Actually I would agree that outside of subs and HT talks, the manager only has a limited capacity to influence the game. Hence my use of 'subtly'. However, the point I was really trying to make is that it's an underestimation to assume our capacity to defend is down to Mourinho, and not giving enough credit to the players who've put in some hard shifts and kept cleans sheets against some of the League's best defenses accordingly. I think there is an issue of two separate debates arising. One is about the influence the manager can have during the game, and the other is in relation to the Spurs match. For the latter, one has to consider events before the game can have a huge impact on the outcome, just as much as the events that transpire during the game too. Both have to be weighed in and considered.
Now of course, even if Jose theoretically gets his tactics spot on and prepares everything with perfection then it's still up to the players to execute. If we mess it up on the day, more likely than not we will be punished and lose that game. But there's a lot to be said for the way we set up and the personnel that we employ that can give us the best chance of at least coming away with a point. But who knows what will happen? There's still a lot football to played in between, and even then anything can happen on the day. The point myself and others are trying to make is that whilst Jose can only do so much once the games started, his influence in setting up the team can be the difference and has been on occasions. In other words, having Jose in our corner will more than likely (given his record) be beneficial. Of course he could get the tactics completely wrong, or as mentioned previously the players may fail to perform. Though, so could the same happen to Spurs.