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@Bedfordspurs
In case anyone wants to read in a different way, i have a version that firewall-proof here:
https://archive.is/0Ha42
Tottenham Hotspur in safest of hands with caring and daring Nuno Espírito Santo
Henry Winter
, Chief Football Writer
Tuesday August 31 2021, 12.01am BST, The Times
When Nuno Espírito Santo was eight, his parents sat him and his sister down in their apartment in one of Lisbon’s more difficult districts, and told the children they were considering divorcing. It goes without saying that it was a painful meeting, full of tears and pleas, and fortunately they reconsidered. But it did teach a young Nuno the importance of open dialogue and talking issues through, as well as the precious value of family ties.
It’s a very personal story but Nuno has mentioned it in these pages before, and it is worth retelling as it provides an insight into what makes this singular individual tick.
Nuno’s different. He’s one of the most fascinating head coaches to have worked in this sceptical isle. Once of Wolverhampton Wanderers, now guiding the fortunes of Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno reads extensively, chronicles his thoughts, worries about Brexit restrictions, quotes from Kipling and hates being apart from his wife when she’s working as an interior designer in Porto.
Nuno’s experience of the real world, as well as innate curiosity, helps him to engage with players. Only 47, Nuno’s already lived quite a life. On rare holidays, he refuses to shower after swimming in the sea because the salt on his skin reminds him of growing up in Príncipe, a small island off west Africa.
On moving to Lisbon, he encountered a suburb stained with drugs and racism. Nuno gained perspective, learnt five languages and knows the art of dialogue. He’s a people’s man. Look at Dele Alli at Spurs. Dele’s revitalised. Why? Everybody knows Dele’s the type to respond to an empathetic manager like Karl Robinson, Mauricio Pochettino and now Nuno.
Yet, dating back to his days at Wolves, Nuno also has a reputation for being prickly. That’s partly wariness with the media. During his final days at Molineux before leaving by mutual consent, when Wolves struggled with Raúl Jiménez, who was lost to injury and Diogo Jota, who was lost to Liverpool, the mood was far from upbeat. But staff, players and fans can reflect on finishes of seventh, seventh, and 13th under Nuno in the Premier League, on wins over Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, an FA Cup semi-final and a run to the last eight in the Europa League. He’s a good manager. Wolves had the agent Jorge Mendes sourcing players, but Nuno was the alchemist.
So those who followed his career, and know Nuno’s character and methods, were not surprised at his enlightened influence on Spurs. It’s early days in Nuno’s time there, especially with Chelsea on September 19, but what can already be stated with some conviction is that Nuno has settled in swifter than was expected by those who dismissed the credentials of a coach who was way down the contender list of Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman.
Son celebrates his winning goal against Watford on Sunday with the revitalised Dele, right, who has responded well to the more empathetic approach of Nuno, Tottenham’s 47-year-old new head coach
DAVE SHOPLAND/IPS/REX
Headlines bubbled with mockery about Spurs taking 72 days to pick a successor to José Mourinho, running the rule over Hansi Flick, Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, and being linked to Julian Nagelsmann, Erik ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers before alighting on Nuno, Mourinho’s old Porto goalkeeper. The #notonuno campaign on social media was in full swing but, as they have shown with Harry Kane, Spurs fans give people a chance. Fans’ forums, podcasts and terrace talk held back a final judgment and now enjoy the view from the summit of the table.
That sweet vista may not last long, but it does vindicate Levy’s decision. Not since 1949 and the legendary Arthur Rowe, of “push and run” fame, has a Spurs manager won his first three league games. Nuno is more block and counter but the fact that Spurs supporters understand the Rowe comparison gives him more credence.
On television, experts on the art of team-building and preparation enthuse about how Nuno sets up Spurs so effectively, tightening the defence, and deploying a 4-3-3 system with the forwards frequently narrow. Nuno is, at heart, a defensive coach but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mourinho’s old anchorman, is now advancing into the opposition half. A central three of Hojbjerg partnered by the industrious Oliver Skipp and reinvigorated Dele looks well balanced.
Here is where Nuno’s man-management skills, deploying dialogue, kick in. The right words at the right time are key, Nuno also being aware of the importance of listening to players. He’s talked to Eric Dier and restored a good centre back’s confidence. He’s worked with Davinson Sánchez and made him believe again. Nuno’s handled the on-off Kane transfer saga with diplomacy, ensuring the striker feels loved and was quickly reassimilated.
Nuno applauds fans after winning a third successive league match
CATHERINE IVILL/GETTY IMAGES
Nuno readily admits he is a players’ man and very tactile. Watch his physical reaction after the final whistle, greeting his players one by one, his right hand burrowing into theirs and then embracing them. He cares about players and Spurs players respond to his warmth. It’s worth recalling his work at Wolves. He reacted to Jiménez’s dreadful head injury like a father, not a coach. Nuno’s first discussion with medical staff was about whether Jiménez would return as the same person. The thought of him coming back as the same player was secondary.
He treats his players as human beings. There’s a ruthless side, of course. Joe Hart left for Celtic, a frustrated figure, but few Spurs fans would dispute the decision. Moussa Sissoko was moved on. Nuno prefers to work with a small group. He wished both well. That matters.
Players like and respect Nuno. How can you not admire somebody who donated £250,000 to tackle food poverty during the pandemic? How can you not have regard for somebody privately angered by the PPE crisis, who had sleepless nights during the pandemic, read up on it, watched the news and worried for his relatives back in Portugal, some of whom were affected by Covid? Nuno cares.
