Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho once again questioned the commitment of some of his Tottenham stars as he warned that victory at Aston Villa would not “heal the scar” of their disastrous loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
Carlos Vinicius’ first Premier League goal and Harry Kane’s second-half penalty justified Mourinho’s decision to field a much-changed Spurs side but the win – which took them to within three points of the top four – was not enough to improve his mood.
“Thursday will be a scar for a long time,” said the Portuguese, who found his position under increased scrutiny after the Europa League humiliation.
“It is not going to heal just because we won.
“The challenge is to have these human qualities (we showed at Villa) in every match. It was the win of a group that felt ashamed with what happened in the last week, and to be ashamed, I think, is a man’s reaction.
“Don’t care is not for men. To be ashamed is a man’s emotional reaction which they have and I am very happy for them.
“We needed hungry people, fresh and positive feelings. I need people on the pitch who I know the match is really important to – Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon, this kind of positivity is something the team needed.
“To play with this state of mind, this soul should be a permanent thing, and that’s our next challenge – not to be reactive but to have always this attitude that dignifies our jobs and our club.
“Football now is not easy in relation to these things. Selfishness is around, individual interests are around and agents are around. You need time to develop a feeling of team empathy in a group, because the psychological profile of younger people is not an easy one.
“I want to be proud of my players regardless of the result. To develop the spirit we need is more important than where we finish on the table or the Carabao Cup Final. I cannot do it alone. I have to do it with my club, with my players. We must have this soul in every match.”
Mourinho said he had not heard captain Hugo Lloris’ remarkable interview after the Zagreb debacle, in which the Frenchman hinted at huge fault lines in the dressing room.