The former Tottenham midfielder feels some serious questions need to be asked in north London on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Everton
Jose Mourinho branded some of his players “lazy” after seeing Tottenham slip to a 1-0 defeat against Everton, and Jermaine Jenas is not surprised as too many Spurs stars did not “seem to be that upset” about fluffing their lines.
The start of a new season brought with it the regular dose of excitement and expectation in north London.
Said mood has soured considerably on the back of a forgettable showing against the Toffees which was settled by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half header.
Mourinho did not hold back in his assessment at the final whistle, with the outspoken Portuguese taking aim at certain members of his underperforming side.
Former Spurs midfielder Jenas feels there are serious issues to address at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with neither playing nor coaching staff covering themselves in glory on the opening day.
“I was left as confused and disappointed as any Tottenham fan after Sunday’s defeat by Everton,” Jenas told BBC Sport.
“As good as Everton were – and they were very good, especially James Rodriguez – Spurs were extremely poor.
“If they keep playing like that, I don’t know what kind of season it is going to be – but it is not going to be an enjoyable one.
“Tottenham just looked like a lot of very frustrated players with no direction, which is odd. Whatever you think of the way Jose Mourinho’s teams play, they are usually well drilled in every detail.
“This time, their players did not look fit – the difference in sharpness to Everton was huge – but, more worryingly, they did not look like they had even worked together before, or knew what their roles were on or off the ball.
“Most of the time when I watch Spurs under Mourinho, I think: ‘OK, there are going to be moments in the game where things are not going well, but we are going to have a spell where we come back into this.’
“But that spell never came. I don’t know why, but the Spurs players did not even seem to be that upset about it either.”
Jenas added, with a transfer window of opportunity still open to Tottenham: “Spurs lacked everything and even Mourinho’s substitutions were poor. Taking off Dele Alli at half-time didn’t make sense to me – at least he had looked like nicking a goal in the first half.
“I know what Spurs fans will do – they are going to be screaming for signings – but it is not the numbers they have brought through the door since reaching the Champions League final in June 2019 that is a problem, it is the calibre of those players.
“I actually think Matt Doherty is a great signing and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who also made his debut on Sunday, is going to work out in the long run too.
“But when you compare them to Everton’s new signings, Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, then you can see which direction the Toffees are going in, and it is completely the opposite one to Spurs.
“I know it was only the first game of the season, but the situation does already seem that stark.”
Spurs have a Europa League qualifier against Lokomotiv Plovdiv to take in on Thursday before returning to Premier League action on Sunday away at Southampton.
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