Jose perfects Tottenham’s craft in training before Chelsea showdown

TOTTENHAM boss Jose Mourinho hopes he will see the benefits of a full week on the training ground when his side take on Chelsea this afternoon.

The Portuguese has had a hectic start to life at Spurs, playing seven games in a month, including three midweek fixtures.

With his side out of the Carabao Cup, this week has given Mourinho a first real chance to work with his players at training.

‘I hope the team improves,’ he said.

‘I think we are improving step by step, but fundamentally we are improving more with the matches we play than the training sessions we have.

‘The matches are what’s bringing us to do the correct things, to do mistakes, analyse the mistakes.

‘Another thing is to have a training week. The team gave me lots of quality and commitment and desire in this week of work.

‘We always try to bring ideas to the training pitch. You don’t even do it with proper opposition, you do it with passive opposition.

‘We work at the intensity we like to work at which is a very, very high intensity because this is the way we try to play either defensively or offensively.’

Meanwhile, Frank Lampard has warned his Chelsea stars not to overstep the mark at the Tottenham Stadium today as they aim to bounce back from last week’s defeat at home to Bournemouth.

Asked if he would fear passion spilling over, Lampard said: ‘We hope it doesn’t. That’s what happens when a game is so hot. But control that side of it.

‘Courage and bravery come in different ways. Against Bournemouth they needed to find a pass to be brave.

‘Tottenham will be different. Courage will be the atmosphere, the feeling, the physical nature of a Jose Mourinho team.’