‘Deeply hurt’ Jose under threat after a disastrous week
JOSE MOURINHO had the air of a condemned man as he surveyed the carcass of Tottenham’s season, accusing the squad of ignoring his demands.
After a calamitous exit from Europe, Mourinho faced up to the worst week of his career and admitted: “For sure, it’s one of the most difficult.”
A defeat in the north London derby and letting slip a two-goal advantage against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League has made him the bookies’ favourite for the next manager to get sacked.
He asked his players for their honesty, commitment and desire after the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal – but he might as well have been talking to the speaking clock.
Probed about the response he expects at Aston Villa tomorrow, Mourinho shrugged: “That’s the same question as after the game against Arsenal – and I didn’t see what I wanted to see. I was expecting a completely different attitude and we didn’t get that.
“The basics of any job are honesty, commitment, desire, respect for the people who require you to do good work.That’s what I expect to have every day, every match.”
“I’ve had in Europe moments of big pain. I lost two Champions League semi-finals on penalties. It hurts you and maybe I am still bleeding.
“But the passion for football, the respect for your job is something that hurts me deeply. And today I have this very bad feeling.
“Maybe for some people, football is a job or a way to make money. For me, it’s much more than that.
“I feel very, very hurt that I cannot find more words to describe it. I see the happiness of people at Dinamo, I can imagine the opposite feeling of Tottenham fans."