Mourinho reveals one player who will be rested for Tottenham’s next match

Jose Mourinho lavished praise on Matt Doherty’s display against Crystal Palace after Tottenham emerged 4-1 winners on Sunday.

Doherty has been getting plenty of minutes under his belt over recent weeks due to Serge Aurier’s injury.

The former Wolves man has not had the best of starts to his Spurs career but has shown some signs of improvement recently.

Mourinho admitted that he was happy with the 29-year-old’s defensive and offensive contribution against the Eagles, while also praising Lucas Moura, who once again looked dangerous playing as a number ten.

He told Spurs TV: “Matt Doherty was impeccable in his defensive football and even going forward, especially in the first-half he was good.

“Lucas in that position is a player capable of accelerating, to transport the ball and to beat people one vs one.”

Apart from Moura, Mourinho also handed starts to both Harry Winks and Sergio Reguilon on Sunday in place of Tanguy Ndombele and Ben Davies, and the Tottenham boss admitted that he is pleased with how different players have stepped up to the plate recently.

He said: “You look to our attacking guys, today we decided no Dele, no Bergwijn, no Lamela and no Tanguy. Nobody remembered that because the one’s on the pitch did so so well.

“So next game we are going to make changes and what I wish is that people will not remember the others because the squad in this moment is working very very well.

“Winks has not played since the last match in the Europa League. Came back for a start (against Palace) and did well too. I’m very pleased with what the guys are doing.”

Mourinho admitted that he will once again rotate his team for the first leg of Tottenham’s Europa League round of 16 clash against Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday, revealing that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of the players who will be handed a rest.

When asked about the Dane’s display against Palace, the Portuguese coach said: “Sometimes people don’t understand but a team is a puzzle. It’s impossible to play with the ten most creative players in the squad. You need to find balance.

“He (Hojbjerg) is doing amazing for us and also with the ball, he is not a creative player but a player that gives incredible balance and stability to the team.

“He is doing a fantastic season but I think Thursday will be his day to sit next to me like today was the day for Tanguy”

Spurs Web Opinion

I thought Tanguy was starting to look a little leggy over recent weeks and so I understand why Jose decided to give him a rest on Sunday. Winks certainly showed yesterday that he is a useful option in games where we dominate possession.

I expect Jose to start with Winks and Sissoko in the middle of the park against Zagreb, while I expect Lamela, Bergwijn and Vinicius to start in place of Bale, Kane and Son.

Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Related Topics

Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know