As Jose Mourinho settles into life with Tottenham Hotspur, football journalist Graham Hunter discussed the suitability of the Portuguese's working conditions.
Acrimonious though his departures from Chelsea and Manchester United may have been, Graham Hunter is confident that Jose Mourinho has lost none of his self-belief.
"He still believes, and always has done, that he's the best," suggested Hunter on Tuesday's OTB AM. "You can genuinely look at Jose Mourinho now and say he looks eight or nine years younger than he did.
"He looks trimmer, happier and he is funny again."
Indeed, since replacing Mauricio Pochettino as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur in November, the Portuguese, 11-months after leaving Manchester United under a cloud, has appeared something closer to his ebullient self.
Although Spurs recorded a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Manchester United to mark the first loss of Mourinho's tenure, they bounced back with an impressive 5-0 demolition of Burnley last weekend.
"Is there a dark, dastardly pantomime Jose Mourinho waiting to burst out any second now," asked Hunter half-jokingly. "Well, not for so long as it is going as it is now."
Beyond Spurs' performances on the pitch, however, Graham Hunter suggested that the circumstances within which Mourinho now operates have been crucial to his reinvigoration.
The players are getting the very best Mourinho who is thinking very hard about what his persona looks and feels like, and how it will come across in the film.
"It is to Spurs' great benefit that he's being filmed all the time or almost all the time," noted Hunter of the Amazon documentary crew that is currently capturing Mourinho's performance on a daily basis for a forthcoming feature on the club. "I think we're seeing the cat that got the cream.
An arrangement that had reportedly proved too invasive for Pochettino, Jose Mourinho has seemingly embraced the concept wholesale.
Never shy in acknowledging the documentary or Amazon itself, as per The Athletic, Mourinho has been keen to assist their process by any means necessary.
"[It is understood] that Mourinho had a microphone attached to him when he entered referee Michael Oliver’s office at the London Stadium," read the report from Mourinho's first game in charge of Spurs against West Ham United. "When he inquired as to whether Oliver would be comfortable with him wearing a microphone during the game, the official suggested this would not be appropriate.
"The Premier League are then believed to have intervened to advise the Tottenham manager that he should not wear a microphone during the game, as this could potentially be unfair if Mourinho was to engage in any dispute with rival coaches or fourth officials."
Within the confines of Spurs' own facilities, however, he has been open to the opportunity of wearing a microphone while taking training sessions.
"Being on camera as well, I think it is wonderful for him," asserted Hunter of how the cameras influence Mourinho's behaviour. "The players and staff are getting the very best Mourinho who is thinking very hard about what his persona looks and feels like, and how it will come across in the film.
"I think he is loving the facilities too. He believes, still, and always has done, that he's the best.
"When you're the best you want to go to work every day in a place that reflects what you think of yourself, and Spurs' training ground does that. The stadium is obviously the same and I think he feels that this is right and proper.
Talking Lionel Messi, Barcelona, Pep Guardiola's future at Manchester City and more, you can watch back Graham Hunter in his entirety here.
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