Tottenham dressing room divided by “selfish” players, says Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho said Tottenham’s dressing room is divided by “selfish” players and agents who have their own relationships with the press. Mourinho was speaking after a crucial win at Chase to finish the top four Premier League. Spurs responded to the embarrassing Europa League exit at the hands of Dinoma Zagreb with a 2–0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday, courtesy of goals from Carlos Vinicius and Harry Kane. Captain Hugo Loris criticized the underlying culture at the club in a stinging interview after Thursday’s loss in Croatia, pointing fingers at fringe players who were not fully committed.

Mourinho appeared to agree with the assessment, stating that it is difficult to have a harmonious dressing room in modern sports.

“It’s not easy nowadays regarding football,” he told Sky Sports. “Selfishness is all around, personal interests are around, agents are around, there are connections between agents and the press.

“And a team, instead of developing a sense of empathy, ‘I do it for you, you do it for me’, ‘I win if I play 90 minutes, I win if I stand up.’

“This is something you need time to develop in a group. Nowadays you need time because the psychological profile of society and young people is not easy.”

Mourinho, who made several changes for the Aston Villa match, was delighted by his side’s reaction – the victory leaving them just three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

“I am very happy with the result, I am very happy with the performance, I am very happy with the attitude,” the Portuguese said.

“I’m not happy with the feeling that if you did it tonight, why didn’t you do it 48 hours earlier? The match on Thursday will be longer.

He said, “It’s not happening just because we won, but a total credit to the players. They were a team. They fought together. They put integrity in that game, the dignity that football players get in every match. Should be put in. “

Tottenham forward Lucas Moura said the players were behind former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, adding: “We lose together, we win together”.

“What happened in Croatia was our fault,” Brazil said. “We believe in coaches because we know their history. We just want to be successful here.”

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With nine league games against Manchester City in April for a place in the top four and reaching the final of the League Cup, Lucas issued a call to arms.

He said, “We have nine games to play, we have one final. Let’s end the season well.” “The top four are still possible. We will fight to the end to deliver everything.”