Jose Mourinho accuses Tottenham Hotspur players of lacking motivation after LASK draw

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has accused his players of lacking motivation after they failed to defeat LASK in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Spurs lead twice in the second half but could not hold on as Mamoudou Karamoko drew our opponent’s level in the third minute of stoppage time. While the result ensured that we qualified for the next round, the performance left much to be desired.

Not one for holding back what he thinks, Mourinho gave a candid representation of how he saw things to be.

“The fact that the Europa League group phase doesn’t motivate some of the players, I knew it.”

Mourinho admitted that he was not surprised by the drop in intensity last night. In fact, the signs were clear to him in the warm-up leading to kick off. He felt a lack of enthusiasm amongst the players, which duly reflected in their play.

 “I told the players before the game that there was a huge difference in intensity, communication and enthusiasm in their warm-up and our warm-up.”

It is not the first time this season that Mourinho has had issues with the team’s performance. Unlike in the Premier League, Spurs have at times struggled in Europe.

A troubling trend?

The Portuguese tactician was unhappy with the team’s loss to Royal Antwerp earlier this season. The performance that night left him extremely unhappy, with him going as far as to declare that such performances make his job of selecting players easier.

Nine players who played that night were once again in action yesterday. It was not all gloom and doom as Mourinho praised Son Heung-Min and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for their roles in holding things together.

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As someone who has won the biggest trophies in football, Mourinho is a manager who expects the best out of his players. The players too will have to step up when needed and show they have what it takes to be part of a successful outfit.

Losses are a part of the game and there will be times when we get outplayed. However, the end result should not be a result of a half-hearted performance.