Stats: How Mourinho has fared in UCL debuts ahead of 1st European game as Spurs boss

November 26, 2019 By Ali M.

Topics: Jose Mourinho, Tottenham, Olympiacos, UEFA Champions League

The Special One will take charge of the north London giants for his first European game. Here's how his six previous debuts went.

Jose Mourinho made his debut as Tottenham coach on Saturday and oversaw a 3-2 win over West Ham. Tuesday will see him take charge of the club for a Champions League game for the first time, making his return to the prestigious European club competition he has won twice before.

Spurs are yet to book their ticket to the knockout stage heading into the penultimate round but could do so with a win – a draw might suffice if Crvena Zvezda fail to beat Bayern Munich. Securing a round-of-16 berth in his first European game at Tottenham would be a great debut for the Special One but what do the stats say about his odds of triumphing in Tuesday’s clash with Olympiacos?

The Portuguese tactician has been in this position six times before in his managerial career. His first came in the 2003/04 season with Porto. After guiding them to the first of his two Primeira Liga titles, he secured them a spot in the Champions League and took on Partizan on Matchday 1.

That September 2003 clash ended in a 1-1 draw for the Dragons, not the best of starts, but that mattered not as the Portuguese giants went on to win the title, beating Monaco 3-0 in the final.

In 2004, Mourinho was already at a new club, this time Chelsea. His first European game in charge of the Blues was a trip to PSG and the rampant London giants dispatched their French opposition with ease, triumphing 3-0. Four years later, he made a Champions League debut with a new club, this time Inter Milan. They traveled to Panathinaikos and won 2-0.

Jose never stays at one club for too long and in 2010, he was at Real Madrid. Their first Champions League game under his reign came against Ajax, winning 2-0 before topping their group with 16 points, twice that of second-placed AC Milan.

Mourinho’s sole defeat came when he returned back to Chelsea. It was September 18, 2013 and the London giants hosted Basel. Despite boasting the home advantage, they fell to a shock 2-1 loss against the Swiss outfit.

However, it was back to normal when he led Man United back into the Champions League. After winning the Europa League title, the Red Devils were promoted back into UEFA’s top-tier club competition and enjoyed a 3-0 win over Basel on their return.

This means his record stands at six games, four wins, one draw, one defeat, 12 goals scored, and only one goal conceded. The Special One is known for setting up his teams to win games and Tuesday’s should be no different given his record.