Lucas Talks Tottenham, Vinicius, and Mourinho Mentality

Lucas Moura was this week’s Tottenham Hotspur to participate in the Europa League press conference and the Brazilian shared more on life under Mourinho.

Lucas Moura has been doing well under Jose Mourinho playing lots of minutes and doing a solid job for Tottenham as a compliment to the one-two punch of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. Moura spoke about the busy schedule, a winning mentality, trophies, and Carlos Vinicius in his 10 minutes with the media. Of course, all this came after he thanks Jose Mourinho for the Spanish ham, but we need to ask Sergio Reguilón for more details, so we will live with Moura for now.

Lucas on the Right Mentality

The dialog started with a conversation about Kevin De Bruyne noting how tired he was and if Lucas was feeling tired. While Lucas Moura said it is “hard for everyone, we know the situation about the Corona virus”. Moura continued saying Tottenham have “a lot of games every 2-3 days” and that the club needs everyone across the big squad so they can “rotate to protect players”.

Lucas went on to say that while “it is not easy for everyone” that the “most important thing” is that “when we are on the pitch we give our best for the team to win the game”, saying he is sure “every player has this mentality to give the best for the team and win the game”. What is interesting is that as a fan looking in, we know not everyone has this mentality. The lack of this mentality it is the reason some players are either not at Spurs right now or not playing now. The mentality to give it all every time for the team, no matter the situation is what Mourinho looks for in his players.

Always looking for a headline a follow-up question was asked if Tottenham did NOT have the right mentality under Mauricio Pochettino. Lucas was quite politically correct here saying he would only talk about the current team and coach, but that “Mauricio had a good time here” and that Pochettino did “very well for the club but now is a new time” under Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham Trophy Chase

Lucas Moura noted that Mourinho is a winner and gets trophies wherever he goes and that he thinks for all the work over the last 10 years Tottenham “deserve to win” a trophy. While Moura continued on about how the thinks “now is the time” as Spurs have a “great manager” and “great players” and that he has a “very good feeling about this season” he stopped short of saying Spurs would win a trophy.

It was at this point that the mentality kicked back in as Moura noted that it was really “too early to speak about a trophy”.  He then remarked that every game is important when you play in the Premier League and how the points you get now matter at the end of the season. Then he gave us more insight into how Spurs plan to get there saying that Tottenham have to “think of every game like a final and be competitive and aggressive and do our best” because in “football anything is possible”.

Some might see this all as coach speak, but coming from the Brazilian, it is just real and tells us how he thinks, which is refreshing in an often me first world.

Moura on Vinicius

Lucas Moura may have been asked the dumbest question ever about a striker ever when he was asked if a goal would help Carlos Vinicius to settle with the team. Moura quipped back, “yea, we know for a Number 9 its always important” then quickly followed that with a but and finished “but he just arrived”.

According to Moura, Vinicius is learning the Tottenham way and the intensity of the league. The Brazilian noted that Carlos is “doing well during the week in training session” and has that innate “desire to score” and “most importantly that desire to please the coach”. Then Moura level set expectations saying that he is sure that Mourinho has the patience for Vinicius as a new player and that everyone believes in Carlos and that he “will be very important for us and help us in the future”.

While Vinicius is a big part of the future – hopefully – Moura is a big part of the present. As you hear him speak and listen to his words and his perspective on the game, his team, and his coach, it grows even clearer why Mourinho loves Lucas Moura so much and consistently gives him minutes. This idea of pleasing the coach and doing the best for the team may be old school, but so is our coach and clearly that is what it takes to play and win.