After picking up a few wins on the trot, Spurs have once again tasted defeat in the Premier League, going down to local rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby.
From leading the match 1-0 to ending it with 10 men and a scoreline of 2-1, Mourinho’s side came a full circle during the 90 minutes but despite that, the Spurs boss feels his side deserved at least a point given how they played in the final quarter of the game.
“I don’t remember such a bad first half, maybe the first half at Sheffield United before lockdown (2 July, last season), but the result was 1-1, the game was not lost, it was open,” said Jose, as per the club’s official website.
“We improved immediately in the second half, even with 10 players and losing 2-1, then we were a team, then we played with intensity and with great desire. We deserved a point for what we did in the last 20 minutes playing with one player less and with the chances we created.”
Overall, this loss does not hurt Spurs’ top-four hopes too much but according to Jermaine Jenas, the setback has successfully evaporated the air-castle which Jose Mourinho was building at Spurs over the past few weeks.
“After the way things had been progressing for Jose Mourinho’s side in recent weeks, what I saw from them in their 2-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium felt like a massive backward step in a number of ways,” former Tottenham midfielder Jenas said on Match of the Day 2.
“Spurs had gone into the game on the back of three successive Premier League wins and a couple of convincing victories in Europe, scoring lots of goals and taking a few of those teams apart.
“It was all looking good. They have got the Carabao Cup final to look forward to, they have got one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and they are in touching distance of the top four.
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“Potentially, with the way they had started playing, I had thought this season could be unbelievable. Then, one performance later, I am left thinking that, no, it was all a lie. It feels like all of my optimism was completely misplaced because it came after they had played three minnows, basically, in Burnley, Fulham and Crystal Palace. The minute they have come up against anyone decent, they have reverted to type.
“That means sitting deep and being cautious, which again got Spurs nowhere on Sunday. And what we saw against Arsenal is what is going to happen every time unless Mourinho gets them back playing on the front foot.”
Mourinho did try and name an attacking side with the likes of Bale, Moura playing in the final third. But sadly, most of them did not even get to touch the ball for long intervals as the Arsenal midfielders took control of the game.
Spurs did try and push the initiative towards the end of the game but by that it was too late and the Gunners are more than willing to protect their slender lead.
But having said all this, Jose Mourinho’s only concern will be to get back into the top-four and even after this loss to Arsenal, Spurs are only six points away from the final Champions League spot and they also have a game-in-hand.
