‘Mourinho missing efficient Drogba, Essien’ – Okoth

Retired Kenyan star Ronald Okoth has stated Jose Mourinho is lacking efficient players who can execute his playing style and ensure success, like Ivorian legend Didier Drogba and former Ghana international midfielder Michael Essie

Mourinho, since leaving Chelsea after winning the 2014/15 Premier League, has struggled for success in his spells at both Manchester United and Tottenham.

Okoth believes the manager has not had the kind of players that assured him of success, especially at his first stint at Chelsea.

“For Mourinho, I think he is missing the right players that would understand his philosophy and implement them with absolute efficiency," Okoth told Goal.

"Talk of players like Salomon Kalou, Didier Drogba, and Michael Essien, men who achieved big under the Mourinho philosophy.

“It is time that he goes back to the drawing board and comes up with something that can work well for him in the current environment.

“Results take time and he was well on the right course [at Spurs] and it was a matter of time before he could have achieved. But again, this is football sometimes our tactics work and sometimes they do not.

“Mourinho has been having these kinds of bad seasons.”

The former KCB and Western Stima forward also explained how it would be wrong to compare Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, who has had a stable and quite impressive stint at Manchester City.

“Mourinho should not be envious of how Guardiola came and conquered the Premier League. I am saying so because he has also performed incredibly well in other leagues," he continued.

“Comparing Mourinho and Guardiola, one would see they have won almost all the accolades a manager should and both are managers in their own pedigrees.

“But comparing them, with an intention of ranking Guardiola above Mourinho based on recent history will not be fair. Mourinho has achieved in his areas, with his own ways and in better ways.

“They also have a different style of play and here I think the style has been working well for Guardiola especially in the use of wingbacks.”

Okoth also used the example of struggling Liverpool to expound on how the football world sometimes behaves, where one can have a fantastic season only to struggle in the next campaign.

“Look at Liverpool currently and where they were last season,” concluded Okoth. “One cannot say they are poor but they are under a cycle common in football when things do not work for you absolutely.

“So, one should not judge Mourinho based on his recent performances. That does not take away the fact that he is a good manager.”