Jose Mourinho lays down challenge to Liverpool and Barcelona

According to Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has challenged Liverpool and Barcelona to cope without their major players.

Spurs are facing an acute injury crisis with a number of stars missing. January signing Steven Bergwijn joined the list prior to the Champions League match against Leipzig.

With Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Moussa Sissoko already out long term and Ben Davies sidelined for the next couple of weeks, Tottenham were beaten soundly by Leipzig and crashed out of the competition.

Although Mourinho could call on other players, the absence of his match-winners combined with the fatigue experienced by his threadbare squad has contributed to a winless streak that has extended to six matches. The Portuguese has never before experienced such a streak in his storied career.

According to Mourinho, any team facing such injury setbacks are likely to struggle. He decided to make his point evident by challenging the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona to showcase what they could have done in his stead.

“You go to the European champions and make an exercise. Liverpool without Salah, Mane, Henderson,  Firmino. You want to go to Spain and do Barcelona without Griezmann, Messi, Suarez. Do you want to make this exercise with every team in the world?”

Truth or Fiction?

The boss has a point considering how Liverpool struggled in the absence of Jordan Henderson. Jurgen Klopp’s side has looked lethargic and seems to lack direction in the absence of the 29-year-old. The same could be said for Barcelona who have struggled in the absence of Messi and Suarez.

Mourinho also stated that Leipzig would not have ben as dominant as they were had their stars also been injured.

“No team in the world can cope with injuries for such a long time. You can cope for one or two matches. You cannot cope for four months. It’s too much.”

More Tottenham News

• Juventus want to sign Harry Kane in the summer transfer window
• Jermaine Jenas blames Hugo Lloris and Serge Aurier for Leipzig loss
• Dele Alli apologizes to fans following defeat against RB Leipzig

Tottenham’s injuries have seen them fall further behind Chelsea in the race for the top four. A team on the rise, Spurs’ have been hit by injuries since the turn of the year and has failed to reproduce the results from when Mourinho took over.

Spurs next face Manchester United in a must-win tie in the race for top four.