Jose Mourinho left seething as Spurs’ 10-game unbeaten run ends
Jose Mourinho: 'I would have made 11 (substitutions) if I could have done'. Picture: AP Photo/Francois Walschaerts
Jose Mourinho could barely disguise his disgust as Tottenham's 10-match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end in Antwerp, who thoroughly deserved to win and move to the top of Group J.
Lior Rafaelov scored the game's only goal, on the half-hour mark, after yet another costly defensive error, but it was Tottenham's toothlessness in attack and sub-standard play that angered Mourinho most.
Having made nine changes to the side that beat Burnley in the Premier League on Monday, Mourinho made four substitutions at half-time in Antwerp, and admitted: “I would have made 11 if I could have done.”
The damage was done in the first 45 minutes, though, and even the introduction of Heung Min Son and Harry Kane could not turn around Tottenham, who were outplayed throughout and could have lost by a bigger margin but for Antwerp squandering chances to increase their lead.
The manager shouldered the blame for sending out a side made up mostly of fringe players, but then suggested that some of them, particularly Dele Alli, gave the sort of underwhelming performance that justified Mourinho's decision to demote him from the regular first-choice squad.
“There is only one to blame, which is me, I made the team, I chose the players to start,” admitted Mourinho.
“At half-time I tried to improve the situation, but it was not enough. The dynamic and the mentality of the first half was already there.”
Certainly, there was no fluency, not only from the beginning but even after an hour, when the line-up looked more like his first eleven.
It is understandable that Mourinho needs to rotate his squad in order to rest the likes of Kane, who has already played 15 games in less than eight weeks, but few if any of the replacements stepped up to the mark.
“We have a big squad with lots of good players. It's my responsibility to give them opportunities to play and catch the chance with both hands, and ask for more,” he added, with a thinly-veiled warning.
“After tonight my future choices are going to be very easy.” Mourinho expected the likes of Dele to hit the ground running, rather than look like the out-of-form, out-of-favour player he has become. The England midfielder showed little urgency or precision, but he was not the only one.
“When you're a player with ambitions to be first choice, play in the most important matches and start every match, you have to show up, that's obvious thing.
"Everybody works the same, trains the same, learns the same. We prepare every match with the same care, the same tactical work we did yesterday is the same we did before Burnley, before Manchester United, before every match.”
Until last night Spurs had won five out of five away games, but that record looked under threat from the moment Ben Davies, a left-back playing in the centre of a flat back four, slipped 35 yards from goal and allowed Diumerci Mbonkani a run at goal.
The former Norwich striker could still have had a difficult task but for Davinson Sanchez leaving Rafaelov unmarked on the left of the penalty area, and when the Israeli striker received the ball, he took one touch before hitting a half-volley past the helpless Hugo Lloris.
It could have been worse. Sergio Reguilon had to dive in to clear after allowing Japanese winger Koji Miyoshi in on goal, Sanchez slid in to stop Rafaelov scoring again, and then Mbokani shot high over the bar from barely five yards out.
Jean Butez in the Antwerp goal was rarely tested, so well shielded was he by a defence superbly marshalled by Ritchie De Laet, the former Manchester United full-back who won a Premier League winners' medal with Leicester City four years ago.
As Mourinho admitted: “Antwerp got what they deserved and we also got what we deserved. The best team won, the worst team lost.”
Butez 6; De Laet 9, Gelin 7, Seck 7; Miyoshi 7 (Buta 58), Hongla 6 (Verstraten 70), Haroun 7, Jukelrod 7; Rafaelov 8, Gerkens 6, Mbokani 6
Lloris 6; Aurier 6, Sanchez 5, Davies 5, Reguilon 6; Winks 6, Dele Alli 5 (Hjobjerg 46) Lo Celso 6 (Lamela 46); Bale 6 (Kane 58), Vinicius 5 (Son 46), Bergwijn 4 (Lucas Moura 46).
Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
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