It’s quite rare to see a Jose Mourinho team being heavily defeated, but the Portuguese manager knows that a big win doesn’t necessarily mean anything, and that Tottenham, despite their poor form and a 6-0 loss to Manchester City, are still alive and kicking in the title race, just like his Chelsea.
Because you don’t need to look too deep into the past to realize consistency wins the race, not being flashy. Manchester United beat Arsenal 8-2 in 2011, but were handidly beaten by Manchester City shortly after 6-1. Arsenal didn’t fall apart as some suggested, and still made the Champions League. Manchester United didn’t win the title, but they were in the race until the final minute of the final match.
As Real Madrid manager, Mourinho had the unfortunate experience of losing 5-0 to Barcelona on his first Clasico. It might have set the tone for the rest of the season, but Real Madrid didn’t fall apart because of it. His team was still in something of a reasonable distance from Barcelona for the rest of the season, not to mention beating them in the Copa Del Rey final six months later.
Mourinho: ‘It’s better to lose one game 6-0 than lose six games 1-0. Spurs can still be title contenders.’ #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) November 25, 2013
Big wins are great for fans and for headlines. They can have something of a demoralizing affect on teams without a strong personality or a manager to pick up his players from that humiliating moment. But the end of the world? Being in a five, six match losing streak is much worse. For Spurs, their three match streak without a win or a goal is a lot more worrying than their performance at the Etihad stadium. What comes after will determine if Andre Villas-Boas is a good enough manager to not let the drubbing get to his players’ heads, or will he fall into despair.