Jose Mourinho has reserved special praise for Lucas Moura following Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday, insisting that the Brazilian does not get the credit he deserves.
Moura has largely been a bit-part player in Tottenham’s Premier League campaign, with most of his minutes this season coming off the bench and his instead started the majority of matches in domestic cup competitions and the Europa League.
However, the 28-year-old has been getting more minutes over recent weeks and was once again picked to start in the London derby at the weekend.
While Moura did give the ball away a few times in the first half, he showed typical energy off the ball and bravery in possession.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star did bring Spurs back into the game with a well-placed near-post header in the second half but the North Londoners did not manage to get an equaliser despite camping in the Hammers half for large parts of the second period.
When asked about Moura’s display, Mourinho told Tottenham’s official website: “Lucas is a team player, that’s what teams need and many times people, in general, don’t give the right value to these types of player.
“He’s always there for the team, playing amazing or not so amazing, but always there, always fighting for the team and today, I thought he was brilliant.
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“He played 65 minutes two days ago and he was amazing in his effort for the team.”
The Tottenham boss also praised Ben Davies, another first-team star who often gets criticised by the Spurs fan base.
While he admitted that having Sergio Reguilon back was a major boost to the side, he insisted that he could not be happier with how Davies has filled in for the Spaniard over the past month.
The Portuguese coach added: “I’m so happy with Ben, but since Reguilon was injured Ben played every single minute of every single match, and that’s too much.
“We were desperately waiting for Reguilon, not just because of what he can add to the team, but especially because what Ben is doing is not normal – 120 minutes against Everton, 90 against City, goes to Europa League, another 90, non-stop.
“That’s why you have to think about the players and their condition. We thought about resting Ben and at the same time, Sergio is a more offensive player, he gets in attacking positions much more than a very stable Ben, and he did that immediately in the first half.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Football is a game of opinions and it is understandable that fans might disagree on whether a certain player is good enough to play for Spurs. However, I always find it weird how some elements of the Tottenham fan base seem to abuse players like Moura and Davies, who are extremely professional and give their all for the shirt despite obviously possessing a limited skill-set, while seemingly forgiving players who are clearly talented by do not have the same drive or work ethic.
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