The Special One is determined to focus on the club’s future and not an ugly chapter of its past
Jose Mourinho has revealed he’s not allowing Tottenham players to view any images of their 7-2 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich in October.
The two clubs face off again in the Champions League on Wednesday with Spurs this time boasting Mourinho in the dugout in place of former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham’s heavy defeat to the Bundesliga giants was the beginning of the end for Pochettino, who was sacked seven games later.
While eager to avoid a similar result, Mourinho has refused to allow his players to relive what was a horrible night for the club.
“I forbid any image of it,” Mourinho said on Tuesday.
“I watched it a couple of times: me, my staff and analysts try to go through every single aspect of that but not one single image for the boys. No. Not at all.
“We’re going to focus more on us than on Bayern. We’re going to try to develop our model of play, with different bodies, different phases, different players.
“But there is a certain way that we try to play football and try to develop our principles of play. And we’re totally focussed on us.”
With both Spurs and Bayern having already secured a spot in the knockout stages, Mourinho has opted to rest Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen and Serge Aurier for the match.
While accepting his side won’t be at the same level, the Tottenham manager believes he’s made the right call ahead of a busy period.
“You think our team is the same without Harry Kane?” Mourinho asked. “It’s not the same. And, of course, Bayern depend a little on [Robert] Lewandowski. Their coach thinks differently to me.
“I left Harry Kane at home, and I expect Lewandowski to play. But maybe he gets injured and doesn’t play at the weekend – so it’s better he thinks twice and doesn’t play Lewandowski!
“I arrive in mid-season, without four, five, six weeks to work and know the players – so we have to do everything while we are running. It’s very important to be that the players are coachable and open. I think the boys need me and my job is to help them.”
Be the first to comment