Jose’s five-point preview – Newcastle

Here’s what Jose Mourinho had to say in his regular, exclusive pre-match sit-down with Spurs TV as we look ahead to this evening’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

1 – Home form

Following Sunday’s victory in the north London derby, Jose was asked about our performances at home against Chelsea, Liverpool, City, United and now Arsenal, and if there were positives to take…

Jose: “In previous matches before the COVID situation, we were really in trouble even to find a team to play. I prefer to look to after COVID, and to play at home with an empty stadium is not the same, it’s not as powerful as it could be. Man United (1-1), West Ham (2-0), Everton (1-0) and Arsenal (2-1, our home matches since the Premier League’s restart), I can imagine, with a full stadium, this is a good start, even moving to next season, that we can be very strong at home.”

2 – Ben Davies

Ben Davies was praised for his display against Arsenal on Sunday, and has started all six matches since the Premier League’s return. Is he an unsung hero? What are Jose’s thoughts on the left-back?

Jose: “When people sometimes look for a Man of the Match, they look to the amazing goal, or an incredible assist, sometimes people forget that these guys, they are impeccable in their work. I don’t remember Pepe in the game, such a good player. I remember Bellerin once, when he cut inside and tried to shoot with his left foot. Ben and Lucas did incredible work. Speak about Ben, and I think he’s stable every match, and going forward, he knows when to go, he knows how to go, he knows what to do and he was very unlucky because his shot was tremendous (Ben hit the crossbar from 30 yards against Arsenal), and Martinez made a phenomenal save.”

3 – Sir Bobby

Jose’s thoughts always turn to Sir Bobby Robson when he thinks of Newcastle, as the legendary former Newcastle and England manager first brought him into football at Sporting and Porto in Portugal, before taking him to Barcelona in 1996...

Jose: “Through him, I know a lot about Newcastle’s story. Through him, the years we worked together, a lot was about his story, Ipswich, the national team, Newcastle, his youth around Durham, although I could never share his love for cricket! So, I learned a lot about Newcastle. I knew what it meant to him and know what it means to the people. I know the social environment of the area. I have lots of respect, I love to go there, love to play there, of course I’ve only won once there in the (League) Cup, but I love to go there and I go again with a smile on my face, and let’s see if we can leave St James’ with a smile on our faces too.”

4 – Newcastle

Steve Bruce’s men may have slipped up in their last two matches, but before that, a run of six unbeaten – and two defeats in 12 – secured a mid-table position in the Premier League. What did Jose make of tonight’s opponents?

Jose: “They are playing really well. They have different ways of playing, depending on the players on the pitch. One thing is Andy Carroll, Joelinton, another is Gayle, Almiron, Saint-Maximin. I think Steve Bruce has found a very good balance in the squad. They know how to play, they know how to get points, they can be dangerous in many different ways. So, a difficult match for us.”

5 – Momentum

Jose is well aware of the need to follow up Sunday’s derby win with another positive result at St James’ Park as we chase European qualification...

Jose: “We need to, yes. We are in a situation now whereby winning the nine points (from our final three games against Newcastle, Leicester and Palace), we would qualify for Europa League, because some of the other teams even play each other. I think we need to win our matches, so don’t think about other results, just think about us.”