'All or Nothing: Tottenham Spur' Review: How Jose Mourinho's arrival pulled Harry Kane and team from the mire
This review of 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur' is based on Episodes 1-3
September and October of 2019 were months the Tottenham Spur was keen to forget. Their losses mounted, their rankings on the points table plummeted, the morale was dangerously dwindling. Daniel Levy, the owner decided to ring in the changes and started off by sacking their manager, Mauricio Pochettino in November. Taking over the reins was a figure the football world has had a love-hate relationship with— José Mourinho. By the way, none of this news, not the latest anyway.
But what's making a buzz is the latest sports docuseries on the block. Amazon's 'All or Nothing' is back and getting the docu-style treatment is Harry Kane and team. The riveting fly-on-the-wall series is narrated by Academy Award nominee Tom Hardy and traces the journey of Tottenham under Mourinho. It was as if the 57-year-old was the teacher Tottenham needed to shed their "good boys" tag and play some impactful, match-winning football that seemed like a dream.
The three episodes provided by Amazon for review lean more towards the inspirational. The opener is all about the entry of Mourinho and the doubts about the progress of the team. The second and third episodes deal with the psyches of players and the business side of the game as contracts come into the picture. Mercifully, the docuseries doesn't take the cliched route as it outlines the hard truths in a crystal clear manner. The reportage is hard-hitting and is worth the binge.
Toby Alderweireld's extension, the talk around Christian Eriksen's move, the uncertainty of Jan Vertonghen's renewal of the contract with the team are all discussed while on the game front, their inspirational comeback wins are showcased. Their defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea come to get a fleeting glimpse and for those who might have expected some juicy tidbits about Frank Lampard from Mourinho will be disappointed.
There's more the series has to showcase. The trailer gave a look at the January signings and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. But that's when the remaining episodes are released at a later date. However, the three episodes are nowhere close to being termed bad. It is safe to say these episodes are all about Mourinho. For those who don't really follow English football, but are willing to give this a shot, there's enough backstory yo catch up making it easier to watch.
At some point, the docuseries does exactly what it intends you to — egg for Tottenham and root for Mourinho. He's not here for keeps and his attitude is all about winning games. He does enough to assert that he's the man for the job and they would benefit more from his guidance. With enough sports around the world and with the Premier League schedule announced, the timing for 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Spur' couldn't have been better.
'All or Nothing: Tottenham Spur' premieres August 31 on Amazon Prime Video.
