Tottenham 0-2 Leicester City - The Jose Mourinho problem: Is his football really worth it?

What is most important: success or entertainment? A desire to win at all costs, or a journey to enjoy and see what happens?

Tottenham are locked in the former approach under Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese has salvaged his reputation with a new twist on an old favourite - adding a deep-lying striker, capable of launching devastating counter-attacks, to a resolute backline.

And it was working well. Top of the Premier League in mid-December, some occasionally adventurous displays coupled with dull, ground-out wins that sets apart also-rans from champions. But as teams started figuring out Tottenham, harassing Harry Kane before he has a chance to turn and release, the chances dried up. Jose Mourinho was correct to call Tottenham a pony in a title race of horses - specifically, a one-trick pony that has become blunted in the last week. Stop Kane, stop Tottenham.

Now Mourinho's comments hint at a deluded man after three disappointing results on the spin. The draw at Crystal Palace - a side that shipped seven a week later to Liverpool - prompted him to say his players didn't obey his instructions. The last-gasp defeat at Liverpool saw him declare the "best team lost", despite the unavoidable fact they were opened up numerous times. And while he admitted Spurs were far from their best against Leicester City, Mourinho was quick to point out that the visitors also did not offer any threat. In short, textbook Mourinho. Deflect attention away from the real issue: him.

Not that it's all his fault. This is precisely what was expected. He was recruited to win trophies, to give Daniel Levy a shiny pot for his shiny stadium, not play pundit-pleasing football. The All or Nothing documentary was a PR stunt to showcase Spurs as a successful team - and Mourinho was the man who could guarantee trophies. Sure, it didn't happen in a bizarre 2019-20 season. But a few months on the signs are good - League Cup quarter-finalists, Europa League favourites and still in with a shout of fighting for the Premier League.

But this is not uncharted territory, a slight hiccup in a tale of rags to riches. Only 18 months ago, Spurs were walking out in Madrid to contest the Champions League final. But for Moussa Sissoko's wandering arm, they may have won it. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs flirted with the league title. Third in 2015-16, second in 2016-17, third in 2017-18. Above all, it was entertaining. It didn't always work - there were a catalogue of embarrassing results and performances - but at least fans who shelled out £65 for a ticket could say they saw a team that wanted the ball.

Spurs now sit fifth, six points off leaders Liverpool, sandwiched between Everton and Southampton. They could be sixth come Christmas, depending on Chelsea's result on Monday evening. Two teams - Manchester City and Aston Villa - have games in hand to leapfrog Mourinho's side. They have dropped points in seven of their 14 matches. Does that really constitute success?

So back to our original question, what is football all about? In the Venn diagram of trophies and entertainment, Mourinho sits in the first category, Marcelo Bielsa and his student Pochettino in the second, and Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola among those to straddle the two. The Spurs hierarchy will hope that by lurching from one to the other, they can end their humiliating trophy drought. But that is still far from guaranteed unless Spurs and Mourinho can design a new approach, while the club's motto hints at much more than the current offering - 'To Dare Is To Do'. Inviting Crystal Palace and Leicester to attack probably isn't quite what the forefathers had in mind.