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Publication Date: Thursday, October 29, 2020 10:40 AM
José Mourinho has hinted that he has lost patience with some of his players after he was forced to make four changes at half-time. Tottenham’s 1-0 Europa League defeat to Royal Antwerp.
Mourinho lined up a team that changed a lot in Belgium and was sad in the first half, going behind Lior Refaelov’s goal in the 29th minute.
The Portuguese had seen enough and took out four players at halftime, but it didn’t make much of a difference as Antwerp recorded a famous victory.
Dele Alli was the most outstanding player to be eliminated as he failed to reach the second half for the second time in three starts this season, with Giovani Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn and Carlos Vinicius also on the bench.
Although Mourinho, who took ultimate responsibility for making nine changes, did not revise the 24-year-old’s name, it’s hard to believe he wasn’t talking about him. There.
“Look, you know who our best team is,” he said. “You know the same thing that I know, that everyone knows. But I always like to think that players deserve a chance.
“We have a great squad with many good players. It is my responsibility to give them the opportunity to play and seize the opportunity with both hands and be in a position to ask for more.
“And tonight my future choices will be very easy. But again, there is only one responsible. Not the players. It is my responsibility because it is my decision to play.
“I don’t want to analyze individuals. I don’t like doing that, especially with you (the media).
“I think it’s fair to say that players with poor performances influence the team, but also the team influences individual performances.
“So it’s not up to me to individualize and bring some names to the table. You prefer to do that, before matches you always ask me why this player is not playing, why this player is not playing, why this player is not selected. Maybe now, for a few weeks, you won’t ask me that because you have the answer.
“I would like to make 11 changes (at halftime). I didn’t do five because I was scared of 45 long minutes without any changes to make.
“There is only one to blame, which is me. I made the team, I chose the players to start and at half-time I tried to improve the situation, but it was not enough.
“The dynamics of the first half were there and the mentality of the first half was there.”
Alli’s future now looks increasingly bleak as Mourinho freezes him.
It was only his third outing and he hasn’t stayed for 60 minutes, which could make his pace difficult.
But Mourinho hopes that all his players who enter the side start running.
He added: “Of course. Of course. That is what I want from the players, that is what I expect from the players, especially when you are a player with ambitions to be the first choice, to play in the most important games and to start every game, especially now in the Premier League. You have to show yourself.
“That is obvious. Everyone works the same, trains the same, learns the same. We prepare each game with the same care, the same tactical work that we did yesterday is the same that we did before Burnley, before Manchester, before each game.
“Of course I hope so. But again I go back to the beginning and it is my responsibility to choose the players to play ”.
Royal Antwerp coach Ivan Leko, whose team were worthy winners, said: “I am a really proud coach. José Mourinho made four changes at halftime, how many times has that happened in his career?
“It was closer to 2-0 or 3-0 than 1-1.
“You cannot imagine how happy I am. Not because he beat José Mourinho, I could never beat him.
“I didn’t beat him, my team beat their team and I am grateful and happy to have the opportunity to find myself and play against the best team in Europe.”
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