This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
June 20, 2020
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho reflected on his team's 1-1 draw against Manchester United, acknowledging the impact of key player absences on the team's performance.
Speaking to Sky Sports News after the match, Mourinho highlighted the absence of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura, stating that it hurt Spurs' depth in attack and prevented them from snatching all three points.
"I liked the team attitude, the team organisation, the control, the following of a plan, being very solid, giving to United what they don't like, really happy with that," Mourinho said.
However, he expressed his unhappiness with the fact that he had no bench to react to the game's developments, citing the absence of key players as a major factor.
"With Lucas and Dele Alli, they would be on the bench or playing, then I would have had on the bench some of our attacking players because they become more dominant because we tired upfront. By being tired we couldn't press, making it easier for them to build," Mourinho explained.
He also criticized the VAR decision to award Manchester United a penalty in the 81st minute, stating that it was a huge mistake.
"I'm also not happy with the penalty and I'm also not happy with the second penalty. I'm unhappy with the VAR, not the referee. The referee in the game can make a mistake, give a cheap penalty. But then the VAR is there to do the job. I'm not unhappy with [Jonathan] Moss, I'm unhappy with the VAR," Mourinho pointed out.
Manchester United, on the other hand, introduced Pogba, Mason Greenwood, and Odion Ighalo off the bench to boost their attack line, which Mourinho felt gave them an advantage.
"United had it, Spurs did not. It was not just Pogba. They had Paul, they had Greenwood, they had Ighalo. If they wanted to decide, they could have had Jesse Lingard, who can change the face of the game, or one in short spaces who can find something really good," Mourinho said.
United's victory extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 games in the 2019/20 season.
