Guardian writers’ predicted position: 6th (NB: this is not necessarily David Hytner’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 6th

Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 50-1

José Mourinho could not wait for last season to end. He said so. The Tottenham manager took over from Mauricio Pochettino in mid-November with the team 11 points off fourth place in the Premier League and it was always likely to be too big a gap to close. He said this on numerous occasions.

What Mourinho wanted was a full pre-season with his players and a clean slate in the table, with everybody starting on the same level. Then, and only then, would it be possible to reach a meaningful judgment on him and his team at the end of a campaign.

Mourinho has had his wish and now, it feels as though his Spurs tenure is truly about to begin.

Mourinho has the habit of subverting reference points, of reframing them to bolster his achievements and ego. And so we had the José Treble of Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League with Manchester United in 2016-17; the memory of him getting his players to hold up three fingers after the final trophy had been secured retains its audacity. The José League Table of 2019-20 was not dissimilar.

According to the statistics, which Mourinho was only too happy to acknowledge, his team would have finished fourth if the season had started when he was appointed. Mourinho’s league record showed 13 wins and six draws from 26 games; pretty solid and, if he could sustain such form over a proper season and come in fourth, it would see the chairman, Daniel Levy, fall for him even harder – if that were possible.

But Mourinho is likely to need more than Champions League qualification to be considered a real success. He needs to win a trophy. This is why Levy hired him. Because he wins. And how Spurs crave silverware, having won only one FA Cup and two League Cups in the past 35 years.

It is reductive and unfair to say Pochettino failed because he did not deliver a trophy in his five full seasons. But with Mourinho, it does feel more black and white, mainly because of who he is, what he has previously done and how he goes about his work.

There has been no serious talk of a project under Mourinho at Spurs. Nobody expects him to be around for many years, to nurture and develop young players and, if last season is any guide, the style of play is not going to thrill. It was and is likely to remain aggressive, direct and pragmatic.

Mourinho only cares about finding the formula for winning football and doing so quickly. Everything is about the here and now. Consider his early transfer window business. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Joe Hart and Matt Doherty have spent years in English football and they are ready to hit the ground running.

Under Pochettino, the club might have tried to bring in Max Aarons at right-back, the promising 20-year-old at Norwich. Doherty is a Mourinho signing – 28 years old, 6ft 1in tall, battle-hardened – and that is before Jorge Mendes is factored in. The agent represents Doherty, Mourinho and the Wolves manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, and he is an adviser to the Wolves owners who have a stake in his business.

Højbjerg, also 6ft 1in, is 25 but he has been around for a long time, having made his debut for Bayern Munich at 17. He is teak-tough, blessed with the kind of mentality that Mourinho looks for. The same goes for Hart, who will get his games as Mourinho sets out to compete in all three of the domestic competitions plus the Europa League.

Mourinho has made it his mission to harden the squad’s mentality, believing them to have been too nice under Pochettino, and he was encouraged by how they reacted to his monstering of them after the 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United on 2 July. Their record thereafter was W4 D2 L0.

The weeks and months ahead will bring many fascinating plot lines. Will the club sell Tanguy Ndombele? Assuming they cannot get their money back, can Mourinho turn his rich potential into something tangible? Will Eric Dier become the defensive leader the team need? And what about Dele Alli? As always, Mourinho will be centre stage.

Quick guide

Tottenham’s history in 100 words

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It used to be, as per Chas & Dave, lucky for Spurs when the year ended in one. Eight of their 14 major domestic gongs – including two old First Divisions and eight FA Cups – have come in such circumstances and the accolades have been neatly distributed since their first cup success in 1901. From Bill Nicholson to Terry Venables, Ossie Ardiles, Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino, the emphasis has been on an attacking style. It almost brought a Champions League in 2019; Mourinho is more pragmatic but would be forgiven if he landed them a first major trophy since the 2008 League Cup. What digit does 2021 end with, again?

Photograph: Print

The manager

On the touchline Mourinho broods, snarls and occasionally provides a box-office moment. He was all smiles when Hugo Lloris saved Ilkay Gündogan’s penalty against Manchester City – only to hare furiously towards the fourth official within seconds upon realising Raheem Sterling could have earned a second booking in the aftermath.

On Zoom José was generally José but he did not hang around when technical difficulties meant a press conference at Bournemouth experienced sound problems. “Can you hear me?” asked a journalist after frantic attempts to solve the problem. “No,” replied Mourinho and off he went.

The key

Until further notice the answer is the same as usual. Unless Spurs finally enlist a centre-forward backup, Harry Kane’s annual injury layoff will cause them undue worry. He continues to be a remarkable performer and scored seven in nine after the Covid-19 shutdown, having recovered from the hamstring problem that at one stage seemed capable of wrecking his summer.

Kit story

Brief early flirtations with Blackburn-inspired light blue and white halves – followed by stints in red and then gold-chocolate striped shirts – gave way to the familiar white and navy in 1898. Deviations have been scarce since then, save for the occasional season in white shorts.

The owners

Enic International Ltd, of which Levy is the managing director, owns 86% of the club. It got involved in 2000 when purchasing a majority stake from Sir Alan Sugar and its influence has grown significantly since. A cautious financial model has often frustrated fans but Spurs have become major players in the modern top flight under Enic.

Young blood

Japhet Tanganga did not always have it easy when making 11 appearances in an inconsistent backline last season but he never looked uncomfortable and was well worth the long-term deal signed in July. Mourinho rates the 21-year-old academy product, who is sound in central defence or at right-back.

New blood

Doherty may not be a flashy name but he was outstanding for Wolves and looks an excellent addition in a right-back position where Serge Aurier has not always convinced. Højbjerg also addresses an obvious need in midfield while Hart stands ready to turn his career round in the event of a goalkeeping crisis.

Notes from an empty stadium

The new White Hart Lane is an awe-inspiring arena even when fans are absent and opponents seem to have been distracted by the sight of its cavernous stands: Spurs took 13 points from 15 at home after the shutdown.

Euros vision

Ryan Sessegnon’s first season at Spurs did not go to plan. They may allow him to leave on loan, with a host of clubs interested, but his pre-season performances have been promising and a run of games – whoever they are for – could well put him in the Euro 2020 mix.