Here is your Tottenham Hotspur morning digest on Sunday, April 11.
Mourinho hits out over players’ criticism
Jose Mourinho was left massively unimpressed when asked about how the Tottenham team responded to his recent criticism.
When asked about why his side are struggling to defend leads – which has become a trait frequent in Mourinho ‘s teams over the year – after last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, the Spurs boss said: “Same coach, different players.”
When asked on Friday about how the players reacted to the damning words, the Spurs manager was not happy.
Mourinho said: “I’m not going to answer your question because for the whole week, everybody spoke about it, everybody took for granted what they were writing, what they were saying, so I don’t feel comfortable to come five or six days later to make comments about something people write and speak like if they know everything.
Video Unavailable
“I don’t think I want to go in that direction. I prefer to play or to let you play your game, I mean the media in general, I let you play the game we’ve had during the week and I just want to play our game at 1pm. I don’t want to play that game.”
Read the full story here.
Maguire makes Kane prediction ahead of Spurs vs United
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is relishing to go up against Harry Kane as Tottenham welcome his side to north London this afternoon.
Maguire frequently features in the England squad alongside Kane, but this weekend, they will be going head-to-head.
This is something the United captain is excited for, though, as he spoke to the Manchester club’s official website.
Maguire said: “It’s a great game to be involved in. We have more than enough to go there and get the three points. It’s two squads that you expect to be fighting at the top end of the table.
“We’ve got ourselves into a good position and they’re wanting to bridge that gap.
“I want to play in the biggest games possible against the best players; that’s why I joined this club. Harry [Kane] is one of those.
“I know him from England really well. He’s a top striker, one of the best in the world and he does it season after season, scores goals after goals.
“He’ll be ready for battle and I’ll be ready for battle. May the best man win.
“It’s not just individuals; it’s a team effort. As a defensive unit we’ve got to be strong, go there and get a clean sheet and give the team the best opportunity to win the game.”
Read the full story here.
How Spurs could line up against United
Mourinho has nearly a full squad to choose from ahead of the visit of his former club Manchester United this afternoon.
Ben Davies and Matt Doherty are both injured, but they’re the only injury problems Spurs are currently dealing with.
In each football.london Tottenham bulletin, we’ll bring you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans.
You won’t miss a thing – you’ll get all the Spurs news you need right to your inbox. We’ll also send special newsletters when big stories break or there’s a special event happening.
And with the January transfer window now open there’s plenty of content to get your teeth into.
How do you sign up?
It’s easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article – or any article in the Spurs section of football.london in fact – labelled ‘Get the biggest daily stories by email’ and click ‘Subscribe’.
And that’s it, you’re all set. If you decide later you no longer wish to receive the emails, hit the unsubscribe link in the newsletters – but we don’t think you’ll want to. For more details, click here.
Our Spurs reporters Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest have named the team that they would like to see take on United.
Both reporters want Gareth Bale to come back into the starting line-up for the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Wales forward hasn’t started for Spurs since the north London derby defeat to Arsenal last month and has seemingly fallen out of favour under Mourinho again despite showing glimpses of his brilliant best in the games before the loss at the Emirates Stadium.
But with Spurs struggling to create chances, a re-introduction for Bale could be the answer to Mourinho’s attacking problems.