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Tottenham they were branded as “a disgrace” by captain Hugo Lloris after an embarrassing exit from the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb. Jose Mourinho struggling to keep his job.
Spurs traveled to the Croatian capital with a 2-0 lead in the first leg and Mourinho showed no signs of complacency with his team’s selection, with Lloris and Harry Kane named in a strong lineup.
But two goals from Mislav Orsic forced the match into extra time before the Croatian international completed a brilliant hat-trick to complete a miserable night for Mourinho’s men.
In a tough post-match interview, Lloris, who is in his ninth season at Tottenham, criticized not just the performance but the underlying culture at the club.
“It’s a shame,” said the French World Cup winner. “I just hope that everyone in the training room feels responsible for the situation because it is a disgrace.
“Obviously we are a club full of ambition, but I think the team at the moment is just a (reflection) of what is happening at the club.
“We have a lack of basic concepts, a lack of fundamentals, and all of our actions are related to that.”
Mourinho was equally scathing to his players for failing to fulfill the wish of a Dinamo team that had been shaken earlier this week by the resignation of coach Zoran Mamic.
Mamic was sentenced to prison for a multi-million euro fraud involving player transfers, including the transfer of Luka Modric to Tottenham in 2012.
“To say that I am sad is not enough. What I feel goes far beyond sadness,” Mourinho said.
“To be a professional you have to have an attitude every day and every minute of every game.
“So more talent, less talent makes the difference between players, but what is never negotiable is attitude and they beat us in attitude.”
Mourinho had previously boasted of his Europa League record, having won the competition in his two previous attempts as coach of Porto and Manchester United.
The Europa League also offered a path back to the Champions League next season, with Tottenham in eighth place in the Premier League and unlikely to fill a six-point gap with the top four in their current form.
Most recently, in December, the Spurs topped the table, leading to talk of a first league title in 60 years.
However, the wheels have come off spectacularly in Mourinho’s first full season at the helm.
If Tottenham loses the riches and prestige of Champions League football for the second season in a row, it is not just the Portuguese manager’s future that will be the source of speculation.
Spurs have relied heavily on goals from Kane and Son Heung-min for several seasons.
But even with no trophies to show, neither of them will be content to play Europa League football for one more season in their prime.
Spurs president Daniel Levy made the bold decision to fire Mauricio Pochettino and hire Mourinho 16 months ago due to his reputation as a serial trophy winner with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and United.
Mourinho has one last chance to redeem himself this season and prove Levy right when Spurs aim to stop Manchester City’s quest for an unprecedented quadruple in the League Cup final next month.
But time is running out for the 58-year-old to dispel the notion that his best days are behind him.
