Mourinho warns about a ‘very difficult’ situation before the massive exodus of the Spurs

Tottenham coach José Mourinho has warned that it is “very difficult” to manage its large squad and has hinted that the club could sanction several departures.

Mourinho spoke about the concerns after being pressured about Dele Alli’s future at Spurs. The England international, that has been linked to a move, was one of eight players who did not make the Spurs team on Thursday.

The North London Club outplayed nine men from Lokomotiv Plovdiv to advance through the Europa League qualifiers.

Mourinho said (via The Guardian): “You ask me about Dele, you could ask me about the other seven players we left behind.

“To be honest, I don’t like the amount of players I have in my squad. It is very, very difficult to handle in all aspects of my job. It is very difficult to handle this situation, too many players ”.

Indeed, Tottenham’s overcrowding could benefit Mourinho this month. The Spurs face four games next week, starting with Sunday’s clash against Southampton.

A trip to Leyton Orient at the Carabao Cup follows on Tuesday, after their win over Portsmouth, before the action of the Europa League third qualifying round draws closer on Thursday.

Tottenham then end the month playing Newcastle in North London on September 27.

Mourinho, however, responded to the Premier League’s decision to revert to seven substitutes, instead of the nine allowed after the coronavirus lockdown.

He said: “I think it’s another brilliant decision to have only seven players on the bench, the only country with that.

“It is a great limitation for the coaches. I also think [having nine players] It could give us more opportunities to rest more players to handle the situation.

MOURINHO REVEALS ING’S ADMIRATION

Mourinho also spoke of his admiration for Spurs goal Danny Ings. Tottenham was unsuccessful with an investigation over the Southampton striker on Thursday.

In fact, the Englishman will face Mourinho’s team on Sunday.

“Ings is a threat. He’s a player who scores a lot of goals and every time he plays against us he gives us a lot of problems, ”said Mourinho.

“He is a player we have to respect.”

Mourinho has made clear his desire to sign a new forward before the transfer window closes. Several names have been announced, including Bas Dost, from Eintracht Frankfurt.

TOTTENHAM ‘LUCKY’ TO FACE ORIENT, QUIPS MOURINHO

Meanwhile, the Spurs manager also joked about his relief that Orient beat Portsmouth in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie.

Tottenham now faces a journey through London, rather than traveling to the southwest of England.

“This is a joke, a total joke, but here we go. We are very lucky that Leyton Orient beat Plymouth, because Plymouth would be very, very far away for us, ”Mourinho said.

“It’s dramatic, but I prefer this drama and being in the competition.”