Mourinho: Tottenham Results Better than Performance at LASK
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur played their final road game in the group stages of Europa League like it did not want to really be there and the result was two dropped points.
Fortunately for Tottenham Hotspur the “pressure of that last match that we need to qualify” will not be there when Spurs host Royal Antwerp next week. The fact that the point from the draw with LASK qualifies Tottenham for the knockout stages was the only positive José Mourinho could find in the exciting but disappointing 3-3 draw with LASK.
Not a Good Performance
When asked about the performance, José Mourinho did not mince words calling the performance “not good” and saying that the “result is better than the performance”. That result of a point takes Spurs through to the knockout stages but leaves them 2 points behind Royal Antwerp to top the group.
While the “second half was better than the first half” according to the coach and “some players individually had very good performances” while other “players had very poor performances”, the “only positive” Mourinho took from the game was that Spurs are qualified and still have a “chance to finish first if we beat Antwerp”.
When pressed about the causes of the poor performance José Mourinho suggested that maybe some of his players “feel they shouldn’t be here” but used this core players of Pierre Højbjerg and Heung-Min Son as examples that contradict that thought. According to Mourinho, Højbjerg and Son will play any and “every match, doesn’t matter where or the competition they are there all the way”.
There were actual multiple times in the presser when Mourinho mentioned the duo of Højbjerg and Son as he continues to work on instilling a winning mentality in all aspects of Tottenham football. Clearly not everyone is yet getting the message of the importance of every minute of every match.
Tottenham Can Still Go Top
José Mourinho is right the most important thing for Tottenham is qualifying and the opportunity to still top the group. Given Royal Antwerp beat Ludogorets on Thursday, Tottenham was always going to have to win the final match to win the group, since head-to-head is the first tiebreaker in European competition and Spurs lost in Belgium.
The even better news is the fact that Mourinho thinks that as things ramp up and the competition becomes more difficult that the team will “focus in a different way”. That focus is needed because topping the group “gives us probably a little bit of advantage” according to José Mourinho. And while Mourinho said Tottenham “should not be afraid of anything” finishing first is still an opportunity that the team “should not waste”.
The good news for Spurs is despite the poor performance on Thursday, they have one more chance to set things right, win the group, and make the most of the European opportunity in front of them. If Tottenham do not take advantage, while Spurs may not be afraid, they may draw something they also do not want.