fair bit, but all things considered, Pellegrini is very much on borrowed time.
