Jose’s preview - Royal Antwerp, team news, Bale...
Thu 29 October 2020, 13:02|
Tottenham Hotspur
Jose Mourinho described Gareth Bale as ‘an example for everyone’ ahead of our UEFA Europa League clash against Royal Antwerp this evening (5.55pm UK).
Jose confirmed the Welsh star is set to start Matchday Two of Group J and said that the feeling, and the data, suggested ‘that Bale is arriving’. As Jose explains below, Eric Dier and Tanguy Ndombele have stayed in London. Japhet Tanganga remains sidelined.
Meanwhile, Jose expects a tough test from a Royal Antwerp side who currently top Belgian First Division A with six wins, two draws and two defeats from 10 matches.
Jose on Bale...
"Gareth Bale is playing, and we all have not just a feeling, also the data, that Bale is arriving. He’s working very hard, and has been a great example for everyone. A big guy like him, travelled to Burnley, stayed on the bench for 90 minutes, didn’t play one minute, his behaviour as a team guy is incredible, his behaviour as a Tottenham man is remarkable, and he’s coming. I can see it with my eyes, but then the scientific tech is also coming... he’s working well, he’s improving a lot and we can already see Gareth at a good level, and hopefully he can fly, because he’s working very hard. He’s playing."
Jose on team news...
"I’m going to make some changes in relation to the last match, but that doesn’t mean my team isn’t as strong as it was because I think the Europa League is not important, or I think Antwerp are not strong enough to give us a good fight. I change knowing that the match is going to be difficult, and knowing that the Europa League is also an important competition. I change because my squad allows me to do it. It’s not a change of 11 players, it’s a mixture, because we played Monday, very late night, and we play again Sunday (Brighton at home, 7.15pm), so we need to do this little rotation and, at the same time, because every time I don’t play a player, especially this season, with how everyone is working, I feel very hurt, very sorry, because everyone is working hard to play, so it’s not possible for me to play match after match after match, and to leave someone out for three, four weeks.
"We will have a very strong team. We left Dier behind because he comes from a muscle injury in the national team, so to play him would be a risk. Tanguy Ndombele is also not coming. We’re not going to risk when we have other options. We have other options for centre-back, and other options for Tanguy’s position. These are the only two players who stayed behind, apart from that, everyone else is coming."
I can say immediately he has to be a good coach from the way they play and the way the team is organised
Jose on Royal Antwerp...
"What do I know about the team? Since we got in the draw and studying our opponents with our analysis, of course, I watch as many possible matches from Antwerp, I have a good feeling when I watch a team immediately about the coach level, and even without knowing personally the coach, Leko, I can say immediately he has to be a good coach from the way they play and the way the team is organised.
"If they don’t change, they play with five at the back, but an offensive five, three plus two wing-backs, good structure in midfield and in attack, a good mixture of the power and experience of Mbokani and the intelligence, the movement, the feeling of Refaelov. A physical team, aggressive team, powerful in set pieces, I would say, probably, our most difficult opponent in this group phase, so as it’s the second match, where we both have three points, it’s probably a very important match for both."
