Jose Mourinho not expecting ‘good things’ for Tottenham during international break

The Spurs boss is “only expecting negative things” as his players prepare to depart
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP4 November 2020

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he expects "only negative things" for his players from the upcoming international break.

Europe's top domestic leagues will halt for the third time this season after this weekend's fixtures, with the majority of Mourinho's Spurs squad set to be called up by their national teams.

The Portuguese, who has previously said he would like to manage his country, has long been sceptical of his players featuring in international friendlies and last month publicly sparred with England manager Gareth Southgate over Harry Kane's game-time.

Kane is expected to be among three Spurs players called-up for England's friendly against the Republic of Ireland on November 12 and the subsequent Nations League qualifiers against Belgium and Iceland.

"I don't think any player recharges in the national team. From the national team, I'm never expecting good things, I'm only expecting negative things. Never good things," Mourinho said ahead of Thursday's Europa League game against Ludogorets, which is followed by Sunday's League game at West Brom.

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"The players who go to the national team, I know they're going to play them and the training process is different to ours.

"For some of the players the second day of recovery is very important and for some national teams the second day is not a day of recovery but a day of work which goes against the biological laws that we work under.

"Never good things come from national teams, never. But they do their job and they want to win their matches, and I'm not critical of that. And one day if I get a national team job, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be an easy national team job for the clubs.

"So I'm not critical with them at all, it's just the way it is.

"I thought with Nations Cup [Nations League] no more friendly matches but there are still friendlies to play which I don't understand. To win international qualification matches or even the Nations Cup, which is a secondary competition, I will never be critical of any manager that wants to play with their best players but the friendly matches they have to think about the players, make a difference between the players who play Saturday and Sunday.

"We play Thursday and Sunday. If you ask if I expect my players to be rested in friendly matches, I'm not expecting but I'd love [it]."

Mourinho promised his side would be at "full power" in Bulgaria following last week's surprise defeat to Royal Antwerp in their second group game.

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"I don't think it was Antwerp about the players, it was about the attitude," he said.

"We played the knockout [qualifiers] three matches that we had previously seriously and we did it. But this time maybe we didn't feel the pressure of the knockouts, maybe we felt the group phase was a different thing, which is true. But we were not there to win it, we were just there waiting for the victory to find us and not us to find the victory. Tomorrow is not a knockout but because of the defeat the game becomes more important.

There are still 12 points to play for, and we have already three, but it's important that we win or get a point. It's important the players understand the match has to be different from Antwerp and for myself I have to motivate them in a different way."

Mourinho was asked if he had lately lost the 'spark' which made him the Special One.

"I won the Europa League two years ago. Some guys, they won nothing and they have the 'spark'," he replied.

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