Mourinho inspired West Ham win
Tottenham Hotspur’s poor run of form continued as they lost 2-1 to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. West Ham captain Declan Rice came out and spoke of the encouragement given to the side by none other than Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese coach had spoken out and jibed an insult in the direction of The Hammers insinuating that Spurs would be well above their London rivals come the end of the season. Words which inspired West Ham according to Rice.
“I read during the week that Mourinho said that, at the end of the season, there would be no comparison between where Spurs are going to be compared to West Ham and that they were going to overtake us,” said Hammers captain Rice.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Declan Rice of West Ham United warms up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on September 19, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
“You read stuff like that as players – I think he said it on the Spurs YouTube channel – you read that as players and you think, ‘Yeah that is going to make me go out there and prove you wrong.’”
“You go out there and you want to put out an even better performance, so I think all the lads knew that. We wanted to go out there yesterday and really beat Spurs.”
The reality is that now West Ham sit in 4th whilst, 9 points behind, Spurs are in 9th.
Spurs players unhappy
What is growing even more increasingly concerning is the fact that even players within the Spurs camp are supposedly getting frustrated with Jose Mourinho’s tactics which are lacking in attacking verve.
The Athletic have reported that a number of players have found his training to be too focused on the defensive areas and not enough on what is happening in the final attacking third.
‘Some of the attacking players, who feel that Mourinho’s training is too focused on defence and on not making mistakes, are unhappy with how little focus there is on coaching complex offensive patterns,’ wrote Jack Pitt-Brooke.
‘Some attacking players have even remarked privately that they are still reliant on moves and finishes in the final third that they learned and honed under Pochettino because there has been so little detailed attacking work under Mourinho.’
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 02: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with teammate Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur after scoring their team’s first goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 02, 2021 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Without the form of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son, Spurs have been unable to pick up regular points and without the pair firing the other members of the squad seem lacklustre in their own contribution.
Almost an emphasis on kicking the ball up to the dynamic duo is all that can be hoped for in an attacking sense. The likes of Gareth Bale and Dele Alli, players known for their impact on games throughout their careers so far, have been left out on a regular occasion.
The pressure is growing on the Portuguese coach and soon it could reach breaking point.
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Source: 101greatgoals.com