ANGRY JOSE IN BLAST AT ‘LAZY’ SPURS
Everton excel in opening fixture to leave Mourinho in foul mood
JOSE MOURINHO last night branded his Tottenham players ‘lazy’ and blamed their abject opening defeat to Everton on a lack of intensity.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s soaring 55th-minute header was enough to give Carlo Ancelotti’s side their first win away to a top-six club since December 2013, ending a run of 40 matches. Everton dominated but Mourinho claimed Spurs’ disjointed preparations had contributed to a wretched performance.
Mourinho said: ‘That is a consequence of bad fitness, bad pre-season. Some players had a wrong state of mind. I did not like my team today. We did not have the physical condition, we had no intensity.’
He added: ‘I would say it was lazy pressure — and when you have lazy pressure, you don’t press, you let opponents build from the back.
‘Harry Kane has trained with us once. Moussa Sissoko just twice. For different reasons, players have not been able to train. We had cases of positive coronavirus tests, we had other players who had to quarantine, other players away with the national team.
‘I couldn’t expect them to be sharp, intense, agile. But I was expecting much more.’
All the talk around Spurs lately has revolved around the success of their Amazon documentary, but here was a day when four giant screens told the real story. In the absence of matchgoing supporters, the club had pictures beamed into their sparkling stadium of fans virtually watching the action. Chins in their hands or arms folded, their glum looks were everything you needed to know. It would be stretching things to call this a horror show but if this is to be an indication of what is in store for Spurs, it is not going to make for enjoyable viewing. Mourinho (left) looked enraged at full-time but he could hardly complain. In a way, he should have been relieved. Everton, with better finishing, would have battered Spurs and this 1-0 triumph did not reflect how they were in control of this contest. Carlo Ancelotti’s squad whooped and hollered at the end and were entitled to celebrate. Everton had freshness and enthusiasm, everything Spurs lacked, and relished their task.
These are early days in the Premier League, of course, but you could see in the opening exchanges what difference the additions to Everton’s team had made.
James Rodriguez, in particular, looked different to anything that has appeared in a blue shirt in recent years, his passes fizzing beautifully from right to left.
For a club whose fans have been starved of a hero these last few years and counting, there is a glorious chance for this Colombian with film-star good looks.
His skill and ability is beyond question but it was pleasing to see he had desire, too, standing firm in the face of some heavy tackles.
There was confidence in Everton’s team and they should have taken the lead in the 15th minute when Ben Davies inexplicably put Toby Alderweireld into a foot race with Richarlison, a race he was destined to lose.
Richarlison poked the ball away from the Belgian and hurtled towards goal, round Hugo Lloris, but as Everton’s bench got out of the chairs and began to raise their arms in celebration, the
Brazilian couldn’t keep his cool and lifted his shot over the bar.
Still, it was encouraging. Everton were miserable when they came here in July, their impoverished display leaving Ancelotti startled, but Tottenham’s rather formulaic style invited them to be bold.
Spurs threatened on the break and their best opening in the 33rd minute came from a flowing move that led to Son Heung-min ushering in Dele Alli, rather than playing in Harry Kane, and the midfielder’s drive was superbly saved by Jordan Pickford.
Everton’s goalkeeper needed to be alert just before half-time, too. Matt Doherty scuttled forward and exchanged passes with Kane but Pickford was assured, standing tall. It was a mature save to gloss a mature display, there were no rushes of blood to the head.
‘They were beautiful chances,’ Mourinho lamented.
Stout defending — Allan, the Brazilian international and fellow midfield debutant Abdoulaye Docoure tackled anything they could — gave Everton the foundation and they made it count.
Lucas Digne’s perfectly-weighted free-kick ten minutes after the break, which arced and bent across the six-yard box, demanded a finish and Calvert-Lewin applied it, hanging in the air before thumping a header past Lloris.
Mourinho was not happy about where the free-kick had been taken from. ‘I didn’t like that (there were) so many referees on the pitch and on the touchline and in front of the screen allowing a freekick to be taken five or six metres in front to allow a completely different angle of delivery,’ he said.
‘I can complain now because I was complaining before the goal.’
What impressed most from that point was Everton’s composure. Mourinho blamed Tottenham wilting on their lack of physicality but another view would be to say that they kept being outwitted by the visitors, who were beating these particular opponents for the first time since December 2012.
Richarlison should have been the man to turn Tottenham’s lights off completely but he wasted a header, following a wonderful James cross, then fizzed a shot inches wide. It was a shame that neither went in as the usually understated Ancelotti was so effusive.
‘The performance was brilliant,’
said the Italian. Certainly, it was a statement of intent that this could finally be the year they crack the top six after a number of false dawns.
‘It was an important performance in a difficult stadium,’ added the former Chelsea boss.
‘We showed that we could compete. If the spirit and attitude is good, then we can compete with anybody.
‘Our target is European positions and we have started well. The problem we had last season was that we were up and down.’
Here was the type of display Everton could watch again and again. Tottenham’s worry, by contrast, is the prospect of a run of miserable repeats.