Fri 01 January 2021, 20:16
Tottenham Hotspur2020, 2021, Greavsie and Leeds - the topics of Jose Mourinho’s first sit down of the year with us as we look ahead to Saturday’s Premier League clash against Marcelo Bielsa’s men at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Remember, kick-off is 12.30pm and N17 Live - with guest, Paul Robinson - will begin at 11.45am.
2020
How would Jose sum up 2020?
Jose: “Very complex, very complicated, the last period of last season, everyone knows what happened. Then, no pre-season, the good start of this season and looking just to football and competitions, we are in the Europa League, of course the FA Cup, the semi-finals of the League Cup and in the Premier League, we are there with everyone in a situation where with two victories you go top, two defeats you go down. It’s uncertainty with everyone, and we are there.”
Team news
Jose gave us a squad update ahead of the match...
Jose: “You know that in this moment, you go day by day. In relation to the previous matches, Lucas and Vinicius should be back, and Bale and Gio, they are still out with their injuries.”
Leeds
What does Jose expect from Leeds on Saturday?
Jose: “Leeds are a team with nothing to lose. They were champions last season in the Championship, they come into the Premier League and there is no pressure on them. They play without any kind of pressure, they play to win football matches, they play to follow their style of play. I believe they are going to end in a very good position in the table, but for them, to finish sixth, seventh or eighth, as an example, there is no difference. They are a very difficult team to play against because of their style of play. We analyse the opponents, and we try to have our own identity too. Of course, we try not to give to the opponent the situations they want. You always try to go in the opposite way and try not to give your opponent the situations where they are very good. At the same time, try to cover from the opponent the situations where you have your own fragilities.”
Greavsie
Fantastic news this week as the great Jimmy Greaves, our all-time top goalscorer (266 goals in 379 appearances, 1961-70) was awarded an MBE...
Jose: “I know the story, these kind of people become iconic, they become part of the eternal memory of people who love football, and especially by being a very proud Tottenham coach, I feel very happy for the Greaves family.”
2021
Finally, Jose’s hopes for 2021...
Jose: “Health. I think we are in a moment where we cannot go further than that. We all have family, we all have friends, and we all care about the people we don’t know around the world. At this moment it’s being healthy, and that means total control of the sad COVID situation we've had for around a year now. From there, lots of good things will happen, for sure, but for now, that’s the priority.”
